Sooo excited about my new variable temp kettle for home! I used it this morning to make my first bowl of matcha in quite a while. One of the reasons I fell out of making matcha at home was the hassle of cooling the water to the right temp… I am one of those people who wants to make sure it is really at just the right temp, so heating it up in my stovetop kettle and letting it cool with a thermometer was dragging me down. But not anymore!
I made this with a touch of sugar but not as a latte. I do think I prefer matcha in latte form… this was pretty good, but I found the rose to be more perfumy than I used to when having it with milk. I also don’t quite find the white matcha to be worth the price bump, and if I was going to get the rose flavor again I would probably go for the green base. Nonetheless this was a tasty morning bowl of matcha.
Awesome! I want a variable temp kettle for my birthday too!
Which one did you get? I’m still doing the stovetop kettle and thermometer thing. It really is a drag!
It’s this one: Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle: http://amzn.com/B005YR0F40
Loving it!
Do you still like your new variable temp kettle? (I’m also a bit of a stickler on temps and still using a stove top kettle and thermometer.) Pros? Cons? It’s a lovely looking one and the spout is v unique.
And also, does it beep when it reaches temp?
I do like my kettle a lot still, especially how customizeable the temp is and how it holds water at one temp for gongfu sessions.
Pros: I can set the temp to the exact degree, and then if I press “hold” it will hold that temp for an hour.
It actually reads the temp of the water after you put it back on the base, and will show it dropping over time if you leave it on. So you always know if your water is at an acceptible temp.
The spout pours a fine stream that is good for filling small teapot openings, or pouring down the side of a gaiwan in a controlled way
Cons:
No beep, so it’s hard to know exactly when your water is ready (although if you hit hold it will hold it at your chosen temp until you get to it again)
No “window” so it’s harder to tell how full the pot is (could be a pro for people who don’t want any plastic involved; doesn’t really bother me either way)
Smallish size, so you can’t make a huge pot of tea. Actually this isn’t a con for me because I never make large pots of tea, but it could be for some people.
Narrow spout means it pours kind of slowly so it’s maybe not for impatient people.
So yeah, not too many cons that actually affect me; I would say the only thing I would like is a beep, but I can live without it.
Good to know! I asked for this kettle for my birthday, but I won’t find out till Friday if I got it or not ;)
Thx for the prompt and thorough answer, Dinasaur. I think I’m interested!
I usually make and drink my tea one cup at a time. So I don’t think the size would be a problem. I only own 2 and 3 cup teapots anyways. I do like the no plastic, tho I wouldn’t rule a kettle out for having it. And while I would prefer a beep, I think I can live w/out one too. I don’t leave the whistle on my stovetop kettle anyways so I’m relatively used to going back into the kitchen to check and see if the water is boiling.
Steph, do let me know if you get one for your bday! I’m nosy. (;