BRITA Cube Review: The Ultimate UK Guide

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Let’s be honest, we Brits are a nation powered by tea. The kettle is practically a sacred object in our kitchens, bubbling away countless times a day. But what if there was a smarter, faster, and even tastier way to get that perfect cuppa? Enter the BRITA Cube, a gadget that promises to be your all-in-one solution for filtered, instant hot water.

It looks sleek on the counter, a bit like a high-tech coffee machine. But this isn’t just about looks. The BRITA Cube claims to tackle everything from London’s hard water limescale to the chlorine taste that can ruin a good brew. It offers water at different temperatures, from ambient to piping hot, all at the touch of a button.

But with a price tag that could buy you a whole cupboard full of traditional kettles, the big question is: is it actually worth it? Does it live up to the hype, or is it just another expensive kitchen gadget that’ll gather dust? We’re diving deep to find out, looking at everything from its clever tech to what real British users think.

What Exactly Is the BRITA Cube?

Think of the BRITA Cube as a kettle and a water filter jug that had a very clever baby. It’s a countertop machine that does two main jobs. First, it filters your tap water. Second, it heats that water up almost instantly to whatever temperature you fancy. So, you can have a perfectly hot cup of tea or a glass of cool, filtered water from the same machine.

BRITA Cube Ambient & Hot Water Dispenser Black (4.0 L) various temperature and cup-size presets, ultimate safety with UV-C technology for bacteria-free water…

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Provides instant filtered hot or ambient water at the touch of a button, heating on demand in seconds.
Offers customization with 5 temperature settings (from ambient to 95°C) and 4 volume options (150ml to 450ml).
Features a large 4-litre capacity, an adjustable magnetic drip tray, a child lock, and a self-cleaning mode.
Purifies water using UV-C technology to eliminate 99.999% of bacteria and a MAXTRA PRO filter to reduce impurities for a pure taste.
Simple plug-and-play installation requires no plumbing, and it comes with a 2-year guarantee for peace of mind.

Unlike a kettle, you don’t have to boil a whole litre of water just for one cup. You tell the Cube exactly how much you want, and it heats just that amount. This is where the big claim of saving energy comes from, which is a hot topic for anyone looking at their smart meter with a sense of dread these days.

It’s designed to be simple. You fill up its large 4-litre water tank from the tap, slot it back in, and you’re ready to go. There’s no complicated plumbing or installation needed. You just plug it into the wall like you would with any kettle.

Who Is This Gadget For?

The BRITA Cube is aimed at a few different types of people:

The Tea and Coffee Snob: If you spend good money on fancy tea leaves or coffee beans, you’ll know that the water you use makes a huge difference. Filtered water can make your daily brew taste cleaner and brighter.
The Energy-Conscious Household: We’re all trying to cut down on our energy bills. The idea of only heating the water you need is very appealing, especially for the millions of us who work from home and get through countless hot drinks during the day.
People in Hard Water Areas: If you live in a place like Sussex or the Thames Valley, you’ll know the pain of limescale. It furs up your kettle and leaves a nasty film on your tea. The BRITA Cube is designed to fight this, protecting the machine itself and giving you a scale-free cuppa.
Busy Families and Modern Kitchens: For families needing hot water for everything from baby bottles to a quick Pot Noodle, the speed and convenience are a big draw. Plus, it looks tidy and modern on the kitchen counter, getting rid of the clutter of a kettle and a filter jug.

The German Engineering Behind a British Habit: A Quick History

BRITA is a name most of us recognise. Those filter jugs have been a staple in British kitchens for decades. The company itself is German, started back in the 1960s by a man named Heinz Hankammer. He had the simple idea of optimising tap water, and the first filter jugs were made in his own garden.

The brand came to the UK in the 1980s and quickly became popular. Why? Because a lot of Britain has very hard water. The chalky geology of southern and eastern England means our tap water is full of minerals like calcium and magnesium. While harmless, these minerals cause limescale, which can clog up appliances and make tea taste a bit grim.

BRITA’s filters were a simple solution. They used a mix of carbon and ion-exchange resin to trap these minerals and other impurities like chlorine. Suddenly, our tea tasted better, and our kettles weren’t constantly full of white flakes.

The BRITA Cube is the next step in this journey. It takes that trusted filtration technology and combines it with the instant convenience that modern life demands. It’s a response to how our habits have changed. We’re busier, more conscious of energy use, and we expect things on demand. It’s German engineering meeting a very British problem head-on.

How the BRITA Cube Actually Works: A Look Under the Bonnet

So, how does this clever box turn regular old tap water into the perfect drink? It uses a combination of three key technologies: advanced filtration, UV-C purification, and instant heating. Let’s break that down in simple terms.

Stage 1: The MAXTRA PRO Filter

This is the heart of the BRITA system. When you pour tap water into the tank, it trickles through a MAXTRA PRO filter cartridge. It’s a bit like a tiny, high-tech sieve.

