Yesterday, literally hours after I posted this comment, my friend was curious about a square piece of extra wood on the floor in one of my closets… but it wasn’t an extra piece of wood; it was a lid to the crawl space, and he instantly dropped it right into the hole. I was like dang James Hoffman was right, this square lid thing really is a problem.
As a Fellow kettle owner, can attest you won't need a second kettle for flow rate. It easily pours 1lt/sec through the lid for French press or self defence purposes.
Lol. To be fair, I have a similar kettle with a square lid and I've dropped the lid in it once in the sixth months or so I've had it, and if you're dropping your lid in your kettle and THEN turning it on that's on the user. I get that a round lid is functionally better but I like the design of the square lid and it's really a not an issue
@@FrostedCreations i think you're in the tiny minority, i like me a pretty design and part of me does see the beauty in this design but that's an infinite-fold increase in lid dropping already doing so once in the first year is actually more often than i thought
I bought the Bonavita about 2 months ago after my cheapo electric kettle decided to stay on all night with no water in it and melted the plastic bottom, which I feel extremely lucky that it didn't set my kitchen on fire. Seeing James say the Bonavita was the benchmark really made me happy that all the research I did on electric gooseneck kettles paid off. James has helped me make a better cup of coffee over the last year after starting off with a french press, then convincing me to move to a pour over. Thank you James, if I ever find myself in the UK wherever you may live, it would be an honor of mine to buy you lunch.
@@SaltExarch I think the comment still stands as you would never be pouring coffee even close to the shortest distance of flow breakup o nthe worst pouring kettle shown here.
@@SuicidelG If you watch the video clip of where it breaks up, he was actually being pretty generous with the distance on each of the kettles. They're mostly the same, and only the cheapest one is one I'd strongly argue against, but you still have minor-yet-noticeable differences irl.
@@Naokarma True, but this really has nothing to do with my comment. I was agreeing that, even on the worst breakup distance, you're going to be pouring so close to the grounds that it doesn't matter.
This was a good reminder of James's strengths as a reviewer. The objective comparison of the pour pattern was inspired. I also like it that he commented on the length of the shorter cord on the Bonavita, which is of great practical concern, even for those who live in teeny, tiny homes.
It's a big plus for me. My outlet is right by the kettle, so it can slide almost to the front of the counter while remaining plugged in. Some of my other gadgets, coffee and otherwise, need the cords bundled and managed quite a bit due to their excessive length.
Yes, my timemore starts working awkwardly after around 6 months like you need to put it back in some certain angle to keep temp. otherwise the temp. might be jump or go down around 5-6c (sometime it even jump down60c from nowhere after 1st boom before It go up to 92c again) I tried contact seller once but they say the temperature will be more accurate if you put the volume of the water to max and it does help but i am not a big fan of boil 600ml. every time, (when I got it first it does work on 400ml. Pretty accurate) so it does make me doubt on longevity.
As an owner of the Stagg EKG, I can definitely recommend it for gongfu cha. It is almost certainly is overkill for making a cup of tea, but for tea ceremonies it certainly provides the correct amount of control when pouring into a gaiwan/tea pot.
Thank you for saying! As a tea lover starting to get into coffee I wasn't quite sure how they would compare and I'm definitely wanting a kettle that's great for both.
@@FreshAlacrity I also use mine for gongfu-style tea and have been for a few years. In fact, this is the reason I got it initially and got into coffee afterwards. My downside is that since it's ideal for pour over, this assumes the user is standing and pouring. For tea, no one brews gongfu while standing. Why does this matter? The circular screen cannot be seen from an angle other than from above. SO if you're using the built-in stop watch, this means you have to sit up and kind of lean over to watch the time. Obviously you can use any other timer and I still love it, but this is my main problem with gongfu brewing. It's great and accurate and pours amazing. If brewing for more than one person, you will likely have to refill since there's so much warming up vessels, rinsing, etc. But it heats fast and I love being able to set exact temps for my different teas.
@@robinsonner5461 Gongfu is a way of brewing tea that's kind of opposite to "western style" brewing: In western style you use a relatively small amount of tea leaves (like 1g/100ml) and steep it for a long time (2-5 min). Gongfu you use lots of tea (say, 4g/100ml) and steep it very quickly (10-20s). You get a richer cup of tea with more pronounced flavor and you can reinfuse the tea several times. There's all sorts of different equipment one can use for gongfu brewing, one of the most straightforward is a Gaiwan, which is literally just a cup with a lid that you then use to hold back the tea leaves while pouring into your drinking cup. There's all sorts of things people pay attention to, from temperature (lots of teas easily overextract at higher temperatures) to how you pour your water over (or around!) the tea. And of course there's a lot of tradition surrounding this sorta thing.
Had a Dualit for three weeks which couldn’t hit the selected temps below 100 & refused to heat back to 100 if it had cooled down & you pushed the button again. It would also turn off for up to 10 secs when it reached 95 from cold, before eventually kicking back on to get higher. I returned it to Amazon as faulty & got a replacement. Thankfully it behaves as it should & is lovely to use, looks good in the kitchen & was one of the least expensive quality brand goosenecks. I’m really happy with it.
"I like a beep - as long as it is a good beep" - captures the essence of why I love your videos! Amazing, how you are casually geek away with something as "simple" as a kettle.
I've had the Bonavita kettle for 8 years now. It's fantastic for my daily pour over as well as for french press on the weekends and my evening cup of tea. The volume of the kettle is ideal, in my opinion. Can't recommend it enough.
@Mike Edwards good to know! My just stopped working, burnt resistor, diode and capacitor. Can’t get them to give me at least the value of the diode. Love it as long as it worked. One recommendation is to unplug the power cord after used, if left plugged the PCB is powered at all times and what caused the failure.
My family has the Bonavita 1L and 1.7L. I feel like your descriptions of the Bonavita is spot on. It was the best quality for our budget and we use it for pour over coffee, classic European tea brewing, and gong fu tea brewing. It works very well. My wife even bought the non-electrical version for watering plants because she likes the way they pour.
I use my non-electric Hario Buono to water my plants...no joke. A gooseneck really is well suited for this task! Even a really cheap one. It's the bomb for plants.
"Fellow Stagg EKG is nice to pour, has intuitive design" Me: ok i guess "It also let you play Snake on it" Me: _Fellow really outdid themselves this time_
Yeah, that sold me on it. Sounds like the best would be the Fellow with a better spout but really, for someone just looking for a good kettle for coffee and tea I don't mind the slower pour rate at all. Being able to play Snake on it makes it the easy win for me.
He forgot to add it also has a timer. I'm quite happy with mine, though it tends to slow down when it nears the desired temperature. The flow rate is slow, but not too slow for an afternoon cup of tea or instant miso soup.
@@lizcademy4809 Yeah and slowing down when it gets near desired temperature is fine, I'd be doing grind prep anyway - I wouldn't be using this for anything pre-ground.
Fellow Stagg all the way: first thing in the morning, a beautiful object with a sense of humor makes all the difference to me. I have the Fellow 'Clyde', a squat matte black stovetop kettle with an unusual harmonic whistle -- every time I use it, it makes me happy. They make gorgeous, well-behaved products.
@@Lu-db1uf I have one and love it, for someone trying to learn proper pour-over techniques the spout is really amazing. You can even do one drop at a time it's that accurate. Not to mention it's the best looking and premium feeling kettle by far. A lot of fellow's products are just so well made I wish there were more companies like them (not copying but trying to set better design/function standards)
The coincidence here is nuts. On the 20th of this month I was just saying "I think I want to get an electric temperature controlled gooseneck kettle, but I don't know which one I should get..." and then the next morning, first thing I see on TH-cam is this. Unreal.
I personally don't enjoy coffee, though I do enjoy a nice cup of tea. My wife loves it and brews a cup of pour over every morning, and I bought her the fellow kettle for Christmas last year. There was literally no reason for me to sit here and watch a 28 minute long video comparison of different kettles, but here I am. I think you could read that incredibly dense book and go into minute details about laminar flow and I would still sit here and enjoy the entire hour. You've got a gift man.
"I don't want to stroke my kettle" might be the weirdest, but truest (yes, that's a word) thing I heard today. I actually asked for a video on kettles (comparisons, what factors might play a role) a while ago. So I really appreciate this one. I kinda like the square one. The shape of the lid might not be the most practical thing, but it looks nice to me. Plus I like the idea of having this dial to set the temperature instead of a button I have to press over and over again (and even more when I accidentally miss my desired temperature)...watching this channel long enough made me appreciate some weirdly specific things.
Never thought I'd not only watch but be interested in how flow rates compare between popular options of a type of kettle I'm probably not actually going to buy. The level of this in-depth analysis on a product which on the surface just basically heats up water is impressive, informative, and entertaining. I appreciate this kind of information and unbiased analysis of competing products is now out there, but just the fact that he makes it interesting and explains why he's critical of a certain point is impressive in its own right. I feel like I could watch this guy narrate paint drying and still be interested in what he has to say about it. Absolute gem of a channel.
