Re: Electric kettle advice

On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 11:22:42 -0700 (PDT), Rainy <andrei.avk@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:



Square Peg wrote:
On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 00:39:36 -0700 (PDT), Rainy <andrei.avk@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

I'm looking for an electric kettle with these features:

1. Boils quickly (i.e. not like Zojirushi dispensers)
2. Metal on the inside, no plastic (specify if it's coated with
anything or plain steel)
3. Variable temps with wide range of possible values
4. Not more than $50.

It looks like Upton Tea has a winner for $38. But is it metal on the
inside? Is it coated? Any other problems with it? Anyone have it or a
similar kettle?

There are literally dozens of models available. Amazon has quite a few
and many have owner ratings. Epinions has a long list:

http://www.epinions.com/Electric_Kettles--~all-9688_brand

I just completed a fairly detailed search. I ended up ordering the
Digital Kettle Pro from Tea Treasures. It's scheduled to arrive
tomorrow. I'll post my impressions after I have a chance to use it
some.

On 8/20, Natarajan posted a nice review, after having just received
one. It was one of the reasons I bought one myself.

In my opinion, your $50 limit makes no sense. The difference between
$50 and $100 is only $10/year if you keep if for just 5 years. If the
$100 model has features that make your life easier, isn't that worth
$10/year to you? No-brainer to me.

Yes but if you follow the same logic you can say that
a $1000 kettle used over 20 years is just $4/month. That's
the kind of silly thinking that left me pennyless and
having to settle for a $50 kettle. So you see that the
answer is already part of your question?

Questionable logic. Anything can be taken to a silly extreme. If your
self-control is so impaired that you bankrupted yourself buying the
top-of-the-line everything, then you probably can't even afford the
$50 unit. Or, if your time and convenience isn't worth the extra $50,
don't buy it. You know what your time is worth.

My finalists were:


1. Digital Kettle Pro, $90, Tea Treasures.

http://teatreasures.com/page/Tea-Supplies/PROD/Electric-Tea-Kettles/DPROKETTLE

Pros:
* Digital temp control: 104?F - boiling, +/- 3 degrees.
* Temperature hold: holds water at the temperature setting.
* Cordless
* Stainless steel
* 1.5 liter (50 oz, 6 cup) capacity
* Auto shutoff if it runs dry
* Alarm when water reaches temperature

Cons:
* 1,000 W (less than most)
* Expensive
* External water guage. The website says it has an external water
guage, but Nataranjan says it does not.

For me, this was the only real contender. The digital temp setting and
the temp hold are not available in any other product as fas as I know.
The ability to fill it up, set the temperature, and not have to be
right there the instant it's ready was easily worth the extra $30-40.

I already have a Zojirushi and I suspect that hold temp
feature results in less-tasty tea.

More questionable logic. But, then, I think we'd had this debate
before. However, I'd give you the extra $50 if you could tell the
difference between tea brewed from water heated in a glass kettle and
used the instant it was warm and tea brewed from water heated in a
stainless kettle and left on warm for 10-15 minutes in a double-blind
test. I guess if you let it boil for 10-15 minutes, assuming you had
any water left, that would probablyt be detectable due to lack of
oxygen, but not just keeping it warm well below boiling.

Digital temp control is no better than
analog, the real issue is how accurate the thermostat
is,

That's not true. With the digital, you get an exact setting. With the
analog, you cannot be sure you set it to exactly the same place unless
it has places where it clicks into place.

the Zoji I have cost $120 and is often listed at
around $140-150, so I think it would have thermostat
as good as kettles in sub-100 range, and it's not
terribly accurate, it can read 85 and then if you unplug
and plug it in again it will read 90, very often. So,
analog would be just fine for me as long as it's
accurate and consistent, but some people in
adagio UtiliTea reviews say that it's not consistent,
i.e. same setting will sometimes produce different
temp.

I don't want to pay more than $50 because I'm not
sure I will use it at all.

So you're willing to "risk" $50, but not $51?

I think tea from electrically
heated water won't taste the same/as good.

Again, I'd wager you can't tell the difference in a double-blind test.

Also
the reviews say that if you use less water, same
setting will produce higher temp.

My main concern is inconsistent heating at same
setting, because then I'd rather buy a $40-50
kettle without variable temp locally and use a timer
with it.

BTW Zojirushis look very nice, and they do temp
hold by heating. They only have one model that
_in addition_ works like a thermos, so that it
spends less energy to keep water at high temp.

The real problem with Zojis is that white and
green teas don't taste very good. I think because
of electric heating and slow heating.. Actually
blacks don't taste quite the same either.

Yeah, I know you believe that the molecules somehow know where the
heat came from. They don't. Maybe if you heated the water under one of
those pyramid thingies from the 60s (or was it the 70s?) or hung some
crystals around or played some new age music.

Have you tried homeopathy techniques on tea? Maybe you could brew one
perfect cup using perfect spring water heated in a glass pot, etc.,
etc., ... Then, through a process of diluting and succussing, you can
have an endless source of perfect tea forever.

Just kidding. I tried to give you some information on tea kettles. If
it wasn't useful, I'm sorry. Good luck with your $50 kettle. I'll
report back on my $90 digital after tomorrow.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT online tea site?
    ... We have enjoyed very much in the past lapsang souchong, a the southafrican red tea, jasmine, green, etc. ... - on the cooker in a saucepan - in a kettle that goes on the cooker, or do you get it from one of the hot water dispenser things. ... I put on the water, and when it is making that sound that says it's going to boil any second I rinse the pot with microwave boiled water and measure in the tea. ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.quilting)
  • Re: Electric kettle advice
    ... Digital Kettle Pro from Tea Treasures. ... holds water at the temperature setting. ... thermostat which likely isn't exact. ...
    (rec.food.drink.tea)
  • Re: Electric kettle advice
    ... Digital Kettle Pro from Tea Treasures. ... holds water at the temperature setting. ... the temp hold are not available in any other product as fas as I know. ...
    (rec.food.drink.tea)
  • Re: Electric kettle advice
    ... It looks like Upton Tea has a winner for $38. ... Digital Kettle Pro from Tea Treasures. ... holds water at the temperature setting. ... the temp hold are not available in any other product as fas as I know. ...
    (rec.food.drink.tea)
  • Re: Electric kettle advice
    ... Digital Kettle Pro from Tea Treasures. ... holds water at the temperature setting. ... the temp hold are not available in any other product as fas as I know. ... thermostat which likely isn't exact. ...
    (rec.food.drink.tea)