Electric Kettles

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pedant
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Mon May 21, 2018 1:09 pm

Janice wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 12:23 pm
Brent D wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 11:33 am
pedant wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 11:14 am


don't worry, some rust on the inside of your new tetsubin is normal
Huh? I think you may have misread that.
No...rust showing up on the inside of a 3 month old, Stainless steel electric kettle is not normal.
I agree. Isn’t rust the stain that good stainless is supposed to eliminate? My Varietea is 18 months old and there are some pinpricks of rust on the bottom. I’m not happy even with that, but in my kettle’s defense I often leave water standing in it overnight with the lid closed.
that was an attempt at humor
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Brent D
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Mon May 21, 2018 4:32 pm

pedant wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 1:09 pm
Janice wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 12:23 pm
Brent D wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 11:33 am


Huh? I think you may have misread that.
No...rust showing up on the inside of a 3 month old, Stainless steel electric kettle is not normal.
I agree. Isn’t rust the stain that good stainless is supposed to eliminate? My Varietea is 18 months old and there are some pinpricks of rust on the bottom. I’m not happy even with that, but in my kettle’s defense I often leave water standing in it overnight with the lid closed.
that was an attempt at humor
Ah, intended humor being lost through the internet.
Never had that happen before :lol:
Janice
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Tue May 22, 2018 8:49 am

pedant wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 1:09 pm
that was an attempt at humor
It’s your fault. First you pick a user name that Merriam-Webster defines as a male teacher. Then you go about posting good answers in a variety of threads. Of course you’re going to be taken seriously!
swordofmytriumph
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Sat Mar 23, 2019 5:43 am

RIP Bonavita. Finally died after 6 years of continuous use. Best kettle I’ve ever had. I was looking on their website, and it looks like bonavita is expanding their kettle line! There are five new colors, including a glass one, and all have stainless steel bases instead of plastic. Plus a quick boil button. Doesn’t come out until later this spring though. Too bad my kettle couldn’t wait another few months to die. Am now faced with a dilemma: buy same kettle now, or wait a few months for the new one and make do with a stovetop kettle.
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debunix
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Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:43 am

6 years of happy service is pretty good for one of these.....I'd go with the same one again.
Guy Juan
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 7:05 pm

Hi all,

So, I have a temp controlled kettle. I set the temp, use the water as soon as it reaches temp, then replace with fresh water again. I don’t reheat the same water for my 2nd brewing because I’m under the impression that would affect the flavor, or remove more oxygen.

Is there a certain kettle that retains heat long enough for a whole gong fu session? Say 20 min or more? Or is using fresh water each time the norm? If I let my kettle sit for 5 minutes the temp would drop quickly.

Is there a method instead? Such as boil the water then as it sits it cools (using a pitcher to cool the water before brewing for the first round)?

Just curious if there’s something I’m missing .
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Victoria
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 7:58 pm

@Guy Juan without knowing which electric kettle you have or it’s volume, I’ll say that with my 1.7 liter Bonavita variable temp kettle typically I can steep gongfu style quick steeps at least twice before reheating water in the kettle. Regarding oxygen, unless you are boiling for an extended period of time this really shouldn’t be an issue. I simply add water as needed, but with my larger size kettle this only happens after steeping a few teas.

With Japanese greens you could boil the water and then cool gradually by transferring heated water to kyusu, then into cups, then into water cooler (yuzamashi), then back into kyusu with heated leaves, but since you seem to have a temp controlled kettle, these additional steps are not necessary. I like to pre-heat my kyusu, so always add heated water there first before adding dry tea leaves, this sets a good temperature for the kyusu and gives off a wonderful aroma from dry leaf. “Each time temperature drops approximately 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you begin with 206F goes to 190, 170, 150F, depending on how much time water rests inside each vessel.” viewtopic.php?p=6582#p6582
Guy Juan
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 10:46 pm

Victoria wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 7:58 pm
Guy Juan without knowing which electric kettle you have or it’s volume, I’ll say that with my 1.7 liter Bonavita variable temp kettle typically I can steep gongfu style quick steeps at least twice before reheating water in the kettle. Regarding oxygen, unless you are boiling for an extended period of time this really shouldn’t be an issue. I simply add water as needed, but with my larger size kettle this only happens after steeping a few teas.

With Japanese greens you could boil the water and then cool gradually by transferring heated water to kyusu, then into cups, then into water cooler (yuzamashi), then back into kyusu with heated leaves, but since you seem to have a temp controlled kettle, these additional steps are not necessary. I like to pre-heat my kyusu, so always add heated water there first before adding dry tea leaves, this sets a good temperature for the kyusu and gives off a wonderful aroma from dry leaf. “Each time temperature drops approximately 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you begin with 206F goes to 190, 170, 150F, depending on how much time water rests inside each vessel.” viewtopic.php?p=6582#p6582
Thank you Victoria. It seems the norm may be reheating. I was trying to figure out a way to brew 2 or 3 without reheating...but since you mentioned the taste and loss of oxygen not being an issue maybe I can just leave my temp on “hold” for whatever I set it to. Then the element turns on periodically to keep the water at temp.

Btw, I am using a 1L Bonavita variable temp gooseneck.
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Victoria
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 10:58 pm

@Guy Juan you are welcome. More important than over boiling is the type of water you will be using for each tea. Can’t find your introduction or location, but if you are lucky to have good quality tap just filtering with carbon works for many of us, otherwise you can read through this thread regarding different types of water as well as bottled water Water Water Everywhere ... What’s Your Water? .
Guy Juan
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:11 pm

Victoria wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 10:58 pm
Guy Juan you are welcome. More important than over boiling is the type of water you will be using for each tea. Can’t find your introduction or location, but if you are lucky to have good quality tap just filtering with carbon works for many of us, otherwise you can read through this thread regarding different types of water as well as bottled water Water Water Everywhere ... What’s Your Water? .
I used to mix my own water (for coffee) but anymore I just use city tap filtered through carbon. Works great! And less hassle than messing with weighing out powders. Plus it can get meticulous with different recipes for different brewing methods.
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pedant
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:53 pm

you could try fashioning an insulating sleeve ('kettle cozy').

maybe you could take some neoprene and cut and sew it to be form fitting.

or even just wrap an old garment around the kettle and secure it with a few safety pins if you don't care how it looks.
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Dresden
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Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:31 pm

If coin isn't an issue there are always variable temperature kettles and water boilers that have built in "Hold Temperature" functions.
Janice
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Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:39 pm

Dresden wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:31 pm
If coin isn't an issue there are always variable temperature kettles and water boilers that have built in "Hold Temperature" functions.
The bonavita already has that function so maybe the OP isn’t leaving the kettle on the base between steeps.
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Dresden
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Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:11 pm

Janice wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:39 pm
Dresden wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:31 pm
If coin isn't an issue there are always variable temperature kettles and water boilers that have built in "Hold Temperature" functions.
The bonavita already has that function so maybe the OP isn’t leaving the kettle on the base between steeps.
Ahhhh yes. Good catch. I didn't notice the brand. I believe on that model even if you return it to the base you have to manually reactivate the Hold Temp
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Victoria
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Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:19 pm

I forgot about the Hold button, maybe a good feature for higher temperature settings (although maybe not if it's continuously boiling), but not good for lower temps since the kettle seems to continue to heat past whatever temp setting is applied. If I'm aiming for 155F I'll set it at 154F or 153F so it doesn't get too hot for Japanese greens.
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