Electric Kettles

[thirst]

Hey Kyarazen, thanks for the answers. I’ve heard the rationale for the reboiling thing, I was just wondering why then it’s so prevalent in tea houses.

One of the reasons this question came up to me was because of electric kettles usually requiring a minimum amount of water. So if you have a 1 l kettle with a 500 ml minimum requirement, unless you have a large pot or you’re exchanging all the water, you’ll always have at least some amount of reboiled water.

I mean, yeah, overthinking probably, and I’m unlikely to change my leisurely behavior when it comes to re-using water at the moment.

Looking through the manual of the 1 l Bonavita, I like that you can completely remove its lid.

By the way, they seem to be officially expanding into Europe, probably good news for those of us here – while I’m not currently in the market for a new kettle, they seem to be hard to get online at the moment.

[mganz42]

I went to visit my parents and they have installed a second faucet in the kitchen sink that only dispenses boiling water... of course, they're the type of people who just stick a teabag in a mug. I just stared at it in shock and horror...

If you want to know what it tastes like when water has been overboiled, DO THAT

[joelbct]

i've had my cuisinart cpk-17 for 5 years, and i'm pretty satisfied.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17- ... B003KYSLNQ

Hey pedant, did you remove or keep the plastic filter and filter base at the spout on your Cuisinart?

I've never understood why electric kettles even have these plastic spout filters, what do they think people are boiling water with sediment in it?

The Cusinart looks pretty decent but I don't want plastic by the spout. Looks like the entire filter thing can be removed with pliers, according to Amazon user pictures.

[thirst]

They’re scale filters – their usefulness depends on how hard the tap water is where you live, I guess, and on whether you filter all or only your tea water.

[pedant]

Hey pedant, did you remove or keep the plastic filter and filter base at the spout on your Cuisinart?

I've never understood why electric kettles even have these plastic spout filters, what do they think people are boiling water with sediment in it?

The Cusinart looks pretty decent but I don't want plastic by the spout. Looks like the entire filter thing can be removed with pliers, according to Amazon user pictures.

as you said, there is a plastic piece (a filter holder) bolted to the spout from the inside of the kettle which serves to hold the filter insert. the insert is made of metal mesh and plastic.

i read a review before i got the kettle that said that the filter reduces pouring performance, so i threw away the insert when i opened the box. i'm not afraid of the odd tiny scale particle...

as for the black plastic filter holder bolted to the inside of the spout: it is secured by a small nut that i failed to remove using the tools i had at my disposal.

action shots (viewed from the open top of the kettle):


i failed to remove it before because it's a tight space, and none of the tools i had could fit in there at the right angle.
i have not tried to remove it in years, but now that you've reminded me, i might take another crack at it.

also, i'm not trying to backpedal on my cuisinart cpk-17 recommendation, but are you sure you don't like those bonavita goosenecks? they look pretty sexy to me, and i bet the thermal loss isn't really an issue.

however, i will say this: sometimes i like to throw my kettle in my backpack and go for a bike ride and have tea wherever i can find a power outlet, and i don't know how that would work with a gooseneck kettle. the spout might be kind of fragile, idk.

[BW85]

however, i will say this: sometimes i like to throw my kettle in my backpack and go for a bike ride and have tea wherever i can find a power outlet, and i don't know how that would work with a gooseneck kettle. the spout might be kind of fragile, idk.

I put my bonavita in my backpack. The spout is surprisingly durable

[pedant]

hey joelbct,

your question + all the tea i just drank inspired me to have another crack at it.



bam!

i managed to get it with needlenose pliers.

also, like any mass-produced product, it seems like there are some bad runs of the cpk-17. there are probably multiple factories even. i was looking at the customer images on amazon, and it looks like some were made with non-stainless fittings which rusted. yuck, lol.

from amazon:

^ whoops, you guys used the wrong lock washer in that run!

whoops again.

i lucked out with mine, and i even have a backup: i bought two of them in 2010 at the same time (likely the same batch) for $40 each -- there was a sale somewhere. they're like $90 now, wow.

also just fyi, i just asked my friend about his cpk-17 that he got in 2013, and his is still functioning well, but he barely uses it.

