In Praise of BRITA Water Pitchers

The Muttroxia household has had a Brita water pitcher for years. It’s easy to use, the water seems to taste better, it fits in the fridge nicely. And at 12 cups, it has generous capacity.

What is the downside? The downside is that our pitcher was bought somewhere around 2002. It just seems gross. Nothing you can point to, but after 15 years, it was time to replace it.

But I couldn’t. Because they don’t make our model anymore. The new standard ones are only 10 cups. With five family members, that’s not enough. There is a bigger model, but it’s more of a fishtank, takes up far too much room. I literally spent months trying to find a 12-cup model. I even called Brita headquarters (they were very understanding and polite). Finally I folded and bought their newer standard version.

I’m glad I did. It’s wonderful. Here’s a product that gets it right.

• It pours smoothly, and is easy to aim.
• It holds just as much. I don’t understand how this can be. It is clearly 10 cups compared to 12 cups we used to have, but somehow it has just as much. I believe this is because the ‘lower’ section of filtered water is bigger. The 2 cup difference was mostly in the top half, unfiltered water.
• It refills incredibly smoothly. In previous versions, you removed the entire cover or pulled up a flap to reveal an opening. No more. Now you simply pour directly onto the top. The water pressure pushes that hinged area down so the water goes into the pitcher. Better yet, as the jug fills the buoyancy of the water gradually closes the flap (similar to a toilet floater). It’s an incredibly elegant solution. The user never needs to touch anything but the water handle. Whoever designed this should be richly compensated.

Three cheers for the new Brita water pitcher!

Update:
As requested, here is an explanatory video.