Alternatives to Adagio kettle

[Deleted User #23762]

Then, I asked Adagio what the plastic viewing window was made out of, and it's polycarbonate (and BPA is used in the production of polycarbonate). So, now I am on the lookout for something else, which is very unfortunate as I LOVED the size of the UtiliTEA.

Oh bummer, I didn't realize this... Well, the window is very small....

BTW orguz, that site is interesting, but some of the suggestions on the list of top 10 things they want us to do to detoxify ourselves is a bit much... avoid canned food? Avoid Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)? Good luck with that...

I've got kids that will be drinking the beverages made from the kettle, so it's especially important to me to limit known hormone disruptors.

Limiting canned food isn't as hard as you think. Beverages can be puchased in glass bottles, sauces and soups can be found in glass containers, Eden organics makes canned beans in cans that are BPA free. Eating more fresh foods and getting away from the processed foods, greatly reduces the amount of canned goods you need as well.

As for SLS, we've already been avoiding it for years in our family. There are tons of products that don't use it. The Environmental Working Group has a web site dedicated to cosmetics/body products. You can search there for items that are SLS free http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

[Deleted User #23762]

Call me a skeptic (mostly based on the fact that there has never been a confirmed report of human illness resulting from BPA consumption, at least to my knowledge), but I don't buy into the scare. I'm sure if you were exposed to tons of the stuff *something* would happen, but I wouldn't bet on anything happening to you if you're just getting it from a leeching kettle or water bottle.

BPA is a hormone disruptor, and out of whack hormones can lead to a myriad of illnesses, including cancers. You can do a search on the Environmental Working Group's web site to find out more about the dangers of BPA http://www.ewg.org

The thing to point out here, is that people aren't being exposed just by their water bottle and their kettle. It's in canned foods, aluminum drinking cans, dental sealants, etc. Infants eating baby formula are at even higher risk, since they are exposed daily, and their baby bottles contain it too (Canada has now banned the sale of baby bottles with BPA), and their little bodies are receiving much more than what is considered safe. So, people are exposed to MUCH more than they realize.

I prefer to eliminate known sources of harmful substances, if at all possible. I feel that there are so many toxic elements that I am NOT able to eliminate in my daily life, that I will reduce the ones I CAN. Not everybody feels the same though, and that is their right.

I think the Adagio kettle is an awesome size, great look, great price, but there are other alternatives to use in the viewing window rather than polycarbonate, so until Adagio changes the material used, I won't be buying one. Bummer too, as the few other variable temp kettles I've found are MUCH larger and I never boil more than .5L at a time, and the larger variable temp kettles don't handle the temperature properly with smaller amounts of water in the kettle.

[soapy]

response is


'The kettle is designed to work at the green colored setting and the orange
colored setting. Any setting in between these two will indicate boiling. We
hope this information helps!'

doesn't make sense to me then why have the settings in between for other tea types?

[Deleted User #23762]

response is


'The kettle is designed to work at the green colored setting and the orange
colored setting. Any setting in between these two will indicate boiling. We
hope this information helps!'

doesn't make sense to me then why have the settings in between for other tea types?

That's totally weird. What type of tea is the orange setting supposed to be for? And why would they make the dial so huge then, a huge white range for boiling before the green, then non-boiling green range, then a white range for boiling between the green and the orange, then an orange non-boiling? Odd.

[soapy]

there response is now

'If its a greener colored oolong, use the green-tea setting. If it is a
darker oolong, 212/boiling water is appropriate.

Thank you for your note. Please visit us again soon'

Adagio Teas


now I"m soo confused and think the description should be changed
why the extra settings? seems useless to me if theres only 2 settings
so to my understanding now is that the kettle works best for the green/orange
settings.

Maybe I'll be shopping around again in the immediate future
so I'm now currently interest in learning about similar products too..

[Thirsty Daruma]

I know that any and all Zoji models have been ruled out because of budgetary constraints, but the issue of safety has come up in this thread. Does everybody who owns a Zoji believe that things are safe with a kettle that could potentially be on and hot at all hours of the day or even night? Even when you're not home?

[Pentox]

I know that any and all Zoji models have been ruled out because of budgetary constraints, but the issue of safety has come up in this thread. Does everybody who owns a Zoji believe that things are safe with a kettle that could potentially be on and hot at all hours of the day or even night? Even when you're not home?

Personally I consider them to be fairly safe. Safer than a lot of other devices around. They are pretty smart about when they don't have water in them. So long as there is water in the device I don't see much of a hazard present. Most of the potential dangers I could imagine involve heating something dangerous or flamable. So long as you're using just water I don't see much danger.

[geeber1]

I just got my Zoji, which I ordinarily couldn't afford, but my husband got our daughter and my dad and in-laws to pitch in for it for my birthday. I've used it every day since I got it, it's great!

I'm okay with leaving it on while I'm at home, but common sense to me would be to unplug it if you're not around, just like you wouldn't leave the iron on or the dryer running.

[joelbct]

doesn't make sense to me then why have the settings in between for other tea types?

That's totally weird. What type of tea is the orange setting supposed to be for? And why would they make the dial so huge then, a huge white range for boiling before the green, then non-boiling green range, then a white range for boiling between the green and the orange, then an orange non-boiling? Odd.

I use the whole range... all the way to the left for matcha (~160F after pouring into a chawan), to the very start of the green label for sencha (~175-180F after pouring), to all the way to the right for black tea, and sometimes in between.

Of course the UtiliTEA color labels are a bit off. But if you are trying to be accurate, you should be using a thermometer anyway.

The green/orange label is just a general guideline. There is no such thing as a universal 'Green Tea Temperature,' and even if there were, the water temperature will drop between 5 and 10 degrees when you pour from the kettle into your brewing vessel, depending upon what size and material teapot you are using.