I have the Bonavita and there are a couple things I’d like to add: Firstly, there is a timer, though you can only use it when the kettle isn’t on the base. When you remove the kettle, the display turns to 00:00, and the timer starts if you press the + button. The one downside to this is that as soon as you place the kettle back on the base, the timer immediately goes away. The kettle comes with a plastic cover to put on the base to make it a bit more water resistant. I think it makes it look… cheaper… but interestingly enough, I find that the display is actually easier to read through the plastic cover than without it on. Bonavita also sells a silicone flow restrictor that fits into the spout from the inside - I got a 2-pack (they didn’t sell in singles) for $1.50 CAD, so it’s a fairly cheap option that makes it a lot easier to pour at a slow flow rate. It can definitely pour pretty fast if you’re not careful, and if you’re only ever using it for pourovers it’s a very cheap thing to try out that might prove helpful. I will say though, it’s an absolute pain to put in, since you need to reach into the kettle to stick it in. I don’t have small hands, and my hand definitely doesn’t fit through that opening, so I’ve used long-nosed tweezers to try and shove it in or pry it out. A friend of mine who has a Fellow Stagg tried it and said that with the flow restrictor, the maximum flow is about the same as that of the Stagg. I agree with you on a couple of the negatives: the cord is far too short (and because it’s “hidden” by winding it inside the base, you only really have a few different lengths it can reasonably be), and the lack of beep is annoying. I only ever use the “hold” function because that way I know I won’t have to reboil it after missing it finishing. Also, the handle being attached on the top and bottom does make it feel more sturdy, but it doesn’t feel as comfortable to hold as something like a Buono or a Stagg. Having said that, Bonavita is a fairly major brand that has a decent presence in major home retailers, so it’s fairly easy to return or replace if something goes wrong. I picked up that kettle on sale for $78 CAD (about £45 or $62 USD), but it regularly retails on Amazon.ca for around $90 which is pretty reasonable.
THERE IS A TIMER. I clearly didn't read the manual good. TY for new learnings. Also love my Bonavita. I have the 1.5 because the 1L didn't have the temp control. Prefer the smaller format of the two, but too cheap to re-buy.
I own a Bonavita and just found this channel while researching whether there was something better. I've used it for years, and while I generally favor a "if it isn't broke don't fix it" approach to equipment, sometimes you just get that itch to nerd out and upgrade some gear. After watching this though, it kind of feels like I've got one of the best kettles already. The only real solid upgrade that doesn't come with its own downsides is probably the Hario, but given the price I'm just not sure it's worth it. So thank you, you've saved me from unnecessarily upgrading equipment that doesn't need an upgrade. And now I can instead spend that money on something new :) Maybe I'll upgrade my grinder instead or something.
The “B” logo hidden in the handle of the Bonavita is why you have the the finger lip. I love mine mainly because it’s 1L which is easy math, and it remembers my temp preference.
"I like a beep...if it's a good beep." "Too much beep." As someone with an aversion to the blinkification and beepification of everything these days, I'm so grateful you let us hear the beeps. And three of them is for sure two beeps too many.
I've bought the same Hario V60 decanter after your advice, James, and can't thank you enough-the best coffee-wise decision so far! I love my Ethiopia brewed in it, and I use a standard, thick-necked kettle with it. These are fancy-looking, though.
I would've been very interested in how precisely the kettles actually reach the inteded heat level - I could imagine having at least a couple of degrees difference between the worst and the best. I think this would have been very important to check, as you are setting them to 95 degrees for a reason - not to 93 or 97, but 95. I'm sure a couple of degrees do matter in the final taste!
Certainly. I have no Idea how accurate themorstats are in kettles, but in other products like Ovens... Household Ovens tend to be redicolously poor in measuring and controlling Temperature, you'll see as much as 20-30°C difference. A few °C up or down really don't matter in that Temperature Range, but 30° may be difference between a beautifull, golden brown crispy bread, vs a piece of Charcoal. My Kettle at home, some cheap chinese thingy, that'll only let you change temp in 10°C Steps is fairly acurate tough. Temperature on the Display vs the actual Temperature is "only" 1-2°C off. However my Thermometer is a Cheap Chinese 5$ thingy and I have no way to confirm the acuracy of it.
@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 I have a temperature controlled kettle and if I set it to 60C, it can get up to 70C or even closer to 80C, if you leave it for 30 seconds, especially if you use about 300ml. It's a 1.7l kettle.
I've had my Bonavita for about 8 years now. My first kettle and it has held up quite well. Another little hidden feature is if you press the hold button when you are pouring, it acts as a brew timer in case your scale doesn't have one. I've grown accustomed to the handle shape with the index finger rest, and I feel it lends me to pour more precisely in a circular motion. Definitely recommend.
@@LjrobisonI’ve had one for about three years and I haven’t had rusting issues, even though I leave water in it sometimes. My water is reasonably hard and alkaline, though, which tends to be not as corrosive as softer water. I really dislike the spout, though; mine dribbles onto the counter at low flows. I wouldn’t get one again.
I love your reasonably objective measure of pouring quality, but I'd really have liked to see it done with hot water instead of cold. The viscosity of water changes quite markedly at different temperatures, so that would definitely affect the stream of water leaving the spout.
And of course best would be a graph showing pouring quality as a continuous function from room temperature to boiling, for each kettle. I offer this as an amusing aside, not as implied criticism of the comment inspiring it.
this is a very interesting point on its own. I have a Timemore and another factor there is that when the water has been boiling the pouring behavior blows up completely, I think primarily due to agitation inside the kettle! If immediately off the boil, the water sputters and splats from the spout - it's absolutely awful! This has never happened to me with a standard Buono even at a full on raging boil. And as much as I love the easier control of the Timemore spout in ideal conditions, it just fails miserably in the boil scenario. There is the additional factor that with the Timemore, the water can end up boiling either by my explicit choice or because the volume has dropped low enough that it can't accurately measure the real water temperature and just overshoots - a serious issue in and of itself especially when the capacity is only 600 ml which is very often my target volume for a small pot using a kalita.
I’m really stressed out about an upcoming home move, mostly due to the multitude of decisions that have to be made. One of those decisions is getting a new electric kettle for my pour overs and Aram espresso machine… this video allowed me to quiet all that stress and find a happy place. Cheers!!
I use my home Bunn machine's carafe. Pours surprisingly well and the water is always instantly hot. I use it as intended for drip coffee if I'm making for a lot of people AND the whole machine is about the same price as these 👍 I do love these over the top specific gear review videos though, always informational and enjoyable.
Same. It's fine, it just works. I had a prior version with a pop open lid. When the mechanism broke they sent a new kettle with the updated top. No questions.
never buy anything before James reviews it, I made the mistake of buying a hand grinder too soon and noticed it a few weeks later in the thumbnail of one of his reviews, I'm too scared to watch the video now
I purchased a Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle in 2014. I use it daily and it is still functioning perfectly. I am impressed with its durability. Love the video!
I have the Dualit and have been using it for several months. I'm really happy with it and couldn't imagine spending more money for a different pouring rate/style - it's a great kettle for pour overs, French press, and all-round usage.
A random quirk with the Bonavita is that when filled to the max and pouring, some water can drip out of the top. Otherwise, an excellent product! I use it everyday for tea and coffee. It's also $50 USD in the US, which is a stellar deal!
All of my coffee nerd friends absolutely love the Fellow Stagg and have always recommended it to me, but I ended up going for something a bit cheaper since I was new to making my own pourovers so I just opted for the Bonavita, and I have 0 regrets doing so. I also love making tea in a gaiwan or just in a steel infuser if I'm feeling lazy and the Bonavita is perfect for that as well. I will say that the Stagg does make nailing down the pour technique for something like a V60 a lot more trivial given its restrictive flow compared to the Bonavita (you definitely have to be a bit more delicate or you risk pouring too fast) but I don't think it justifies the cost when it's just something to get used to and isn't really problematic after some practice.
I've had the stovetop version of the Fellow Stagg for a long while now. I've owned the temp adjusted Brewista in the past too. I enjoy the slow flow rate of the Stagg; I've never splashed anything I've been pouring into, never overfilled a baking recipe that calls for precise amounts of water, it doesn't overfill my flair espresso maker either. Everyone seems to enjoy tea made with it too, I'm able to get a decent amount of aeration/agitation with a controlled long pour. I enjoy how the handle design prevents me from brushing my knuckles against the heated metal of the main body like a lot of kettles seem to. I've already replaced the lid's handle with one I made from a rare endemic timber, and will likely make a few more. It looks great on the kitchen bench, and I never put it away. There's something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the almost meditative rate of flow too. We can't give in to the agitated-coffee-drinker stereotype, James!
