The Best Water Carafe and Glass Pitcher for the Table

The cheapest improvement to any dinner is water that arrives without anyone asking. A carafe on the table does it. The only real questions are how much it holds, whether it fits the fridge, and whether it goes in the dishwasher.

By the Bonwits editorsUpdated September 25, 20264 picksSave to Pinterest

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Our top picks

4 picks, each linked to the exact listing

1
Best overallBormioli Rocco Ypsilon Wine Carafe, Clear Glass, 36.5 Ounce
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2
The sensible entry pointHario Slim Water Jug, 1400ml, Grey
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3
For a crowdLibbey Atlantis Clear Glass Pitcher with Handle for Water and Juice, 73 Oz
Check priceAmazon
4
For the formal tableSchott Zwiesel Zwiesel Glas Sensa Crystal Glass, 25.3 Oz. Decanter Carafe, Clear
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The carafe that keeps water on the table

A restaurant fills your water glass before you notice it is empty. At home, the easiest way to get the same effect is a carafe or pitcher that lives on the table through dinner. A liter serves four people for most of a meal. For six or eight, you want either two carafes or a pitcher of two liters or more.

The shapes divide into two camps. A carafe is handleless, narrow at the neck, and meant to be poured from and set down on the table. A pitcher has a handle and a spout, holds more, and is better for iced drinks and a long lunch outside. Some of each also fit in a refrigerator door, which matters more than it sounds: cold water is the thing people want.

Materials matter too. Borosilicate glass shrugs off temperature changes. Soda-lime and crystal glass are clearer and more brilliant but want gentler handling. We read the maker specs and listings for carafes from Japanese, Italian, American and German glassworks and sorted them by the job they do best.

How we chose

Capacity for the table. About a liter serves four. We noted exact capacities and which size suits which table.
Easy to fill and clean. A mouth wide enough for ice, lemon and a bottle brush, or a dishwasher rating, or both.
Fridge fit. Water is best cold. We favored shapes that fit a refrigerator door, and noted the ones that do not.
Plain, sound glass. Clear, uncolored glass, so you can see how much is left and whether it is clean.

We read makers’ specifications, warranties, care instructions and the sources listed at the end. We do not accept paid placements. How we choose

The 4 picks, in detail

Best overallNo. 1

Bormioli Rocco Ypsilon Wine Carafe, Clear Glass, 36.5 Ounce

Our take. The plain restaurant carafe, Italian made, dishwasher safe and exactly the right size for four.

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Made in: Italy
Keeps for: Decades with ordinary care
Capacity: About 1 liter (33.75 to 36.5 oz)
Material: Star Glass, lead-free
Dishwasher: Yes (listing)
Mouth: Wide, takes ice cubes

If you have eaten in an Italian trattoria, you have probably poured from something like this. The Ypsilon is Bormioli Rocco's tapered carafe, made in Italy from Star Glass, the maker's lead-free glass with crystal-like clarity. This size holds about a liter; the listing gives 33.75 ounces in the details and 36.5 in the title, which is likely the difference between the fill line and the brim.

The mouth is wide enough for ice cubes and fruit, the neck is easy to grip, and the whole thing goes in the dishwasher. It does double duty for house wine, juice at breakfast and water at dinner. It also fits a refrigerator door, according to the listing.

Skip it if you want a lid. It is an open carafe; there is a cork-top version sold separately if you plan to store water in it overnight.

The catch. No lid, so it is for the table, not for storing water in the fridge uncovered.

The sensible entry pointNo. 2

Hario Slim Water Jug, 1400ml, Grey

Our take. A tall, slim borosilicate jug that lives in the fridge door and goes to the table without apology.

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Made in: Japan (maker)
Keeps for: Many years; borosilicate glass handles heat and cold, and the lid is the part that wears
Capacity: 1,400 ml
Glass: Heatproof borosilicate
Lid: Polypropylene
Fits: Refrigerator door (listing)
Dishwasher: Yes (maker)

Hario is a Japanese heatproof-glass maker best known for coffee equipment, and the Slim jug is its everyday water bottle. It holds 1.4 liters in heatproof borosilicate glass with a polypropylene lid, and it is shaped to fit in a refrigerator door. Hario lists it as dishwasher safe.

The wide opening takes ice and a sponge, and borosilicate glass does not mind going from the fridge to a hot dishwasher. It is a plain, useful object: fill it in the morning, and there is cold water on the table at dinner. At under $20 there is nothing to lose if it gets knocked over.

Skip it if you want a formal table. The plastic lid reads as kitchen, not dining room, and a carafe will look better with good glasses.

The catch. The plastic lid is the weak point and looks casual on a set table.

For a crowdNo. 3

Libbey Atlantis Clear Glass Pitcher with Handle for Water and Juice, 73 Oz

Our take. A tall, handblown pitcher that holds more than two liters, for the table of eight or the long lunch outside.

