Bonavita electric Kettle - Quick look

[StillShaving]

A few weeks ago I decided to get a proper pour over kettle. I had been patiently waiting for Hario to import their electric model but it hasn't arrived yet so I purchased this kettle which is even more budget friendly. It basically works as advertised, heating water quickly and giving a controlled pour. My initial impression of it was very positive, but after using it for a little while I can only give it average, barely passing marks.

The (only) negative drawback is the shape/angle of the spout tip, which is too horizontal when it should be angled downward a bit, in order to lessen the effect of surface tension when doing a pour. The issue is that when doing a pre-infusion pour with the kettle when it's about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water into something like a Hario v60 cone, where you are carefully trying to wet all the grounds before starting the main pour it is impossible to add water drop by drop. When you try to drip water out of a 1/2+ full kettle the surface tension will pull water back down the spout neck creating a mess. When the kettle is nearly empty, one can do a controlled drip-by-drip pour without this surface tension problem as the spout is pointed more downward and water drips off in a more controlled fashion, but one does not start with a nearly empty kettle! Without this issue, the kettle would be highly recommended without any qualifications, but since its main purpose is to provide a controlled pour, it gets one big negative mark.

Once the flow starts, it is easy to control and direct the pour. The handle feels good in the hand, where the notch near the top of the handle helps provide a steady grip and push back against the torque of the kettle trying to rotate when full of water. Looks are subjective, but I find it blends in with other stainless steel equipment and looks attractive even if a bit utilitarian. It works great for tea, aeropress, presso, and other methods where extreme control is not needed.

 

[StillShaving]

Some pictures of the box and kettle. The photos where not lit well enough for the camera I used, so some of the colors are far from realistic.

 

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Four pieces to the unit. Notice the 3 steam holes on the top cover. If you search around, you will see an idea to insert a thermometer into one of the holes in order to get a more accurate reading:

Overall height of kettle on its base:

Interior depth:

Underside of heating base. Can wrap cord around to make it extremely short.

Cord is about 30 inches long:

 

[StillShaving]

Proper perspective for B&B. Kettle holding a long handled Merkur barberpole slant.

 

[StillShaving]

As a comparison test, I let two 16oz measuring cups of water sit overnight on the kitchen counter. This was to make sure the temperature was the same in each cup. The next morning I heated each to a boil with different methods and timed the results.

1) 3 quart sauce pan on an induction plate rated at 1500 Watts - 2:55 min to reach a rolling boil
2) Bonavita Electric kettle rated at 1000 Watts - 3:40 min until the automatic shutoff engaged

Even though the Bonavita was slower, I did not see it being an issue as it is fast enough. The induction plate draws more power and the pan has a larger surface area than the kettle, so the faster times is not unexpected.

 

[StillShaving]

Hopefully these image links will work. As just one example of different kettle tips, I wanted to highlight the shape of the Hario kettle tip as compared to the Bonavita. Based on my experience, the Hario one looks about right as it has some downward slope which should help break the surface tension in the right direction.

 

[global_dev]

can't you just bend it a bit?

 

[avsmusic1]

Proper perspective for B&B. Kettle holding a long handled Merkur barberpole slant.

This pic is fantastic lol

 

[benvh]

Thanks for posting. My Pino kettle is looking a little funky inside on the base so I've been casually looking for a replacement. Still not sure if I want to pour from the same pot that I boil in (I have the Hario right now and like it a lot). Will probably try cleaning the Pino first.

Please keep us updated on its continuing performance.

Ben

 

[StillShaving]

can't you just bend it a bit?

The goose-neck spout is very stiff, so I think it would break or crimp before bending over. I thought about trying to file it down, but I am concerned that may change the finish or that the filing process will put too much pressure on the base where the spout connects into the kettle and cause a leak. I have not figured out a proper solution, but adding some small amount of material to the underside of the spout opening would probably be enough to break the surface tension and provide better control over the drip. I might also consider adding a small flexible tube over the end to extend and change the shape but I am not sure the problem is bad enough to do that.

Thanks for posting. My Pino kettle is looking a little funky inside on the base so I've been casually looking for a replacement. Still not sure if I want to pour from the same pot that I boil in (I have the Hario right now and like it a lot). Will probably try cleaning the Pino first.

Please keep us updated on its continuing performance.

Ben

I don't want to badmouth this kettle too much as it does work better than my generic tea kettle, but since its primary function is to provide a very controlled pour I wanted to highlight that doing a slow drip is nearly impossible. With more practice I may be able to execute different pourovers well enough that it may no longer be that much of an issue, but I don't like overshooting pass the edge of coffee during the first part of a pour and that is too difficult with this kettle. For comparison, I get more drop-by-drop control when pouring out of a saucepan with a lip like this, even though this pan is more uncomfortable to hold and there is more danger for pouring too much too soon.