>There's something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the almost meditative rate of flow too. We can't give in to the agitated-coffee-drinker stereotype, James! Perhaps, but it'd be kind of annoying if you're regularly pouring lots of water (e.g. I use mine for boiling water for cooking purposes for efficiency's sake compared to boiling a pot or saucepan) and having two kettles is madness unless you have a lot of bench space. It also ties the Hario for price (in my country); asking a decent chunk of change more for, IMO, a less functional kettle. Wanting a faster pour isn't necessarily being an agitated person always in a rush
When I was going research for which variable kettle to buy, it seemed like the consensus was to just go with the bonavita. I would agree with what you said about the benchmark, it's simple, effective, and has some nice utilities without any gimics. The other kettle that most recommended as a upgrade was the fellow stagg. I think one thing that maybe could have been evaluated as well is just the look and design. I know this is widely subjective, but I know a lot of people love the stagg because it just looks really cool and elegantly minimalist. May seem absurd, but as I get deeper in my coffee and tea journey, I am realizing more and more that people will pay a premium price for something that looks sexy haha.
When you pay for equipment that's meant to last you around as long as a car, you're slowly going to care more and more about how ugly it is if you end up not liking it. Only makes sense that people would pay for good aesthetics.
Thanks, James, for another entertaining engaging, and throrough review! I don’t personally own any of these kettles. I own the OXO BREW pouring kettle, which was purchased for $100 USD in early 2020. While I haven’t actually measured the pouring distance or speed, it certainly heats very quickly. It has a single dial to change the temperature from C to F. The same dial also sets the desired temperature with a button on the middle, and an actual temperature readout via an analog readout just behind the dial button. It beeps when your desired temperature as been reached, then holds Your desired temperature for 30 minutes before beeping again as it shuts itself off. I like this hold feature as sometimes I’m multi-tasking (ie making breakfast on the stove) while making coffee as well and this way I don’t have to reheat the water. I just go from where it left off. I think the UI & UX is really just excellent. I sometimes use it for cooking and baking as well ecause the rapid boil is way faster than boiling water in a pan on the stove. It’s advertised volume is 1 liter. The pricepoint was a bit much for me at the time, but I really enojoy using it. I think it’s qualities seem to beat a lot of the other kettles reviewed in this video (and is still low-medium in the price range of $85-125). And it has no extra frills. No games. Just a 3-4’ cord, their classic black silicone-style handle, a ROUND lid, one control knob and an easy to read and understand, green number readout, almost like that of a classic Timex or Casio watch. A future review of this kettle would be appreciated! I’m quite satsfied with it. While I have no desire myself to change at all, I think others could benefit from knowing of it’s existance. I expressed a similar a comments regarding this kettle after seeing review of the Fellow Stagg kettle. (This comment is a bit more detailed however.)
It’s nice to have, but there is a flaw - if you reseat the kettle after emptying it and the stopwatch is running, it’ll stop to show the “no water” warning. It’s minor, but frustrating.
I find the clock on Stagg Ekg is really useful, as I using Cafelat Robot and use small scale to fit with but without timer feature. Countdown to start timer on Stagg give time for me to prepare to push down espresso on Robot.
I've had the bonavita for almost a decade and it's still as good as new except for a ding in the lid and a bit of discolouration where the stainless meets plastic. Yes, the heating is slower than every "dumb" kettle I've ever tried, but it never overshoots the set temperature.
Clicked this wanting a review, what I got is a review and the science that underlie the review, power curves, flow profiles, laminar flow tests. My inner geek is swooning with joy right now and I'm only a third through it. Been thinking of getting one of these since i have the stovetop Hario right no so the timing couldn't be more right. Same with the aeropress series, was thinking about it and found James channel when looking at it, perfect timing. Whenever I see a new video from James, I know my day is going to be good.
I've owned the bonavita for about 7 years now and it still feels brand new despite it being used twice daily. Mine came with a plastic cover for the base to protect it from water splash which I feel could be an issue with some of the other models with a wheel.
And yet, as has been seen with literally thousands of other products (other mechanical/electronic, even glassware) the _'supposedly identical'_ product purchased even a couple of years later can be *vastly inferior in quality* because the company told the design engineer to make a certain component(s) flimsier/cheaper.
Sorry, are you saying that new Bonavita kettles are bad compared to old ones? Or just that you can't always assume quality in any product based on previous performance?
I've used the both the Bonavita and the Stagg quite extensively. The Stagg feels much better overall but like you said, i only use it for pour overs due to the crazy slow pour. The downside to the Bonavita is that the inside floor oxidized a tad and i just don't like the idea of boiling water with with a kettle that could be corroding. Great review!
OMG I hate how much I enjoyed this video. Going from a stove top Hario to the STAGG EKG trying to justify my $200 purchase (copper). Tomorrow morning is the big day. Just me and an occasional guest. Wish me luck.
Stagg owner here. One key feature that James missed? is built-in timer... When you take the kettle of the base, and hold the button for just for a second or so.. a timer starts in 3..2..1.. and that's a really nice and important feature. You keep one eye on the scale and other on timer. So you can actually check the flow of the water and learn and perfect your pour. When using it as a normal kettle and need a lot of water, I just take the lid off and pour it sideways :) This thing is expensive, but a really nice product. Just wanted to mention the timer! Keep up the good work James!
Another OXO user here; happily spinning the dial back and forth for green, black and white teas and single pour overs. And filling just a little bit over the 1 Ltr maximum line for carafes of pour over coffee and pitchers of herbal tea. Have to really take care when pouring from a full kettle though. The other thing I like is the brushed surface so the fingerprints and yesterday's splatters don't show.
Another OXO user here! Been liking it a lot more than the Bonavita - better ergonomics, better pour control, and the temperature adjustment knob works so much better than the Bonavita's button layout. I see no reason to get the Stagg when the OXO exists! (Stagg esports tournament, let's make it happen)
After scrolling through enough I found my OXO comrades, I wonder if it’s not in the UK cuz of the wattage it pulls? 1500, I remember seeing a Seattle Coffee Gear video about it and them cautioning to plug it in to it’s own outlet cuz they’ve had incidents of it tripping circuit breakers. I run mine with my grinder at the same time with no problem but I live in a new building. I suspect older buildings or different regions have different utility standards
This is not a simple thing to evaluate, as I have learned as well. I went to get a new one for my tea hobby. I drink nice teas from China, Taiwan and Japan. These need temps lower than 170F. I was told the best option for a kettle is a $300 kettle from Breville with a basket that sits INSIDE the chamber. That would screw up the steep and partly steam the leaves and you can't even bother with the first rinse of the leaves. I told the lady as much and she insisted this was the best option even when I told her I didn't want it and I need more temperature options. I swear, the market right now does NOT understand what proper tea is anymore and can't be bothered with doing the important things anymore. Consistent and accurate temperature, a wide range of temperatures, nice flow rate and long life.
I own the Fellow with wood top and handle and I find it to be a high quality build, temp control is simple and accurate, the flow rate is perfect for me and you can direct it exactly where you want it to go. So...I personally have never owned a more perfect kettle especially useful when following the V60 osmotic flow method. It is also the most aesthetically pleasing...
1 month ago I would have thought a 30 min video on kettles is about as dull of a way I could possibly spend my time. However I discovered James's channel, and here I am, a beer in hand, enjoying the shit out of this
Hi James, thank you so much for finally made this video! I waited quite a while for this content. I have the felicita square at home, and your comments are totally what I experienced. I also quite dislike the base, and the lid (i once accidentally dropped the lid inside for misplacing it). The temperature overshoot also somehow frustate me, too. So, usually I set and hold it at 1-2 degrees lower of targeted temperature, and now I’m very used to it. Like you have mentioned about its flow rate, i like it. It is easy to adjust whether to be very fast or slow for pour over. I bought it because it is cheaper than the stagg (which I also wanted to have) and it’s not bad to be displayed in my kitchen. Thanks again james! Always love your videos!
"Just: IN, and that is bad." I really like your content, despite me using a rather "heretic" coffee preparation styles. But i love the way you put so much effort in your presentation, the script, the wording, the style... All in all: a very pleasant experience, thank you for that.
Love your attention to ergonomics - a man after my own heart. More important than many other bells and whistles. Gotta love the interaction with things in life.
That has to be the most in-depth and involved kettle review I've ever seen, and I loved every minute of it! Sadly the Cosori kettle I bought a couple years ago wasn't included. I love its separate temperature preset buttons for quick setting and not having to remember what temp is need for the coffee or tea I'm making. I admit to testing its pour quality after watching your video.
I have the OXO pourover kettle, I'm pretty happy with it. Good power, good price. I do have a bit of leak from the lid if I want to pour a lot, but that's my only complaint.
@@Zakalwe-01 You can easily knock like 45p-50p off vs UK price if you can catch it on sale (Amazon), but even MSRP of like 75p is the "normal" listed price.
I own Fellow for three years now and I enjoy it every single day, because it is comfortable to use, always reliable and most of all - its design satisfies my eye every single time I look at it. Pure pleasure.
