Opinions on these kettles?

[SimonRichie]

I want to order a variable-temperature electric kettle today, and after much research I've found little information.

These two have the better Amazon ratings for the $80 and under models.

Pino Digital Kettle Pro: http://www.amazon.com/PINO-ST-8706-Digi ... 687&sr=8-7

Sharper Image Select-A-Temp: http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Sel ... 614&sr=8-9

I would also consider the Utilitea, though I wish it had a built in thermometer.

Does anyone have any advice for me in this area?

[teaisme]

debunix seems to like the pino a lot

something about the sharper image one tells me to stay away....far away....

Utilitea is well spoken of in this forum

Why so set on a variable temp one?
If I was in the market for a good electric kettle this would be the one I would get....https://www.imperialtea.com/Steel-Elect ... P211.htmlp

Things I look for in a electric stainless kettle are good pour, better quality steel that won't leech too much of a metal taste into the water so fast if/while the hot water is sitting in there, no rubber or anything that would gives an off smell or taste, reliable, durable, long lasting, nice looking.

Hope you find something you like and here is an old thread on this topic
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... ino+kettle

[debunix]

I have 3 pinos (one at each of two offices, one at home), like them very much. They are not perfect: one of them beeps at me annoyingly if the base is plugged in and the kettle is not in place. They do have a plastic insert in the lid that the water vapor touches, but no plastic in the main body of the kettle. I've had the first one for about a year now, so can't comment yet on their longevity.

[SimonRichie]

Maybe I'm being too anal? It's just that I want to brew at the proper temperatures, and I dislike always having my hand and thermometer crammed into my plastic kettle.

Is there an easier way? Do most people just eyeball it? I've seen several videos of people making tea and they all just seem to have a kettle nearby with steaming water. What do the people do who frequent TeaChat (you folks seem to have class when it comes to tea)?

[Chip]

... heh, bleeping beeping is bleeping annoying.

I had used the utiliTEA for years and it is a great performer. I am now using its new bro', the varieTEA which is surprisingly quiet and has no beeps or clicks at all ... (as well as the preprogrammed, push-button temps). It is as zen as you can get without going the kettle over fire methods. It also has an added keep warm feature which I am using for pu-erh and oolong ... for greens I just bring it to a boil once and it stays hot enough for the entire session ... usually.

TBH, I could live w/o the variable temps ... I would never miss it, but since it is there, I use it.

[Chip]

Maybe I'm being too anal? It's just that I want to brew at the proper temperatures, and I dislike always having my hand and thermometer crammed into my plastic kettle.

Is there an easier way? Do most people just eyeball it? I've seen several videos of people making tea and they all just seem to have a kettle nearby with steaming water. What do the people do who frequent TeaChat (you folks seem to have class when it comes to tea)?

I always bring to a boil and then pour a single steeps amount of water into a yuzamashi (water cooler) to bring to proper temp ... for greens.

[SimonRichie]

There are two varieteas left on Amazon, but the single review there is so bad that I've been scared off.

[Chip]

I guess you have to be careful of single reviews. There are 401 reviews on the adagio site for the utiliTea ... and a 98 rating which is pretty freakin' impressive actually. http://www.adagio.com/teaware/utiliTEA_kettle.html

And ... no I do not work for adagio!

[nrstooge]

I've had my Utilitea from Adagio for a year now and still love it. It doesn't have exact temperatures, but has areas w/in for greens, whites and blacks... guess I should get a thermometer and measure the high/low end of each color coded area, but I don't bother. It works wonderfully either way and is a better $$ than some I found out there that do not have variable temps at all.. just one.

[Drax]

FWIW, I own both of the Adagio kettles (the older utiliTEA and the newer varieTEA). I use the former at home and the latter at work.

Compared to each other, the varieTEA is larger and has a much sturdier construction (which befits its greater price), and its temperature selection is a bit easier to use (you'll need to adjust the utiliTEA based on how much water is in the pot, etc). The varieTEA also has a better look (though I realize that such a comparison is much more subjective).

They're both decent kettles, though, so if money is your biggest concern, the utiliTEA will serve you extremely well.

[teaisme]

Is there an easier way?

here is what I do with my electric kettle at work

For oolongs, reds, puerh just let it boil till it auto shuts off, most of these teas are made for water that is fresh and just off the boil so really don't need a thermometer (maybe you might want to switch to manual after a boil is done to give it a little extra boil time like 10-30 secs for teas you want hot hot hot but some kettles will impart a metal smell if you boil past the auto shut off mark).

for whites and the more delicate greens, after done boiling pour it into teapot, then from teapot to either cups/water cooler(Yusamashi)/zhong bei (fair cup). This will cool the water significantly and it is soon ready for a first infusion after I put the leaves into the warmed up pot and let them sit a bit (smell it of course )

**Some greens can really vary in taste by just a 10 degree difference in water temp, so if you really want to find your sweet spot you can buy a thermometer and use it when the water is being cooled in whichever vessel you chose to cool it in (note most thermometers require at least a little depth to be accurate so consider this when you chose what vessel to cool the water in).**

Just drink a lot of tea and be observant of your teaware and brewing environment and you will start to find what works best for you

Personally I have strayed away from the thermometer because it makes me feel a little obsessive, "humm I know the water brewing temp how about the temp after its brewed to measure cooling rate, now the temp at drinking yada yada" and soon I am too hung up on temp at different moments throughout to just enjoy my tea (that is just my nature to use a tool in front of me if it is there, many find contentment in just using it once and setting it aside, I have difficulty doing this if I have already used it once, too curious I guess ).

In the beginning though when I first started to brew more delicate teas I think the thermometer gave me a good idea of how hot certain numbers were, and it was very beneficial when trying out other peoples brewing methods picked up from the web