Electric kettle recommendations?

[andy825]

So. Now that I have a spiffy new tea table, I find myself wanting a kettle to go with it. I use a zoj for everyday tea brewing, but I want something that will sit on the table next to the tea tray for gongfu sessions. I think my requirements are as follows:
Pot that sits on a base, so the pot can be lifted and used without a cord dangling
Large enough for a gong fu session for two people
somewhat traditional looking
smallish footprint (less than eight inches on a side)
adjustable temperature settings for different types of tea

I found a few by kamjove (sp?) that looked nice, but I wanted to check here and see if anyone had other sources I could check out.
Thanks!

[JP]

Kamjove



And also http://www.hailea.com/kamjove/E-kamjove ... nchahu.htm

[ABx]

Kamjove is kind of the favorite in the tea world

[andy825]

Thanks for the recommendations. Does anyone besides birdpick sell the kamjove kettles in the US? I couldn't see how to order from the site that JP posted, but those sure are nice! Just what I'm looking for, really.

[gingkoseto]

Oh, nice! I didn't know they were available! I like kamjove's travel gong fu mug very much.

But on the birdpick website, the km750's size is labeled "4 oz. bag" and the model in JP's post, its size is labeled "1.57kg". How large exactly are they? Are they 0.5L and 1.5L? I can do with my stove top regular kettle, but these electric ones look nice and handy!

[andy825]

Bah. I was just at Wing Hop Fung on christmas day. I should have looked while I was there.

[wyardley]

Thanks for the recommendations. Does anyone besides birdpick sell the kamjove kettles in the US? I couldn't see how to order from the site that JP posted, but those sure are nice! Just what I'm looking for, really.

The TP-680 is pretty good -- not sure if you can still get it, but I think WHF may have a few. However, the older army surplus looking ones with Bakelite bases are built like tanks. I like the ones that the LA area Ten Rens sell (the silver one with brown base). They are about $70, so 2-3x as much as the newer models. A little lower tech and possibly not UL listed, but I swear by mine.

The small induction model mentioned above isn't too bad either, but there are a few weaknesses...
* Every time you remove the kettle or change modes, there's a loud beep. The only way of "fixing" this AFAIK is to remove the little beeper by hand (that's what I did to mine).
* Kettle is a little small
* If you have big hands, it's not very comfortable to hold, and I don't think it pours quite as nicely as some other electric kettles.

It does have a nice function to send a little burst of heat every 3-4 seconds to keep the pot at about the same temperature it's at.

The other way to go is to just get a hot plate with an earthenware, glass, or iron kettle.

[Bubba_tea]

Is the middle of the road model better for bigger hands? I've been eying that induction model, but those bloody tiny zhu ni lids already tick me off enough to look for the 'gwai lo' version...

[wyardley]

Is the middle of the road model better for bigger hands? I've been eying that induction model, but those bloody tiny zhu ni lids already tick me off enough to look for the 'gwai lo' version...

If memory serves, that model has a pretty small handle too. And Bird Pick charges much higher prices than Wing Hop Fung (their parent store) for the exact same things, so if you can get someone from LA to go pick one up for you, that will save you some money.

[chrl42]

Kamjove TP-400 seems to be what most sellers at Maliandao use.
Cheap and small, has a Aladdin lamp-like shape that enables to pour smoother and more concentrated. But to reach the boiling point might take long.

I recommend Taiwanese kettles that heat faster and more expensive.

[Bubba_tea]

Charles - any brands you recommend?

WYardley - have you used the asiachi.com side of WHF?

ps - is there much difference between the zoji pots and a kamjove kettle in the brew?

[thanks]

http://www.adagio.com/teaware/utiliTEA_kettle.html

I know it doesn't look all that traditional, but I've been loving mine. Plus, the pour is absolutely incredible.

[houltmac]

http://www.adagio.com/teaware/utiliTEA_kettle.html

I know it doesn't look all that traditional, but I've been loving mine. Plus, the pour is absolutely incredible.

This was highly recommended to me also, but it's currently not available in the US and not listed on the UK store. By the time I realised it was available under other names elsewhere I had already ordered the Philips HD4686. It hasn't arrived yet but looks similar. I will be sure to let you know what I think when I get it.

[wyardley]

WYardley - have you used the asiachi.com side of WHF?

I live near their two brick and mortar stores, so I haven't messed with the site much... but the site doesn't have much of the selection that the real stores have.