Love a good graph. One little recommendation for again, plot the y-axis on a log scale and the relative difference in kettle performance would have been more obvious.
@@thecatofnineswords of course it does. A laminar flow would produce a constant force in the static body (scale), and turbulent flow has constantly varying cross sectional area of the stream, which means varying amounts of water hitting the scale, resulting in varying force on the static body.
I've recently gotten into pourover coffee and have mostly been working with my parents' "normal" kettle and that's worked well enough. My own kettle, however, has a hopeless spout to pour from, so I finally took the step and got the cheapest gooseneck kettle I could find because that's all my budget would allow. It's like night and day, I didn't think it would matter as much as all that but it's a whole other world of control! Thank you for your informative reviews, @James Hoffmann !
A small feature of the Fellow Stagg that wasn't mentioned is the fact it has a built in timer with a 3 second countdown. While obviously it's not a game changer and I could just use my phone I'm glad it's built into the kettle itself (unless of course you have a smart scale with a timer in which case it's not as useful)
@@Thetache Nope not really just mentioning it as a feature that the kettle has that wasn't mentioned in the video, wasn't acting like it was some life changing feature that adds $50 to the value of it
Really appreciate you testing for actual drawn wattage, since this is quite important due to different heating elements beeing used in these kettles. Therefore the resistance, volts and amps differ and probably would have thrown off your chart.
I bought the Fellow literally yesterday, just before seeing this video. I’m not so worried about the flow, I just need a kettle that isn’t the stove top because I have a tendency to burn them. This was worth the price to me because the visual and tactile design of something I’m going to use daily is important, so I am pleased with my choice.
I have used the Fellow EKG for a year now and am confident it was the right choice. I mainly appreciate the user experience followed closely by the design aesthetic. Making coffee is the heart of my morning routine. Using the Fellow EKG makes that process enjoyable in intangible ways. Notes on features/characteristics: The temperature is accurate within 1 degree. If the kettle is 1 degree cooler than your target temp, the heating element will not turn on. Must be < 2 degrees below target to engage. This us to protect from overshooting target. The bottom of the kettle will allways be cool enough to set on any surface without damaging it even, during a full boil. Disclaimer: I exclusively make pour overs. If I drank tea or used a french press, this would not be a good choice due to flow rate.
I have the Fellow kettle at home. When using its timer for pourover, I encountered the following issue: I turn on the timer for the brew which gives me three seconds to start pouring. After the bloom, I return the kettle to the base with the ‚hold‘ function turned on so it reheats the water during the bloom. When I now do the full pour in the second phase, I almost empty the kettle, but since the ‚hold‘ is still turned on and on the back of the base, I can either return the kettle to the base and turn of the hold, which ai find very weird to do or return the kettle and turn off the whole device which kills the timer or (which is the option I go for) put the kettle some place else to keep the timer going and then return it only after my brew has finished. Ideally for me, there was a way of turning off the kettle while keeping the timer up. Apart from this, I love the kettle. I dont think any of the other reviewed models comes close to its design and I am happy with its pouring capabilities. It is also very quiet when heating which would have been an interesting point of comparison as well.
I have the Diguo and honestly it feels like a step up from my Hario stove top kettle. It heats the water quickly and it pours perfectly well into my V60 and Flair. Budget winner.
James Hoffman getting upset with a square lid is the premium content I'm here for.
A legitimate complaint, too. Just shows how support goes a long way in making this content possible.
To be fair, it's a stupid lid and they probably only made it square so it was a "design" not a knockoff.
Same. He embodies all of my first world problems in an attractive British package
Same for me 🤣💯
@@TheBusyJane They could have still made it 'square' by making it a curve of constant width without falling in. It was a design own goal.
This got way nerdier than I initially thought it would.
best way to describe this whole channel, really :)
It's half of the appeal of the channel. The other half is James's moustache in the one with him in the shower
Perhaps we could amp up the nerdiness with an interview/conversation with the author of The Physics of Filter Coffee book? 👀
but in a good way
@@ImAnEmergency Which one is that? 🤣
Not nerdy enough... thermometer 🌡️?
“…and fans of Pythagoras may already be ahead of the curve on this one” 🤣🤣
Yesterday, literally hours after I posted this comment, my friend was curious about a square piece of extra wood on the floor in one of my closets… but it wasn’t an extra piece of wood; it was a lid to the crawl space, and he instantly dropped it right into the hole. I was like dang James Hoffman was right, this square lid thing really is a problem.
Would love a Reuleaux triangle lid might look nice :)
I didn't think I could laugh so hard at a fucking kettle review
That was awesome, lol. I really feel for the engineers of that kettle if they happen to see this.
As a Fellow kettle owner, can attest you won't need a second kettle for flow rate. It easily pours 1lt/sec through the lid for French press or self defence purposes.
Same here :) and whenever I need to fill a thermo.
lol Loving the tone of this comment
i laughed at this
Hello, fellow kettle owner.
😂😂 hilarious!
“I don’t want to stroke my kettle.”
Well said, well said.
🤣
It had me rolling 🤣😂
stroke your puck, not your kettle
I think that would make an awesome T-shirt.
😂
I enjoyed James dropping the lid into the kettle way more than I should have.
7:46
James : "I don't want to own two kettles"
*Currently showing 8 kettles*
He's reviewing eight, not OWNing eight. In fact he actually gifted all 8 after the video
Im imagining James sitting at home, quietly weeping about all the waterstains in the closeup views at the beginning!
Yeah, we noticed too late and the edit was pain.
My Stagg Kettle has the same and I noticed instantly. Haha! Glad to see it irritates other people as well.
Thank you for pointing that out...glad i'm not the only one 😉
@@jamievallejo8102 come on people, take care of your precious EKG :p (and yes, it was fucking heartbreaking to watch lol)
@@bassmastersteve3609 hahah! Don’t worry I clean it regularly 😉
I think the Felicita’s square lid is a feature, not a bug. It makes it much easier to perform my daily boiling of the kettle lid.
Lol. To be fair, I have a similar kettle with a square lid and I've dropped the lid in it once in the sixth months or so I've had it, and if you're dropping your lid in your kettle and THEN turning it on that's on the user. I get that a round lid is functionally better but I like the design of the square lid and it's really a not an issue
@@FrostedCreations
i think you're in the tiny minority, i like me a pretty design and part of me does see the beauty in this design but that's an infinite-fold increase in lid dropping
already doing so once in the first year is actually more often than i thought
I bought the Bonavita about 2 months ago after my cheapo electric kettle decided to stay on all night with no water in it and melted the plastic bottom, which I feel extremely lucky that it didn't set my kitchen on fire. Seeing James say the Bonavita was the benchmark really made me happy that all the research I did on electric gooseneck kettles paid off. James has helped me make a better cup of coffee over the last year after starting off with a french press, then convincing me to move to a pour over. Thank you James, if I ever find myself in the UK wherever you may live, it would be an honor of mine to buy you lunch.
The laminar flow breakup point seems really important if pouring your v60 from a stepladder.
Or if you actually listened to James's explanation for why he included it in his review and why he thought it was important ; )
🤣
@@SaltExarch I think the comment still stands as you would never be pouring coffee even close to the shortest distance of flow breakup o nthe worst pouring kettle shown here.
@@SuicidelG If you watch the video clip of where it breaks up, he was actually being pretty generous with the distance on each of the kettles. They're mostly the same, and only the cheapest one is one I'd strongly argue against, but you still have minor-yet-noticeable differences irl.
@@Naokarma True, but this really has nothing to do with my comment. I was agreeing that, even on the worst breakup distance, you're going to be pouring so close to the grounds that it doesn't matter.
I’d swear that listening to this guy talk makes coffee taste better
This was a good reminder of James's strengths as a reviewer. The objective comparison of the pour pattern was inspired. I also like it that he commented on the length of the shorter cord on the Bonavita, which is of great practical concern, even for those who live in teeny, tiny homes.
It's a big plus for me. My outlet is right by the kettle, so it can slide almost to the front of the counter while remaining plugged in. Some of my other gadgets, coffee and otherwise, need the cords bundled and managed quite a bit due to their excessive length.
Totally agree. This is the one I own and I don't like that one thing about it. Love it otherwise.👍🏻
I love this video so much. The data, the frustration, the fact that this is a video comparing kettles. I love all of it.
"You ca't make water hotter than 100C ...at sea level" is a JH classic
That made me smile
“I don’t want to stroke my Kettle” -J.H.
Dang it. Was just about to say the same thing 🤣
@@Mulerider4Life I am not sure if I was the first lol
JH said that in anticipation of this comment. Yep, he’s playing chess with us.
*to make it whistle
“I’ve got to stroke it just right”-aaand jump cut!
“I don’t want to own two kettles” says James while standing in front of 8
thank James for the sacrifice
eight does happen to be more than two, so I guess it still works :P
There is an important test not seen in the video: temperature accuracy for each of the kettles.