Simplified Explanation: Imagine a filter that’s like a sponge with different layers. One layer is like a net that catches big bits like sand or grit. Another layer has tiny charcoal beads that soak up chlorine, which is what can make tap water taste a bit like a swimming pool. A final layer has little resin beads that act like magnets for limescale, grabbing onto it so it doesn’t get into your drink.
Detailed Explanation: The MAXTRA PRO filter uses a multi-stage process.
1. Super-Fine Mesh: This captures coarse particles from old pipework.
2. Natural Microcarbon Pearls: These are made from coconut shells. They have a huge surface area and are excellent at adsorbing chlorine and other taste-impairing substances. This is what really improves the taste and smell of the water.
3. Powerful Ion-Exchange Pearls: These are the bits that tackle water hardness. They reduce limescale by trapping calcium and magnesium ions. They also help to reduce metals like lead and copper that can sometimes be present in tap water from older pipes.
4. Additional High-Performance Filter Mesh: This provides a final filtration step, ensuring no particles get through.

BRITA offers different types of MAXTRA PRO cartridges. The Limescale Expert is the best choice for hard water areas, while the Pure Performance is a great all-rounder.

Stage 2: The UV-C Purifier

This is a clever bit of tech you don’t find in a normal filter jug. As the water is dispensed from the Cube, it passes by an ultraviolet light.

Simplified Explanation: Think of it like giving the water a blast of special sunlight. This UV-C light is really good at zapping germs. It’s a bit like a final safety check, killing off any nasty bacteria or viruses that might be lingering.
Detailed Explanation: The Cube uses a UV-C LED light. UV-C radiation has a wavelength that is effective at disrupting the DNA of microorganisms. When bacteria and viruses are exposed to this light, they can no longer reproduce and are effectively neutralised. The system is designed to eliminate 99.99% of bacteria, providing an extra layer of confidence that your water is not just filtered, but hygienically clean. This feature is particularly useful if the water has been sitting in the tank for a day or two.

Stage 3: Instant Heating Technology

This is what replaces your kettle. Instead of a big heating element sitting in the water, the Cube heats the water as it flows through the machine.

Simplified Explanation: Imagine the water flowing through a very narrow, very hot pipe on its way to your cup. It heats up almost instantly as it passes through. This means the machine only ever heats the exact amount of water you’ve asked for, right when you need it.
Detailed Explanation: The machine uses a powerful heating element (around 2150 watts) combined with a flow-through system. When you select a hot water setting, a pump draws the filtered water from the tank and pushes it through the heating chamber. The system is calibrated to heat the water to your selected temperature as it travels to the spout. This on-demand heating is what makes it far more energy-efficient than a traditional kettle, which often heats more water than needed and loses heat while it boils.

A Practical Guide to Using the BRITA Cube

One of the big selling points of the BRITA Cube is that it’s supposed to be incredibly easy to use. So, let’s walk through the experience, from setting it up to making your morning brew.

Setting It Up

Getting the Cube ready is a doddle. You take it out of the box, and there’s very little to assemble.

Rinse and Prepare: The first step is to give the 4-litre water tank and the drip tray a quick wash.
Soak the Filter: You need to prepare the MAXTRA PRO filter. This involves soaking it in water for a few minutes and flushing it through to activate it. This is standard practice for any BRITA filter.
Slot It In: Pop the filter into the holder inside the water tank. Fill the tank up with tap water and slot it into the back of the Cube.
Plug In and Go: Plug the machine into a power socket. It’ll light up, and you’re almost ready. The machine will likely run a quick first-time cleaning cycle.

The whole process takes about 10 minutes. The best part is there’s no need for a plumber, which is a relief.

Making a Drink: The Day-to-Day Experience

Using the Cube is all done through the touch-sensitive display on top. It’s designed to be intuitive.

Wake It Up: The machine goes into a standby mode after about a minute to save power. You’ll need to unlock it, which usually involves a quick touch. This is the child lock feature.
Choose Your Temperature: You can pick from five different temperature settings:
- Ambient: This is just cool, filtered water.
- 80°C: Perfect for delicate green or white teas.
- 90°C: Ideal for instant coffee or some oolong teas.
- 95°C: The top temperature, designed for a proper builder’s brew (black tea).
Select the Volume: Next, you choose how much water you want. There are four pre-set sizes, ranging from a small 150ml cup to a larger 450ml mug.
Press Go: Place your cup under the spout (the magnetic drip tray can be adjusted for different heights, which is a nice touch) and hit the start button. The machine will whir into life and dispense your custom-made water.

Living with the Cube: What Real Users Say

This is where we get to the nitty-gritty. What’s it actually like to have this in your kitchen every day? Looking at reviews from British customers, a few key themes pop up again and again.