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Made in: Mexico (handblown)
Keeps for: Years, if kept out of the dishwasher
Capacity: 73 oz
Height: About 11 1/8 in
Material: Lead-free glass, handblown
Care: Hand wash; cold drinks only

When a liter is not enough, you want a pitcher. Libbey's Atlantis is handblown in Mexico from lead-free glass, holds 73 ounces, and stands a little over 11 inches tall, with a defined pour spout and a strong handle. It is large enough to fill eight glasses without a trip to the tap.

The wide opening takes ice, citrus and herbs, which makes it the pitcher for iced tea, lemonade and water with a lot of ice on a hot afternoon. The handblown glass has slight irregularities that give it more life than a molded pitcher.

Skip it if you want dishwasher-safe glass. Libbey says hand wash only and cold drinks only; it is not for hot liquids. It is also too tall for most refrigerator doors.

The catch. Hand wash only, and too tall for most refrigerator shelves.

For the formal tableNo. 4

Schott Zwiesel Zwiesel Glas Sensa Crystal Glass, 25.3 Oz. Decanter Carafe, Clear

Our take. A crystal decanter that doubles as the handsomest water carafe here, if you do not mind paying wine prices for water.

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Made in: Germany
Keeps for: Many years; Tritan is made to resist chips
Capacity: 25.3 oz (about 750 ml)
Material: Tritan crystal glass, lead-free
Dishwasher: Yes (listing)
Designed for: Red wine; broad base, narrow neck

Zwiesel Glas sells the Sensa as a red wine decanter, and it is one: a broad base for air contact and a narrow neck for a controlled pour. Put water in it and it becomes the carafe for a formal dinner, matching crystal stemware in a way that kitchen glass cannot.

It is made in Germany from Tritan crystal glass, Zwiesel's lead-free, break-resistant material, and it is rated dishwasher safe, which is not true of most crystal decanters. It holds 25.3 ounces, about three-quarters of a liter, which is enough for four glasses of water.

Skip it if you want a working carafe for every night. It is small for water, costs six times the Bormioli, and the narrow neck will not take ice. It earns its place only if it will also decant wine.

The catch. Small for water, no room for ice, and priced as the wine decanter it really is.

Compare the picks

Pick	Best for	Made in	Keeps for	Buy
Bormioli Rocco Ypsilon Wine Carafe, Clear Glass, 36.5 Ounce	Best overall	Italy	Decades with ordinary care	Check priceAmazon
Hario Slim Water Jug, 1400ml, Grey	The sensible entry point	Japan (maker)	Many years; borosilicate glass handles heat and cold, and the lid is the part that wears	Check priceAmazon
Libbey Atlantis Clear Glass Pitcher with Handle for Water and Juice, 73 Oz	For a crowd	Mexico (handblown)	Years, if kept out of the dishwasher	Check priceAmazon
Schott Zwiesel Zwiesel Glas Sensa Crystal Glass, 25.3 Oz. Decanter Carafe, Clear	For the formal table	Germany	Many years; Tritan is made to resist chips	Check priceAmazon

Compared.

Every comparison

Keeping a carafe clean

Water carafes cloud from mineral deposits, not dirt. A rinse with white vinegar and warm water, left for an hour, clears most of it. For a narrow neck, a bottle brush or a spoonful of uncooked rice swirled with soapy water reaches the bottom.

Let a carafe dry upside down on a rack or a towel, not closed with a lid. Trapped damp is what makes water taste stale the next day.

How much you need

A liter for four, and a second carafe or a large pitcher past that. If you often seat eight, two matching one-liter carafes at either end of the table are easier to reach than one big pitcher in the middle.

Where the brands we skipped stand

iittala makes beautiful carafes, including the Kartio pitcher, but on Amazon US they come through third-party sellers rather than the brand, so we left them out. Riedel's glass on Amazon is almost all wine decanters rather than water carafes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a carafe and a decanter?

A carafe is a simple open vessel for serving water or wine. A decanter usually has a wider base, shaped to let red wine breathe or to hold back sediment. Many decanters work fine for water; few carafes decant wine well.

How big should a water carafe be?

About a liter serves four people through a meal. For larger tables, use two carafes or a pitcher of two liters or more.

Can glass carafes go in the dishwasher?

The Hario, Bormioli Rocco and Zwiesel picks are rated for it. Handblown pitchers like the Libbey Atlantis are hand wash only.

Is borosilicate glass better?

It is more tolerant of sudden temperature changes, so it suits going from fridge to dishwasher or holding hot drinks. Soda-lime and crystal glass are often clearer and heavier.

Should a water carafe have a lid?

For the table, no. For storing water in the fridge, a lid keeps out odors. The Hario jug has one; the Ypsilon is sold with a cork top as a separate listing.