Plus retention. Does it stay at 95c throughout your brew? Or does it degrade quickly?
This is obviously for me the most important thing I'd want to have the most accurate temperature element
I have tested this on my bonavita and it is accurate and stable at temp.
Yes, my timemore starts working awkwardly after around 6 months like you need to put it back in some certain angle to keep temp. otherwise the temp. might be jump or go down around 5-6c (sometime it even jump down60c from nowhere after 1st boom before It go up to 92c again)
I tried contact seller once but they say the temperature will be more accurate if you put the volume of the water to max and it does help but i am not a big fan of boil 600ml. every time, (when I got it first it does work on 400ml. Pretty accurate) so it does make me doubt on longevity.
I was surprised this wasn't one of the tests as well.
As an owner of the Stagg EKG, I can definitely recommend it for gongfu cha. It is almost certainly is overkill for making a cup of tea, but for tea ceremonies it certainly provides the correct amount of control when pouring into a gaiwan/tea pot.
Thank you for saying! As a tea lover starting to get into coffee I wasn't quite sure how they would compare and I'm definitely wanting a kettle that's great for both.
@@FreshAlacrity I also use mine for gongfu-style tea and have been for a few years. In fact, this is the reason I got it initially and got into coffee afterwards. My downside is that since it's ideal for pour over, this assumes the user is standing and pouring. For tea, no one brews gongfu while standing. Why does this matter? The circular screen cannot be seen from an angle other than from above. SO if you're using the built-in stop watch, this means you have to sit up and kind of lean over to watch the time. Obviously you can use any other timer and I still love it, but this is my main problem with gongfu brewing. It's great and accurate and pours amazing. If brewing for more than one person, you will likely have to refill since there's so much warming up vessels, rinsing, etc. But it heats fast and I love being able to set exact temps for my different teas.
whats gongfu cha?
@@robinsonner5461 Gongfu is a way of brewing tea that's kind of opposite to "western style" brewing: In western style you use a relatively small amount of tea leaves (like 1g/100ml) and steep it for a long time (2-5 min). Gongfu you use lots of tea (say, 4g/100ml) and steep it very quickly (10-20s). You get a richer cup of tea with more pronounced flavor and you can reinfuse the tea several times. There's all sorts of different equipment one can use for gongfu brewing, one of the most straightforward is a Gaiwan, which is literally just a cup with a lid that you then use to hold back the tea leaves while pouring into your drinking cup. There's all sorts of things people pay attention to, from temperature (lots of teas easily overextract at higher temperatures) to how you pour your water over (or around!) the tea. And of course there's a lot of tradition surrounding this sorta thing.
Are you Chinese?
Had a Dualit for three weeks which couldn’t hit the selected temps below 100 & refused to heat back to 100 if it had cooled down & you pushed the button again. It would also turn off for up to 10 secs when it reached 95 from cold, before eventually kicking back on to get higher. I returned it to Amazon as faulty & got a replacement. Thankfully it behaves as it should & is lovely to use, looks good in the kitchen & was one of the least expensive quality brand goosenecks. I’m really happy with it.
"Its a long length of unbroken water". This is on another level. This is officially the deepest coffee channel out there 😮
“It beeps, quite a lot of beep. Perhaps too much beep, but still a beep.” I enjoyed this bit quite a lot.☺️
"I like a beep - as long as it is a good beep" - captures the essence of why I love your videos! Amazing, how you are casually geek away with something as "simple" as a kettle.
I've had the Bonavita kettle for 8 years now. It's fantastic for my daily pour over as well as for french press on the weekends and my evening cup of tea. The volume of the kettle is ideal, in my opinion. Can't recommend it enough.
Agreed! It has enough size range for pretty much any scenario. Has worked great every day for 5 years now
Mine is 6 years old and has rust around the spout/body connection on the inside. I can’t get it off, so I’m researching new 😞
@Mike Edwards good to know! My just stopped working, burnt resistor, diode and capacitor. Can’t get them to give me at least the value of the diode. Love it as long as it worked. One recommendation is to unplug the power cord after used, if left plugged the PCB is powered at all times and what caused the failure.
Really really happy with mine. Zero issues with it ever over 10+ years. Love the pour and the heating.
Just read about business problems of Bonavita. They return with Bonavita Life… not so sure available in Europe.
My family has the Bonavita 1L and 1.7L. I feel like your descriptions of the Bonavita is spot on. It was the best quality for our budget and we use it for pour over coffee, classic European tea brewing, and gong fu tea brewing. It works very well. My wife even bought the non-electrical version for watering plants because she likes the way they pour.
That's a fairly expensive watering can xD
I use my non-electric Hario Buono to water my plants...no joke. A gooseneck really is well suited for this task! Even a really cheap one. It's the bomb for plants.
"Fellow Stagg EKG is nice to pour, has intuitive design"
Me: ok i guess
"It also let you play Snake on it"
Me: _Fellow really outdid themselves this time_
Yeah, that sold me on it. Sounds like the best would be the Fellow with a better spout but really, for someone just looking for a good kettle for coffee and tea I don't mind the slower pour rate at all. Being able to play Snake on it makes it the easy win for me.
He forgot to add it also has a timer.
I'm quite happy with mine, though it tends to slow down when it nears the desired temperature. The flow rate is slow, but not too slow for an afternoon cup of tea or instant miso soup.
@@lizcademy4809 Yeah and slowing down when it gets near desired temperature is fine, I'd be doing grind prep anyway - I wouldn't be using this for anything pre-ground.
Fellow Stagg all the way: first thing in the morning, a beautiful object with a sense of humor makes all the difference to me. I have the Fellow 'Clyde', a squat matte black stovetop kettle with an unusual harmonic whistle -- every time I use it, it makes me happy. They make gorgeous, well-behaved products.
@@Lu-db1uf I have one and love it, for someone trying to learn proper pour-over techniques the spout is really amazing. You can even do one drop at a time it's that accurate. Not to mention it's the best looking and premium feeling kettle by far. A lot of fellow's products are just so well made I wish there were more companies like them (not copying but trying to set better design/function standards)
"I don't want to stroke my kettle"
- J Hoffman 2021
3 seconds into the vid and I'm already pausing to looking for this comment!
Look, "you have to stroke it just right."
Hey you never know, some customer may have been like, "I'd like to stroke my kettle in the morning... what do you have for me?"
That got me a little bit off-guard🤣
It really does sound like a euphemism, doesn’t it?
“At sea level”
Yes, just yes….this is what I came here for.
My nerdy son said exactly the same thing when we were discussing it too lol
It's not a nerdy thing or whatever actually. Not everybody lives at sea level. Where I live boiling point is 98.5°C for example.
The coincidence here is nuts. On the 20th of this month I was just saying "I think I want to get an electric temperature controlled gooseneck kettle, but I don't know which one I should get..." and then the next morning, first thing I see on TH-cam is this. Unreal.
I personally don't enjoy coffee, though I do enjoy a nice cup of tea. My wife loves it and brews a cup of pour over every morning, and I bought her the fellow kettle for Christmas last year. There was literally no reason for me to sit here and watch a 28 minute long video comparison of different kettles, but here I am. I think you could read that incredibly dense book and go into minute details about laminar flow and I would still sit here and enjoy the entire hour. You've got a gift man.
"I don't want to stroke my kettle" might be the weirdest, but truest (yes, that's a word) thing I heard today.
I actually asked for a video on kettles (comparisons, what factors might play a role) a while ago. So I really appreciate this one.
I kinda like the square one. The shape of the lid might not be the most practical thing, but it looks nice to me. Plus I like the idea of having this dial to set the temperature instead of a button I have to press over and over again (and even more when I accidentally miss my desired temperature)...watching this channel long enough made me appreciate some weirdly specific things.
Never thought I'd not only watch but be interested in how flow rates compare between popular options of a type of kettle I'm probably not actually going to buy. The level of this in-depth analysis on a product which on the surface just basically heats up water is impressive, informative, and entertaining. I appreciate this kind of information and unbiased analysis of competing products is now out there, but just the fact that he makes it interesting and explains why he's critical of a certain point is impressive in its own right. I feel like I could watch this guy narrate paint drying and still be interested in what he has to say about it. Absolute gem of a channel.
I have the Bonavita and there are a couple things I’d like to add:
Firstly, there is a timer, though you can only use it when the kettle isn’t on the base. When you remove the kettle, the display turns to 00:00, and the timer starts if you press the + button. The one downside to this is that as soon as you place the kettle back on the base, the timer immediately goes away. The kettle comes with a plastic cover to put on the base to make it a bit more water resistant. I think it makes it look… cheaper… but interestingly enough, I find that the display is actually easier to read through the plastic cover than without it on. Bonavita also sells a silicone flow restrictor that fits into the spout from the inside - I got a 2-pack (they didn’t sell in singles) for $1.50 CAD, so it’s a fairly cheap option that makes it a lot easier to pour at a slow flow rate. It can definitely pour pretty fast if you’re not careful, and if you’re only ever using it for pourovers it’s a very cheap thing to try out that might prove helpful. I will say though, it’s an absolute pain to put in, since you need to reach into the kettle to stick it in. I don’t have small hands, and my hand definitely doesn’t fit through that opening, so I’ve used long-nosed tweezers to try and shove it in or pry it out. A friend of mine who has a Fellow Stagg tried it and said that with the flow restrictor, the maximum flow is about the same as that of the Stagg.
