TeaChat

It seems like when I boil a cup of boiling water out of the UtiliTEA kettle, it's never 212 degrees. It's normally ~205. Is my thermometer bogus or?

Hmm, 212° is the temperature of the water when it is boiling (bubbling), if you pour that straight into a cup thats not at the same (212°f) temperature as the boiling water, then the cup and the water that got poured into it will reach equilibrium at a lower temperature, which could be why you are getting 205° water.
If you want to learn about the temperature status of the Utilitea, you'll need to stick a thermometer straight into the water in the kettle. Be careful though, even the steam from hot water can seriously burn.

Makes sense. I have stuck a thermometer in it in the past but I didn't hold it in very long enough for a correct reading for the the exact reason you stated. Steam is very hot