The Good Bits:

Fantastic Taste: Overwhelmingly, people say the water tastes great. For tea and coffee lovers, this is a massive win. It removes that chemical, chloriney taste and, in hard water areas, gets rid of the scummy film on top of a brew.
Super Convenient: Users love being able to get instant hot water. No more waiting for the kettle to boil. It’s quick, easy, and makes the daily routine that little bit smoother.
Energy Savings: Many people are convinced it’s saving them money on their electricity bills. By only heating the water they need, they can see a real difference compared to boiling a half-full kettle several times a day.
Sleek and Compact: It gets points for its looks. It’s described as being smaller than you’d think, with a neat footprint that doesn’t take over the whole worktop.

The Not-So-Good Bits:

The Child Lock: This is, by far, the most common complaint. The machine locks itself after 60 seconds of inactivity. To use it again, you have to perform a specific touch gesture to unlock it. Many users find this irritating and unintuitive, especially in a shared space like an office. One reviewer called it the “secret handshake,” which sums it up perfectly.
“Is It Hot Enough?”: This is a point of debate. The top temperature is 95°C. For many, this is perfectly hot enough for tea. However, a traditional kettle boils at 100°C. Some tea purists argue that you need boiling water to properly brew black tea, and find the 95°C water just isn’t quite hot enough. Some users get around this by pre-warming their mug with a splash of hot water first, especially with thick stoneware mugs that can absorb a lot of heat.
Filling the Tank: Because the tank is at the back, if you place the Cube under a wall-mounted kitchen cabinet, you’ll likely have to pull the whole machine forward to fill it up. Some users have rearranged their countertops to get around this, using a jug to top it up instead.

The Big Question: Is the BRITA Cube Worth Your Money?

At around £250, the BRITA Cube is a serious investment for a kitchen appliance. You could buy a decent kettle and a year’s supply of filter jugs for that price. So, let’s weigh up the pros and cons to see if the value is there.

The Case FOR the BRITA Cube

Unmatched Convenience: You get instant, filtered water at the exact temperature and volume you want. For busy people, this is a game-changer.
Superior Taste: It consistently produces better-tasting water, which elevates everything from your morning coffee to a simple glass of water. This is especially true in hard water areas.
Potential Energy Savings: Over time, the energy saved by not constantly over-boiling a kettle could add up. In an era of high energy prices, this is a significant factor. One user called it a “genius idea” for reducing water and power waste.
All-in-One Solution: It declutters your kitchen worktop by combining two appliances into one sleek unit. It also protects itself from limescale, meaning it should have a longer lifespan than a cheap kettle in a hard water area.
Added Health Confidence: The UV-C purification offers an extra layer of hygiene that you don’t get from any other standard kettle or filter.

The Case AGAINST the BRITA Cube

The Upfront Cost: The initial price is high. It’s a luxury item, not a kitchen essential.
Ongoing Costs: You have to factor in the cost of replacement MAXTRA PRO filters. Each one lasts about a month (or 150 litres), and a pack of six will set you back around £25-£30. Over a year, that’s another £50-£60.
The Annoying Quirks: The child lock is a significant design flaw for many people. It adds a layer of frustration to what should be a simple process. The fact that you might need to pre-warm your mug to get a really piping hot drink also detracts from the “instant perfect cuppa” promise.
It’s Not Truly “Boiling”: For those who believe tea must be made with 100°C water, the Cube’s 95°C maximum will always be a compromise.

The Final Verdict: A Smart Gadget for the Right Kitchen

So, should you buy the BRITA Cube? The answer really depends on you, your habits, and your budget.

The BRITA Cube is probably worth it if:

You are passionate about the taste of your tea and coffee and live in a hard water area.
You value convenience and speed above all else and are frustrated by waiting for a kettle.
You are actively looking for ways to reduce your home’s energy consumption.
You love modern kitchen gadgets and are willing to pay a premium for a sleek, all-in-one design.

You might want to give it a miss if:

You are on a tight budget. The initial cost and ongoing filter replacements make it a pricey option.
You are a tea purist who insists on using 100°C boiling water.
You think you’ll be easily annoyed by quirks like the child lock interface.
You don’t have a major issue with limescale or the taste of your tap water.

Ultimately, the BRITA Cube is an impressive piece of kit. It successfully combines high-quality water filtration with the on-demand convenience of a hot water dispenser. It solves the very real British problem of hard water and our endless demand for tea, all while promising to be kinder to our planet and our wallets in the long run.

It’s not perfect—that child lock is a real head-scratcher. But for those who can get past its quirks and afford the investment, it offers a genuinely upgraded kitchen experience. It’s a glimpse into the future of the humble cuppa: smarter, cleaner, and ready in an instant.

BRITA Cube Ambient & Hot Water Dispenser Black (4.0 L) various temperature and cup-size presets, ultimate safety with UV-C technology for bacteria-free water…

Get Latest Price

Amazon.co.uk

BRITA Cube Guide: Is It Worth the Hype for Clean, Custom Water? Our Review

What Exactly Is the BRITA Cube?