I agree with you on a couple of the negatives: the cord is far too short (and because it’s “hidden” by winding it inside the base, you only really have a few different lengths it can reasonably be), and the lack of beep is annoying. I only ever use the “hold” function because that way I know I won’t have to reboil it after missing it finishing. Also, the handle being attached on the top and bottom does make it feel more sturdy, but it doesn’t feel as comfortable to hold as something like a Buono or a Stagg. Having said that, Bonavita is a fairly major brand that has a decent presence in major home retailers, so it’s fairly easy to return or replace if something goes wrong. I picked up that kettle on sale for $78 CAD (about £45 or $62 USD), but it regularly retails on Amazon.ca for around $90 which is pretty reasonable.
THERE IS A TIMER. I clearly didn't read the manual good. TY for new learnings. Also love my Bonavita. I have the 1.5 because the 1L didn't have the temp control. Prefer the smaller format of the two, but too cheap to re-buy.
I own a Bonavita and just found this channel while researching whether there was something better. I've used it for years, and while I generally favor a "if it isn't broke don't fix it" approach to equipment, sometimes you just get that itch to nerd out and upgrade some gear.
After watching this though, it kind of feels like I've got one of the best kettles already. The only real solid upgrade that doesn't come with its own downsides is probably the Hario, but given the price I'm just not sure it's worth it.
So thank you, you've saved me from unnecessarily upgrading equipment that doesn't need an upgrade. And now I can instead spend that money on something new :) Maybe I'll upgrade my grinder instead or something.
The “B” logo hidden in the handle of the Bonavita is why you have the the finger lip. I love mine mainly because it’s 1L which is easy math, and it remembers my temp preference.
I can't believe i never noticed the "B" before. It was just a comfortable hand grip for me haha
I enjoy how nerdy this is. There is no way I would've thought of all these variables to study for my kettle.
"I like a beep...if it's a good beep."
"Too much beep."
As someone with an aversion to the blinkification and beepification of everything these days, I'm so grateful you let us hear the beeps.
And three of them is for sure two beeps too many.
I've bought the same Hario V60 decanter after your advice, James, and can't thank you enough-the best coffee-wise decision so far! I love my Ethiopia brewed in it, and I use a standard, thick-necked kettle with it. These are fancy-looking, though.
unbelievable, i searched for this yesterday and today james uploaded this❤️😭
I would've been very interested in how precisely the kettles actually reach the inteded heat level - I could imagine having at least a couple of degrees difference between the worst and the best. I think this would have been very important to check, as you are setting them to 95 degrees for a reason - not to 93 or 97, but 95. I'm sure a couple of degrees do matter in the final taste!
Certainly. I have no Idea how accurate themorstats are in kettles, but in other products like Ovens... Household Ovens tend to be redicolously poor in measuring and controlling Temperature, you'll see as much as 20-30°C difference. A few °C up or down really don't matter in that Temperature Range, but 30° may be difference between a beautifull, golden brown crispy bread, vs a piece of Charcoal.
My Kettle at home, some cheap chinese thingy, that'll only let you change temp in 10°C Steps is fairly acurate tough. Temperature on the Display vs the actual Temperature is "only" 1-2°C off. However my Thermometer is a Cheap Chinese 5$ thingy and I have no way to confirm the acuracy of it.
@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 I have a temperature controlled kettle and if I set it to 60C, it can get up to 70C or even closer to 80C, if you leave it for 30 seconds, especially if you use about 300ml. It's a 1.7l kettle.
@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 😂😂😂
Oh my God i never even considered this before.... Excuse me while i go stick a thermometer in my kettle and test this out lol
@@OfficiallySarabi but how to you know the accuracy of your thermometer?
I've had my Bonavita for about 8 years now. My first kettle and it has held up quite well. Another little hidden feature is if you press the hold button when you are pouring, it acts as a brew timer in case your scale doesn't have one. I've grown accustomed to the handle shape with the index finger rest, and I feel it lends me to pour more precisely in a circular motion. Definitely recommend.
Do you have any rusting issues? Ive been debating getting one for years but there's so many Amazon reviews showing photos of them rusting.
@@LjrobisonI’ve had one for about three years and I haven’t had rusting issues, even though I leave water in it sometimes. My water is reasonably hard and alkaline, though, which tends to be not as corrosive as softer water. I really dislike the spout, though; mine dribbles onto the counter at low flows. I wouldn’t get one again.
I love your reasonably objective measure of pouring quality, but I'd really have liked to see it done with hot water instead of cold. The viscosity of water changes quite markedly at different temperatures, so that would definitely affect the stream of water leaving the spout.
And of course best would be a graph showing pouring quality as a continuous function from room temperature to boiling, for each kettle.
I offer this as an amusing aside, not as implied criticism of the comment inspiring it.
this is a very interesting point on its own.
I have a Timemore and another factor there is that when the water has been boiling the pouring behavior blows up completely, I think primarily due to agitation inside the kettle! If immediately off the boil, the water sputters and splats from the spout - it's absolutely awful! This has never happened to me with a standard Buono even at a full on raging boil. And as much as I love the easier control of the Timemore spout in ideal conditions, it just fails miserably in the boil scenario.
There is the additional factor that with the Timemore, the water can end up boiling either by my explicit choice or because the volume has dropped low enough that it can't accurately measure the real water temperature and just overshoots - a serious issue in and of itself especially when the capacity is only 600 ml which is very often my target volume for a small pot using a kalita.
Just when I thought I couldn't love this man any more. So fun, pedantic and charming. Who doesn't need to laugh...I too like my kettle to beep at me.
"I like a beep."
"Doing this for a living kind of has broken my mind, I suspect."
- J. Hofmann (2021)
"as long as it's a good beep"
I’m really stressed out about an upcoming home move, mostly due to the multitude of decisions that have to be made. One of those decisions is getting a new electric kettle for my pour overs and Aram espresso machine… this video allowed me to quiet all that stress and find a happy place. Cheers!!
I use my home Bunn machine's carafe. Pours surprisingly well and the water is always instantly hot. I use it as intended for drip coffee if I'm making for a lot of people AND the whole machine is about the same price as these 👍 I do love these over the top specific gear review videos though, always informational and enjoyable.
I researched all of these then bought the oxo, it is brilliant. No regrets after 2 years of use.
Same here, has been a great kettle
I was hoping it was here, but after my literal days of researching I have come to this conclusion as well. Is it still working good for you?
I have the Bonavita, and as a coffee & tea drinker I really love it.
Same. It's fine, it just works. I had a prior version with a pop open lid. When the mechanism broke they sent a new kettle with the updated top. No questions.
time to find out whether or not i like my kettle!
never buy anything before James reviews it, I made the mistake of buying a hand grinder too soon and noticed it a few weeks later in the thumbnail of one of his reviews, I'm too scared to watch the video now
hahahaha
I purchased a Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle in 2014. I use it daily and it is still functioning perfectly. I am impressed with its durability. Love the video!
That comparison of breakup length and the way different streams agitate the coffee slurry were very eye-opening and well put together!
Of all the other uses for a kettle, instant ramen was the last thing I'd expect James to say
Last thing I expected, but definitely the answer I needed.
I have the Dualit and have been using it for several months. I'm really happy with it and couldn't imagine spending more money for a different pouring rate/style - it's a great kettle for pour overs, French press, and all-round usage.
Minor addition: When it comes to gaming, Fellow Stagg DESTROYS its counterparts.
My gf was overjoyed when I showed her how to access snake
best gamer kettle
But can it run Crysis?
What does this mean?
@@sikaheimo 100fps
A random quirk with the Bonavita is that when filled to the max and pouring, some water can drip out of the top. Otherwise, an excellent product! I use it everyday for tea and coffee. It's also $50 USD in the US, which is a stellar deal!
All of my coffee nerd friends absolutely love the Fellow Stagg and have always recommended it to me, but I ended up going for something a bit cheaper since I was new to making my own pourovers so I just opted for the Bonavita, and I have 0 regrets doing so. I also love making tea in a gaiwan or just in a steel infuser if I'm feeling lazy and the Bonavita is perfect for that as well. I will say that the Stagg does make nailing down the pour technique for something like a V60 a lot more trivial given its restrictive flow compared to the Bonavita (you definitely have to be a bit more delicate or you risk pouring too fast) but I don't think it justifies the cost when it's just something to get used to and isn't really problematic after some practice.
16:15 ... And now you all know why sewer lids/manhole covers are all circles.