[BW85]

Honestly, my first goal was humor; &, my mind cannot truly understand oxygen dissolving in water. That kind of conception is beyond me; &, I would not know why hydrogen would not dissolve also making the end result H20 in the kettle & in the air as steam.

I have just prepared my favorite tea, Himalayan Orange black tea w/ water that was boiled last night, sat, & was boiled again this morning. The tea tastes the same as it did last night. That is my empirical, personal (thus subjective) observation about re-boiling water. My palate is fairly sensitive, for I can taste the difference between use of my thin-walled gaiwan & my thick-walled gaiwan.

I'm glad some of you caught the humor. Teachat is friendly, polite, & informative, but sometimes lacking wit (of course I might be missing some of it). Cheers

Yes, I didn't catch your humor, hard to do sometimes with text alone and without the use of these cute emoticons

Also, the difference that I notice from water that's been reboiled too many times or held hot for too long isn't so much flavor related as it is texture and mouth feel. I do use old water myself at times when my tea drinking is in the background while I'm doing other things

[joelbct]

i lucked out with mine, and i even have a backup: i bought two of them in 2010 at the same time (likely the same batch) for $40 each -- there was a sale somewhere. they're like $90 now, wow.

Thanks! The fact that you have had the Cuisinart for 5 years is encouraging, despite your efforts to sell me on the gooseneck .

If I wanted two kettles, I could definitely see using the gooseneck for sencha brewed in kyusu, matcha, and pourover coffee. But I moved from NY to Oregon 12 months ago and left my teaware collection with relatives.

Currently I brew using this:


Which as you can tell, is a traditional ancient artisinal $5 pyrex measuring cup and mason jar system. I brew a delicate 30 ounces or so at a time. I'd have to sit there for an extra 45 seconds 3x/day waiting for that gooseneck to drain. Prefer a broad spout.

If I went with bonavita, I'd probably go with this one:

[BW85]

The bonavitas are made and rated for commercial use in coffee and tea shops. They should be able to withstand years of daily use. I'm really a big fan of them, and although I primarily use a zisha kettle I'm happy to have one of these electric kettles to use from time to time for quick convenience

Just saying, I've used many different electric kettles and I don't think any other can match bonavita in usability and temp precision, if temp control is important to you

[pedant]

hey joelbct

did you end up getting the cpk-17 or something different?
what do you think of it?

[Evan Draper]

The relative merits of electric kettles have been debated on several threads and I am always surprised about people's priorities. For me the only thing that matters is a long spout so you can put the water where you want it. Trying to wrangle several pints of water through a stubby spout is a ridiculous chore. I've never seen any plastic kettles with long spouts (and I'm not worried about small amounts of plastic) so the materials question is moot. I'm happy with my ability to control temperature by sound and touch, so any temperature setting or readout is an extra expense and breakage liability. And I'm also resigned to any and all of these things burning out after a few years. Bonavita gooseneck is fine and so are innumerable Chinese models. Glass kettle + burner/hotplate is fun too.

[Exempt]

Love my Zojirushi water dispenser. Not sure which model I have but it looks like this is the newest model
https://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/cvdcc

[Curly]

Just pointing out the 1 litre Bonavita is on sale at 20 percent off at Amazon right now. I just bought one and so far I love it, expect for the fact that the hold setting makes the lights in my house dim. Yikes!

http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Variable ... tea+kettle

[shudaizi]

Just pointing out the 1 litre Bonavita is on sale at 20 percent off at Amazon right now. I just bought one and so far I love it, expect for the fact that the hold setting makes the lights in my house dim. Yikes!

http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Variable ... tea+kettle

I bought one and returned it. Every time I tried to boil water it would start heating and then somewhere along the line I would get a "HI ERR" on the readout. I would then have to turn it off, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on. Meant I was tethered to the pot, having to watch it constantly. Of course the error code isn't mentioned in the manual at all. A google search turned up what it meant (essentially the temp sensor is out of whack and not fixable by the user). Seemed like a convenient appliance; sad that the quality control is so suspect. Went back to my Taiwanese electric kettle purchased in 1996. Simple and "dumb", but it's still working flawlessly after 20 years!