Just received the UtiliTEA Kettle

[Mary R]

You know, that whole "use fresh, cold water/run cold tap water for a few seconds to allow for aeration/don't reboil boiled water" set of guidelines?

[joelbct]

I have of course heard that letting it boil for too long, at least, will cause "flat"-tasting water.

Plus, if I am boiling water for green tea two or three times a day, every day, think of the energy and time that the UtiliTEA's adjustable-temp setting will save me over the course of many years! There is a lot of energy difference between 170 or 180 and 212 degrees...

And having to cool water one-thousand times per year gets old, think of what I can do with all that saved time, like post more messages on tea forums!

[Wesli]

Shorter tea times = LOSE.

I've never noticed any change (Mary). To me, all that talk is superstition.

[Mary R]

I rarely notice much of a difference, but I'm using bottled these days, which might have some effect. The Great Oxygen Debate sounds like a good Between the Leaves topic...I'll have to get on that.

[skywarrior]

I'm with Fuka on this. I think the oxygen thing is superstitious behavior.

[heatwaves]

I just received my UtiliTea last week and I agree, it's pretty damn awesome. However, I noticed a quirk with mine and would like to know if any of you have experienced this.

When you turn your knob, will it actually stop at ALL of the white squares? The lowest mine will turn is the 2nd white square and it won't reach the 11th-14th white squares. The strange thing is that you can turn it all the way to the brown section at the end, but when I try to stop it on 11-14 the knob just flips back to the 10th square.

I'm also doing some "temperature experimenting" now and two things seem to have an EXTREME effect on the temperature of the water: fill level and the water temp that you start with. With the dial turned on the exact same section, the water gets much hotter (as much as 20 degrees) with the minimum fill level as opposed to the maximum fill level. Similarly, if you start with room temperature water, I end up with 10 degree warmer water than refridgerator cooled water. I suppose both of these are just common sense, but it is still important to consider when you're making tea.

[Mary R]

Okay, I am a nerd and I have a lot of sharpies. What I did was figured out where my favorite temps were at different water levels, then marked the UtiliTea dial accordingly with different colors. Red's 1 cup, Blue 2 cups, etc.

Works for me.

[JRS22]

I had the same problem with my first one. When I contacted customer service I was told to exchange it, which I did. The next one behaved the same way. I haven't found a need for any temperatures in the range that I can't access, so it doesn't cause me any problems. Using the Utilitea is so much more relaxing in the morning than testing the temperature with a thermometer.

I just received my UtiliTea last week and I agree, it's pretty damn awesome. However, I noticed a quirk with mine and would like to know if any of you have experienced this.

When you turn your knob, will it actually stop at ALL of the white squares? The lowest mine will turn is the 2nd white square and it won't reach the 11th-14th white squares. The strange thing is that you can turn it all the way to the brown section at the end, but when I try to stop it on 11-14 the knob just flips back to the 10th square.

[skywarrior]

I just received my UtiliTea last week and I agree, it's pretty damn awesome. However, I noticed a quirk with mine and would like to know if any of you have experienced this.

When you turn your knob, will it actually stop at ALL of the white squares? The lowest mine will turn is the 2nd white square and it won't reach the 11th-14th white squares. The strange thing is that you can turn it all the way to the brown section at the end, but when I try to stop it on 11-14 the knob just flips back to the 10th square.

Maybe it's trying to tell you something?

Seriously, I only have that issue somewhere around the last two marks before the black tea setting. It will move it forward then only one or two marks. After that, it is set to boiling. That high detent is 187F for me. After that it's 203F or nothing. But then, it's boiling, so who cares? (I'm at altitude and thus a lower boiling point).

My question is should you really miss that in-between temperature? I mean, I drink oolongs too and they're quite satisfactory there. The other possibility is to boil the water and let it sit for a minute or two (use a thermometer if you want the temps)

Just a thought. YMMV.

[insanitylater]

mine doesn't like squares 11-13

it just goes back to 10

[chamekke]

That's a great method, particularly for a lot of Japanese styles, but there is a school of thought that believes allowing the water to reach a boil would remove too much oxygen from the water and cause a flatter tasting tea. If you're in that school, then it's convenient to have a gizmo that stops heating at a temperature closer to your target.

I attended a talk recently that was given by an instructor on Japanese teas (he was certified by the Japanese Tea Association)... he said that it's best to boil the water for several minutes to get rid of the chlorine that is almost always present in North American tap water.

My current teakettle always snaps off when it hits the boil, and I can't really be bothered to do a five-minute boil using a stovetop saucepan. But he has left me wondering about this. Yes, persistent boiling might dispel any trace of chlorine, but won't the water become flavourless and flat too?

[Chip]

That's a great method, particularly for a lot of Japanese styles, but there is a school of thought that believes allowing the water to reach a boil would remove too much oxygen from the water and cause a flatter tasting tea. If you're in that school, then it's convenient to have a gizmo that stops heating at a temperature closer to your target.

I attended a talk recently that was given by an instructor on Japanese teas (he was certified by the Japanese Tea Association)... he said that it's best to boil the water for several minutes to get rid of the chlorine that is almost always present in North American tap water.

My current teakettle always snaps off when it hits the boil, and I can't really be bothered to do a five-minute boil using a stovetop saucepan. But he has left me wondering about this. Yes, persistent boiling might dispel any trace of chlorine, but won't the water become flavourless and flat too?

Allowing chlorinated tap water to sit out will allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally. Chlorine evaporates very rapidly I hear.

Boiling the water for several minutes seems counter productive from what I have read it will deoxiginate the water, which is bad for brewing also.

Most tea fanatics either filter, buys spring water, or have a well.

[auggy]

Allowing chlorinated tap water to sit out will allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally. Chlorine evaporates very rapidly I hear.

I always heard it took 24-hours. I have to set out the tap water I use to water my aloe plants to let the chlorine evaporate or else it will turn the tips of my aloes brown and I've always done it overnight. Which is kind of a pain (I have a tendency of forgetting it the next day so it can take me days to water my aloes). I'd be interested in knowing how long it does take.