They're not all circles. Also you can easily design a square one in a way that it can't fall inside-just as you can with a kettle.
Also, because manhole covers go over pipes and pipes are usually round.
I've had the stovetop version of the Fellow Stagg for a long while now. I've owned the temp adjusted Brewista in the past too. I enjoy the slow flow rate of the Stagg; I've never splashed anything I've been pouring into, never overfilled a baking recipe that calls for precise amounts of water, it doesn't overfill my flair espresso maker either. Everyone seems to enjoy tea made with it too, I'm able to get a decent amount of aeration/agitation with a controlled long pour.
I enjoy how the handle design prevents me from brushing my knuckles against the heated metal of the main body like a lot of kettles seem to. I've already replaced the lid's handle with one I made from a rare endemic timber, and will likely make a few more.
It looks great on the kitchen bench, and I never put it away. There's something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the almost meditative rate of flow too. We can't give in to the agitated-coffee-drinker stereotype, James!
You might have just sold me on the Stagg, when I had just written it off. Thanks for your input! (My wallet hates you though)
@@vvalekk The stagg goes on sale at Costco sometimes. Cheapest place you can get it in Canada at least.
>There's something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the almost meditative rate of flow too. We can't give in to the agitated-coffee-drinker stereotype, James!
Perhaps, but it'd be kind of annoying if you're regularly pouring lots of water (e.g. I use mine for boiling water for cooking purposes for efficiency's sake compared to boiling a pot or saucepan) and having two kettles is madness unless you have a lot of bench space. It also ties the Hario for price (in my country); asking a decent chunk of change more for, IMO, a less functional kettle. Wanting a faster pour isn't necessarily being an agitated person always in a rush
@@3Dant If you need to pour in bulk, just take the lid off and pour from there. It is dual purpose.
@@thejoetandy Ah I didn't realise the top had a pouring lip. That's neat. Though for me it's moot unless they make a 1.7L version. Cool design though.
“I don’t want to stroke my kettle.”
Have you ever taken the time to ask your kettle if it wants to be stroked though?
* sad kettle noises *
Well, you've got to stroke it just right, you know? 14:36
#metoo
When I was going research for which variable kettle to buy, it seemed like the consensus was to just go with the bonavita. I would agree with what you said about the benchmark, it's simple, effective, and has some nice utilities without any gimics. The other kettle that most recommended as a upgrade was the fellow stagg. I think one thing that maybe could have been evaluated as well is just the look and design. I know this is widely subjective, but I know a lot of people love the stagg because it just looks really cool and elegantly minimalist. May seem absurd, but as I get deeper in my coffee and tea journey, I am realizing more and more that people will pay a premium price for something that looks sexy haha.
When you pay for equipment that's meant to last you around as long as a car, you're slowly going to care more and more about how ugly it is if you end up not liking it. Only makes sense that people would pay for good aesthetics.
Thanks, James, for another entertaining engaging, and throrough review!
I don’t personally own any of these kettles. I own the OXO BREW pouring kettle, which was purchased for $100 USD in early 2020. While I haven’t actually measured the pouring distance or speed, it certainly heats very quickly. It has a single dial to change the temperature from C to F. The same dial also sets the desired temperature with a button on the middle, and an actual temperature readout via an analog readout just behind the dial button. It beeps when your desired temperature as been reached, then holds Your desired temperature for 30 minutes before beeping again as it shuts itself off. I like this hold feature as sometimes I’m multi-tasking (ie making breakfast on the stove) while making coffee as well and this way I don’t have to reheat the water. I just go from where it left off. I think the UI & UX is really just excellent. I sometimes use it for cooking and baking as well ecause the rapid boil is way faster than boiling water in a pan on the stove. It’s advertised volume is 1 liter.
The pricepoint was a bit much for me at the time, but I really enojoy using it. I think it’s qualities seem to beat a lot of the other kettles reviewed in this video (and is still low-medium in the price range of $85-125). And it has no extra frills. No games. Just a 3-4’ cord, their classic black silicone-style handle, a ROUND lid, one control knob and an easy to read and understand, green number readout, almost like that of a classic Timex or Casio watch.
A future review of this kettle would be appreciated! I’m quite satsfied with it. While I have no desire myself to change at all, I think others could benefit from knowing of it’s existance. I expressed a similar a comments regarding this kettle after seeing review of the Fellow Stagg kettle. (This comment is a bit more detailed however.)
I also have the same kettle (since Jan 21) and I really like it too! Holds a decent amount of water, heats up real fast, and I like the built-in timer
I have one too....and they no longer make it. Not sure why but mine is having temperature issues.
There’s also a built in stop watch on the Fellow Stagg, which personally I find very convenient
The bonavita has this too
Real talk, do you actually use the stop watch? I find myself using the stop watch on my scale more often.
It’s nice to have, but there is a flaw - if you reseat the kettle after emptying it and the stopwatch is running, it’ll stop to show the “no water” warning. It’s minor, but frustrating.
I found it odd that he didn’t mention this, I have a super cheap scale with no timer so I do appreciate this feature
I find the clock on Stagg Ekg is really useful, as I using Cafelat Robot and use small scale to fit with but without timer feature.
Countdown to start timer on Stagg give time for me to prepare to push down espresso on Robot.
I've had the bonavita for almost a decade and it's still as good as new except for a ding in the lid and a bit of discolouration where the stainless meets plastic. Yes, the heating is slower than every "dumb" kettle I've ever tried, but it never overshoots the set temperature.
The empirical test you missed was accuracy of the temperature settings.
True, If you don't trust their sensors.
Very true.
And more information about overshoot. I know my Bonavita overshoots by about a degree. Not a big deal, but I am sure others are better and worse.
I think you missed the first part, when he compares how individual kettles achieve set temperatere of 95°C
@@MasqueArt I saw that but didn't see the accuracy of the temperature setting being measured. The kettle said 95 but was it?
Clicked this wanting a review, what I got is a review and the science that underlie the review, power curves, flow profiles, laminar flow tests. My inner geek is swooning with joy right now and I'm only a third through it.
Been thinking of getting one of these since i have the stovetop Hario right no so the timing couldn't be more right.
Same with the aeropress series, was thinking about it and found James channel when looking at it, perfect timing.
Whenever I see a new video from James, I know my day is going to be good.
Another great review.
A real talent for ergonomics - I wish the various makers would request your assistance when it comes to create a new device.
I've owned the bonavita for about 7 years now and it still feels brand new despite it being used twice daily. Mine came with a plastic cover for the base to protect it from water splash which I feel could be an issue with some of the other models with a wheel.
And yet, as has been seen with literally thousands of other products (other mechanical/electronic, even glassware) the _'supposedly identical'_ product purchased even a couple of years later can be *vastly inferior in quality* because the company told the design engineer to make a certain component(s) flimsier/cheaper.
Sorry, are you saying that new Bonavita kettles are bad compared to old ones? Or just that you can't always assume quality in any product based on previous performance?
This has to be the most niche title I've ever seen 😂 love it
I mean it is, but boy I needed it haha I want to buy one and who better than Jimmy Huff to tell me which one to buy
@@gabrielac2663 the fellow, right? IT HAS WORM
Um, I believe this video has the most Niche title: th-cam.com/video/FzOY2tHyZ4w/w-d-xo.html
@@benjamin1503 came to comment this exactly. Bravo sir. The “Dad” is strong with you.
@@benjamin1503 Huh? The title of the video you linked clearly has Zero Niche
I've used the both the Bonavita and the Stagg quite extensively. The Stagg feels much better overall but like you said, i only use it for pour overs due to the crazy slow pour. The downside to the Bonavita is that the inside floor oxidized a tad and i just don't like the idea of boiling water with with a kettle that could be corroding. Great review!
OMG I hate how much I enjoyed this video. Going from a stove top Hario to the STAGG EKG trying to justify my $200 purchase (copper). Tomorrow morning is the big day. Just me and an occasional guest. Wish me luck.
Stagg owner here. One key feature that James missed? is built-in timer... When you take the kettle of the base, and hold the button for just for a second or so.. a timer starts in 3..2..1.. and that's a really nice and important feature. You keep one eye on the scale and other on timer. So you can actually check the flow of the water and learn and perfect your pour.
When using it as a normal kettle and need a lot of water, I just take the lid off and pour it sideways :)
This thing is expensive, but a really nice product. Just wanted to mention the timer!
Keep up the good work James!
The lineup is missing the lovely OXO gooseneck kettle! I'm not sure about its performance but it's fast and pours very well
Not available in the UK sadly
I use the oxo over the fellow. It's faster and pours better.
Another OXO user here; happily spinning the dial back and forth for green, black and white teas and single pour overs. And filling just a little bit over the 1 Ltr maximum line for carafes of pour over coffee and pitchers of herbal tea. Have to really take care when pouring from a full kettle though. The other thing I like is the brushed surface so the fingerprints and yesterday's splatters don't show.
