Variable Temperature Kettles
Hello,
I am sort of new to the world of tea and I am looking for a variable temperature tea kettle. I love the Breville variable temp kettle, but I have been told that the plastic parts inside the kettle are not BPA free. I would prefer BPA free plastic on any appliance that touches food or drink. Can you recommend any other kettles?
Also, if you are so inclined send an e-mail to Breville asking them to make a BPA a free variable temperature kettle. I think their kettle is superior to any that I have seen on the market, with the exception of the BPA plastic.
Thanks……..
In my opinion, not only is this one http://www.amazon.com/Choice-SmartKettle-Cordless-4-Quart-Electric/dp/B001I1BH98/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263857149&sr=8-7 from Chef Choice cheaper, it’s also superior because you can set it to any temperature rather than have a few to choose from.
TeaNovice, I know that you are looking for a BPA free kettle but I have and only use the Breville BKE820XL and just wanted to let you know it’s a pleasure to use the only thing I wish is that you could program a brew time so that you didn’t have to wait for the water to get hot to make your tea in the mornings.
It’s simple to clean I just add vinegar and set the water temp to black french press and leave it for 8 hours and it’s ready to rinse a few times and ready to keep on chugging.
AngieL I totally ditto your point about programing a brew time, but that’s because it’s just a kettle and not a tea maker. The only product I’ve found is the Fine T Automatic tea maker, but it’s $300!
I have this model too. The only problem is it – and the other Breville that I owned – is that both seem to start acting up after 1 year!
I’m in the UK and we don’t really have many kettles with a variable temperature control but I have come across a few. I would assume the same are available in the US.
Cheap:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aquagrad-Electric-Kettle-Temperature-Regulator/dp/B001QF6RSM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1267112614&sr=1-4
Doesn’t actually heat up to the temp but displays the temp so you can wait until it cools down to the right temperature.
Mid priced:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/4216/breville-variable-temperature-tea-kettle
Super daft price:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bugatti-VERA-Electronic-Kettle-Cream/dp/B002BA51LA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1267111993&sr=8-1
The Rolls-Royce of kettles. It does everything, programable brew time, temp sensor etc but I think £180 (about $275) is a bit mental for a kettle.
I read many reviews on the Pino Digital Kettle Pro $79. some perfer it over the SmartKettle…
http://www.amazon.com/PINO-ST-8706-Digital-Kettle-Pro/dp/B001HC54O2/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=ITLYW31RXH8MA&colid=27XNJLWZ2MI9L
I don’t know if the Pino lid (where water can condense and drip back into the heated water, but that the water otherwise doesn’t touch) is BPA free, but since BPA is primarily used for soft plastics, and the lid bits are hard plastic, I doubt that there is any in it. And while I do not have any stock in the Pino company, I do own three of these kettles (one at home, one at each of two offices).
I can’t decide if I should wait until I can afford this one(posted above by cofftea):
http://www.amazon.com/Choice-SmartKettle-Cordless-4-Quart-Electric/dp/B001I1BH98/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263857149&sr=8-7
Or just click check out at adagio teas with this one:
http://www.adagio.com/gifts/holiday_utiliTEA.html?SID=56aba8da285a0d78667412317c22a825
I like that the one cofftea suggested actually lets you set the temperature to the degree, wherearas the adagio one only has a green/white black/herbal setting and not a temperature. But for half the price and a few samples of tea I’m wanting to try anyway….hmm.
Spending too much on tea this week :P
Meghann, you are right. The Smart Kettle can be set to the degree. It really depends on what kind of tea you drink. For example, if you only drink blacks, herbals, and pu erh, you really only need a kettle that boils water. I, on the other hand, drink a lot of Japanese greens- all of which require a different temperature. It is my advice that if that kettle is something you are really interested in, then save up for it. Buying something that really isn’t what you want is just a waste of money (in my opinion). You should do some more research and check out the PINO Pro that wambli suggests. It appears to be almost exactly the same as the Smart Kettle- I’d be interested to know why there’s a $30 difference in the price point. Let us know what you find out:)
I own two of the Adagio UtiliTEA kettles (one for home, one for the office) and absolutely love them. They’re relatively cheap and heat water quickly and accurately.
I don’t drink black tea, so I rarely use the high temperature setting (only for puerhs). I mostly drink Japanese green and Taiwanese oolong, so the lower temperature setting are very important for me.
I better wait and do some research, I want something for my green teas. Right now only have a dragonwell loose, but hoping to add more to my cabinet of teas in the near future. I know the dragonwell tasted awful when I just guess-timated the water temperature, I’ve had it made quite well before. I’ll let you know what I find out!
My fiance almost has his tea brewing down to a fine art. He measures out the exact same amount of water each time he makes tea, and he heats it in a saucepan. He used to use a tea thermometer, but now he’s gotten so good at spotting what each temperature looks like, he barely needs the thermometer anymore. Of course, it’s a flawed system, because he’s not perfect, and sometimes there’s not very much deviation in the way the water looks from one temperature to the next, but every so often we’ll pull out the thermometer to check, and he’s usually at least close to right (and by “close” I mean within 7 or 8 degrees). Anyway, the system probably won’t work for everybody, but it’s cheaper to me than shelling out a couple hundred dollars for a variable temperature kettle. I’m not necessarily recommending it, but it works for us. :)
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