Reddit reviews Adagio Teas 30 oz. utiliTEA Variable Temperature Electric Kettle
We found 15 Reddit comments about Adagio Teas 30 oz. utiliTEA Variable Temperature Electric Kettle. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Electric stainless-steel kettle with innovative temperature-control systemPerfect for heating water to the right temperature for green and black teasQuickly heats up to 30 ounces of water; concealed heating elementCordless carafe; water-level gauge; power indicator light; flip-top lid buttonMeasures approximately 8-1/5 by 6-4/5 by 9-1/5 inches
An electric tea kettle. I have the utiliTEA currently and it's great http://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-utiliTEA-Variable-Temperature/dp/B001A5NFQA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415059770&sr=8-1&keywords=utilitea
Even if you don't drink a lot of tea, it's perfect for any time you need hot or boiling water (oatmeal, french press coffee, baby birth, etc.). The utiliTEA has the added feature of separate settings for black and green tea.
I use this kettle. I tested the temps with a thermometer when I first got it last year, and the settings more or less do work. I think I measured 170 degrees for the low-end of the green tea setting and about 182-185 degrees for the highest setting. I only brew green tea in the morning and peppermint tea after dinner, so I'm happy with it!
A good varible kettle, electronic from Adagio I haven't used it myself but proper water temperature is very very important if you drink lots of greens or non-black teas. The one I use (Cuisinart CPK-17) is more expensive, but right now it's on sale and within your price range. It has buttons for specific types of tea.
UmiTeaSets has a great selection of gaiwans, I'd reccomend some of the "easy" ones with the little mouth at the end, it makes pouring very easy and very mess free. I also would to point out that 150ml is a lot, especially since in gongfu brewing you do it maybe up to 12 times, which could easily be too much tea for you.
I can't recommend a gawain enough, especially the easy variety. They're great for drinking just the right amount of tea whenever you feel like. It takes five or ten seconds to brew, and with my CPK-17 the water boils quick and stays hot long enough for me to take my time drinking many infusions from my gaiwan. They're also easy to clean and perfect for a single person, if you were making tea for your roommates then I'd say something bigger but for just one person you can't get a more perfect size than 120-150ml.
There are plenty, you can just Google it, but they tend not to be the cheapest possible options. Then again, I agree with what's been said--save up a bit and buy a stainless kettle; the plastic ones are nasty.
-PINO
-Jura-Capresso
-Kalorik
-Adagio
-Melitta
If they allow you to bring something to plug in at your desk, buy an electric kettle to heat your water. Only caveat is that they draw heavily on the electric grid compared to other American appliances, and can cause a circuit to trip on old buildings/apartments.
If you have an electric kettle, then you can make something at your desk. I use mine to make tea (the right tea can totally get you as wired as coffee), but others have mentioned french presses which should work as well.
I have this electric kettle, which has a temperature control which is vital for making different types of teas. Maybe that would be helpful for coffee too, I dunno...I don't drink coffee.
Edit: An electric kettle just heats water. You don't make the tea or the coffee (or the hot chocolate or ramen noodles or anything) in the electric kettle...you make it in a 2nd pot or cup. The electric kettle just gets the water boiling.
I got this electric kettle. Advantages are not having to hang around a microwave or a stove (I can boil water wherever I am) and the temperature control which allows me to easily make green teas.
Disadvantages are that electric kettles can be rough on old electric systems...I couldn't have an electric heater, computer, and electric kettle going all at once, the fuse would go and I'd have to go downstairs and reset it.
If you're in LA, or near a big city, you can use Yelp to look up local tea places. Big cities tend to have a few. Alternately, you can buy online.
Personally I've bought from adagio.com, harney.com, tgtea.com, and verdanttea.com . Haven't had any problems with them so far. Be aware Verdant Tea is based in China now, so shipping times are considerably higher than other vendors. (Adagio and the like had my tea to me in a few days, Verdant took a few weeks.) Other tea vendors who are not based in the US I expect would also have longer shipping times.
There's a lot of different places selling a lot of different teas...I've found I just keep sampling new stuff all the time, and slowly build a "list" of the ones that were memorable to me.
They are a bit of a money sink but I would recommend looking at cast-iron teapots and Tetsubins for college. This one looks pretty cost efficent even though the cups will probably kill your hands. They cost more than porcelain but it is a nice relief to know that they won't break. I don't know much about other kettles but I love Adagio's UtiliTEA. I have had it for a good year and it is still running strong.
I went with this one for use at the office, it's been great!
I have this. It has those settings.
I just used mine to make coffee. Here is the same kettle on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-UtiliTEA-Variable-Temperature-30-Ounce/dp/B001A5NFQA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374670832&sr=8-1&keywords=adagio+kettle
I know you say you're not looking for an electric kettle...but as someone who regularly drinks tea, having an electric kettle with a setting for green teas, which need cooler water than black teas, was a godsend. It's the only "gear" I really use when making tea (aside from getting good quality teas to begin with!)
I don't keep mine in the kitchen, it sits on my computer desk next to me. I mean, it's electric and I use it at least twice a day.
This is the one I use. It's on the cheaper end (most other variable-temperature kettles are pricier and more precise with the temperature), but it does the job.
Amazon usually has it cheaper.
Adagio kettles are pretty nice actually:
https://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-utiliTEA-Variable-Temperature/dp/B001A5NFQA
They have the functions you'd want (except for holding it at a given temp for long periods of time, like a Zojirushi).
They're also pretty durable, which is the biggest problem I've run into with electric kettles--they tend to not last that long (which is the reason why I just use a microwave and stove kettle at home--the electric kettles I maintain at another house, where I've settled on Adagio after trying different brands over the years).
Zojirushi makes the best ones really, but those tend to heat slowly and hold water at a temp for a long period of time, rather than heat quickly. They're also more expensive. But if you would like to have water at a given temp all day, they might be the better bet.
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I'm on the same boat as you and I'll probably end up getting this:
http://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-UtiliTEA-Variable-Temperature-30-Ounce/dp/B001A5NFQA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320714645&sr=8-1
It has an adjustable knob to turn it from 180F to 212F and half the price of a Zojirushi.
This seems good too: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_1
But a bit more expensive.
Teabags are more expensive and more time consuming than loose leaf tea. If you like green tea, here's what I'd recommend.
Buy one of these and a bag of this. Fill the kettle with cold water, turn the knob to the middle of the grey area, hit the button to start it and put in about a palm full of green tea pellets. Wait, pour, drink.
The kettle ought to last a while, and the tea will last you at least four months of heavy use.
Also, don't forget to smell the bag of green tea just as you open it. Worth the 13 bucks alone, it smells so good.