Another OXO user here! Been liking it a lot more than the Bonavita - better ergonomics, better pour control, and the temperature adjustment knob works so much better than the Bonavita's button layout. I see no reason to get the Stagg when the OXO exists!
(Stagg esports tournament, let's make it happen)
After scrolling through enough I found my OXO comrades, I wonder if it’s not in the UK cuz of the wattage it pulls? 1500, I remember seeing a Seattle Coffee Gear video about it and them cautioning to plug it in to it’s own outlet cuz they’ve had incidents of it tripping circuit breakers. I run mine with my grinder at the same time with no problem but I live in a new building. I suspect older buildings or different regions have different utility standards
This is not a simple thing to evaluate, as I have learned as well. I went to get a new one for my tea hobby. I drink nice teas from China, Taiwan and Japan. These need temps lower than 170F. I was told the best option for a kettle is a $300 kettle from Breville with a basket that sits INSIDE the chamber. That would screw up the steep and partly steam the leaves and you can't even bother with the first rinse of the leaves. I told the lady as much and she insisted this was the best option even when I told her I didn't want it and I need more temperature options. I swear, the market right now does NOT understand what proper tea is anymore and can't be bothered with doing the important things anymore. Consistent and accurate temperature, a wide range of temperatures, nice flow rate and long life.
I own the Fellow with wood top and handle and I find it to be a high quality build, temp control is
simple and accurate, the flow rate is perfect for me and you can direct it exactly where you want
it to go. So...I personally have never owned a more perfect kettle especially useful when following
the V60 osmotic flow method. It is also the most aesthetically pleasing...
Face it the aesthetic is what you wanted
@@Vanguardklface it you’re a weirdo
1 month ago I would have thought a 30 min video on kettles is about as dull of a way I could possibly spend my time. However I discovered James's channel, and here I am, a beer in hand, enjoying the shit out of this
I have the Timemore scale, and I just absolutely freaking love how it matches the base of the kettle.
Two black squares with no buttons whatsoever.
I mean, who are we all kidding, we're getting the Stagg purely for Wormy.
I have it, and didn't know about Wormy. Life changing discovery!
What is Wormy?
@@FantomMind Just looked it up... Apparently Fellow programmed a little mini game for the kettle called Wormy. Cute. haha
@@Alice429800 You the real MVP lol.
@@FantomMind It's literally in the video.
This reminds me so much of James’ video on coffee containers, and his subsequent decent into madness
Hi James, thank you so much for finally made this video! I waited quite a while for this content.
I have the felicita square at home, and your comments are totally what I experienced. I also quite dislike the base, and the lid (i once accidentally dropped the lid inside for misplacing it). The temperature overshoot also somehow frustate me, too. So, usually I set and hold it at 1-2 degrees lower of targeted temperature, and now I’m very used to it. Like you have mentioned about its flow rate, i like it. It is easy to adjust whether to be very fast or slow for pour over. I bought it because it is cheaper than the stagg (which I also wanted to have) and it’s not bad to be displayed in my kitchen.
Thanks again james! Always love your videos!
"Just: IN, and that is bad." I really like your content, despite me using a rather "heretic" coffee preparation styles. But i love the way you put so much effort in your presentation, the script, the wording, the style... All in all: a very pleasant experience, thank you for that.
Love your attention to ergonomics - a man after my own heart. More important than many other bells and whistles. Gotta love the interaction with things in life.
That has to be the most in-depth and involved kettle review I've ever seen, and I loved every minute of it! Sadly the Cosori kettle I bought a couple years ago wasn't included. I love its separate temperature preset buttons for quick setting and not having to remember what temp is need for the coffee or tea I'm making. I admit to testing its pour quality after watching your video.
I have the OXO pourover kettle, I'm pretty happy with it. Good power, good price. I do have a bit of leak from the lid if I want to pour a lot, but that's my only complaint.
The Bonavita everyday. Much more versatile, and it wont break the bank.
Yeah, when he said 90p for it, I was taken aback. It's nowhere near that price in the US.
@@TheMFYeti 90p is expensive?! How much are they in the States? 20cts? 😮…😏
@@Zakalwe-01 Around $50 USD
Also comes with a plastic cover to protect it.
@@Zakalwe-01 You can easily knock like 45p-50p off vs UK price if you can catch it on sale (Amazon), but even MSRP of like 75p is the "normal" listed price.
For the person out there currently creating a James Hoffmann sound board, and I know they exist, this video is a gold mine
I own Fellow for three years now and I enjoy it every single day, because it is comfortable to use, always reliable and most of all - its design satisfies my eye every single time I look at it. Pure pleasure.
Love a good graph. One little recommendation for again, plot the y-axis on a log scale and the relative difference in kettle performance would have been more obvious.
Love my bonavita. Really simple to use and I think the flow is really easy to control.
i was expecting Destin from SmarterEveryDay to jump into frame and yell: "Laminar flow"!
I'm in seeing if laminar flow creates a different impulse as compared to turbulent flow when impacting a static body. Time for some experiments
@@thecatofnineswords of course it does. A laminar flow would produce a constant force in the static body (scale), and turbulent flow has constantly varying cross sectional area of the stream, which means varying amounts of water hitting the scale, resulting in varying force on the static body.
That would have been epic
Only because of TH-cam do so many know about laminar flow.
I've recently gotten into pourover coffee and have mostly been working with my parents' "normal" kettle and that's worked well enough. My own kettle, however, has a hopeless spout to pour from, so I finally took the step and got the cheapest gooseneck kettle I could find because that's all my budget would allow.
It's like night and day, I didn't think it would matter as much as all that but it's a whole other world of control!
Thank you for your informative reviews, @James Hoffmann !
This is a surprisingly good comparison which is fantastic. The approach to the heating speeds was a lot more interesting than it needed to be.
A small feature of the Fellow Stagg that wasn't mentioned is the fact it has a built in timer with a 3 second countdown. While obviously it's not a game changer and I could just use my phone I'm glad it's built into the kettle itself (unless of course you have a smart scale with a timer in which case it's not as useful)
The Oxo kettle has one too.
Is this trying to justify to yourself why you paid way too much for a kettle because it was the fashion at the time? #instagrammademedoit
@@Thetache Nope not really just mentioning it as a feature that the kettle has that wasn't mentioned in the video, wasn't acting like it was some life changing feature that adds $50 to the value of it
I love the countdown. I don’t use the snake game tho
@@Thetache Dumbest comment I’ve seen all week. Congrats mate.
Really appreciate you testing for actual drawn wattage, since this is quite important due to different heating elements beeing used in these kettles. Therefore the resistance, volts and amps differ and probably would have thrown off your chart.
If I ever need to buy James a custom T-shirt, it would be…..
“This is a nice beep…..”
I had the brewista for 6 months - I really like it. No complaints what so ever and for me that is rare.
I bought the Fellow literally yesterday, just before seeing this video. I’m not so worried about the flow, I just need a kettle that isn’t the stove top because I have a tendency to burn them. This was worth the price to me because the visual and tactile design of something I’m going to use daily is important, so I am pleased with my choice.
I wish the base of the Hario didn’t look like a Sony Discman
SO TRUE ... Never thought about it before I read your comment 🤣
that would be a selling feature for me
As long as it doesn't skip as much 😂
true
Well, it is a Japanese classic after all...
It’s time for an UPDATE
I have used the Fellow EKG for a year now and am confident it was the right choice.
I mainly appreciate the user experience followed closely by the design aesthetic. Making coffee is the heart of my morning routine. Using the Fellow EKG makes that process enjoyable in intangible ways.
Notes on features/characteristics:
The temperature is accurate within 1 degree. If the kettle is 1 degree cooler than your target temp, the heating element will not turn on. Must be < 2 degrees below target to engage. This us to protect from overshooting target.
The bottom of the kettle will allways be cool enough to set on any surface without damaging it even, during a full boil.
Disclaimer: I exclusively make pour overs. If I drank tea or used a french press, this would not be a good choice due to flow rate.
I have the Fellow kettle at home. When using its timer for pourover, I encountered the following issue: I turn on the timer for the brew which gives me three seconds to start pouring. After the bloom, I return the kettle to the base with the ‚hold‘ function turned on so it reheats the water during the bloom. When I now do the full pour in the second phase, I almost empty the kettle, but since the ‚hold‘ is still turned on and on the back of the base, I can either return the kettle to the base and turn of the hold, which ai find very weird to do or return the kettle and turn off the whole device which kills the timer or (which is the option I go for) put the kettle some place else to keep the timer going and then return it only after my brew has finished.
Ideally for me, there was a way of turning off the kettle while keeping the timer up. Apart from this, I love the kettle. I dont think any of the other reviewed models comes close to its design and I am happy with its pouring capabilities. It is also very quiet when heating which would have been an interesting point of comparison as well.
I have the Diguo and honestly it feels like a step up from my Hario stove top kettle. It heats the water quickly and it pours perfectly well into my V60 and Flair. Budget winner.