 

[global_dev]

The goose-neck spout is very stiff, so I think it would break or crimp before bending over. I thought about trying to file it down, but I am concerned that may change the finish or that the filing process will put too much pressure on the base where the spout connects into the kettle and cause a leak. I have not figured out a proper solution, but adding some small amount of material to the underside of the spout opening would probably be enough to break the surface tension and provide better control over the drip. I might also consider adding a small flexible tube over the end to extend and change the shape but I am not sure the problem is bad enough to do that.

heat it before bending with a propane torch? file without some much pressure? file a v into the spout? i think i have seen people add a paperclip type wire to break the tension.

 

[gearchow]

Proper perspective for B&B. Kettle holding a long handled Merkur barberpole slant.

Awesome review David! I hope no noobs see this pic because I just know they are going to say "what an awesome way to clean razors!"

-jim

 

[EricBNC]

I have one of the engineering sample PID kettles (long story) as well as one of the retail electric kettles. I agree the angle of the spout should be moved forward since it is hard to pour slowly with a full kettle.

 

[JPDyson]

I have one of the engineering sample PID kettles (long story) as well as one of the retail electric kettles. I agree the angle of the spout should be moved forward since it is hard to pour slowly with a full kettle.

Welcome to B&B, Eric! I've appreciated your input on this kettle over at Coffee Geek (indeed, your input in general).

I seem to remember other members defending the design of the spout, claiming it was actually more precise than the Hario (BoldJava, was it?). I'm wondering if there's something at play here - variability in specimen, differences in water chemistry, etc - seems like it shouldn't be the case that one can pour drop by drop, and the other seems to "glob". Curiouser and curiouser, as they say.

 

[StillShaving]

.... I'm wondering if there's something at play here - variability in specimen, differences in water chemistry, etc - seems like it shouldn't be the case that one can pour drop by drop, and the other seems to "glob". Curiouser and curiouser, as they say.

I'll try to capture a better image over the weekend. There might be some variation in the manufacturing process across kettles, but based on photos I have seen posted around, I expect they are slight. To the naked eye, my kettle spout opening looks to be horizontal, where the forward edge is level with the back most edge. But on closer inspection, made by placing a stiff postcard across the opening I see that the forward most edge actually points up a few degrees. I don't have any way to measure the angle so I won't try to guess how much, but its going in the wrong direction. But mine does not look as upward turning as the stock photo shown in post #6

 

[EricBNC]

Welcome to B&B, Eric! I've appreciated your input on this kettle over at Coffee Geek (indeed, your input in general).

I seem to remember other members defending the design of the spout, claiming it was actually more precise than the Hario (BoldJava, was it?). I'm wondering if there's something at play here - variability in specimen, differences in water chemistry, etc - seems like it shouldn't be the case that one can pour drop by drop, and the other seems to "glob". Curiouser and curiouser, as they say.

Thanks for the welcome and the kind words Josh. The spout design isn't a huge issue for me since I usually heat only 500mL at a time. With the kettle half full the limit on control is my technique, not the spout.

 

[StillShaving]

Couple of videos highlighting the pouring limits of this kettle. Attempting to highlight the slowest pour rate before surface tension causes water to go in the wrong place. These are not entertaining clips, but might be useful if you are doing comparison shopping for a pourover kettle. I posted them on photobucket, so you will have to open the video on their site.

Video 1: Pour of nearly full kettle and nearly empty kettle. Prior to the recording of this clip, I started with a completely full kettle (1 liter) and began a slow pour, and the water clung to the spout traveling back down to the base of the kettle creating a puddle on the counter. I felt I was trying to pour abnormally slow so stopped that clip and picked up here. So this video starts with a nearly full kettle (greater than 3/4 full) and a small puddle of water on the counter. Tried to pour slowly at the limits of where surface tension takes over so that you can judge for yourself. Towards the end of the video you can see where I dump most of the water from the kettle and slowly pour again. At that point it is a lot easier to pour slowly as the tip is pointed more vertical.

Video 2: Pour with 16 oz of water. If the first video wasn't exciting enough, then check this one out. Here the kettle is filled with 16oz of water, which is nearly halfway full and probably more typical of what most people would see when doing a 1 serving pourover. At about 1:15 min into the clip I dried the tip, in an attempt to highlight that having no residual water on the tip lessens the surface tension effect.

 

[StillShaving]

Video 3: Hario v60 02 pourover demonstration. Here is a clip of a complete pour. Using about 32g of coffee, so looking to brew 2 cups. The coffee is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe roasted 4 days earlier. Video starts during final stages of the Bonavita reaching a boil. You can hear the water and cut-off switch engage, the cavitation noise louder is louder in the initial part of the boil, but this gives a sense of how loud it is. I normally let the kettle cool for a minute, but did not want to delay the video. (I have not measured water temps at any stage.)

One of my goals in making this video was to show a careful preinfusion pour, where water is carefully dripped in the right amount to all parts of the coffee bed, as it is my feeling (or preconceived notion) that this is one of the more critical steps in achieving proper coffee extraction. To highlight that executing a drip or a slow pour can be clumsy with this kettle. But instead this video shows a healthier first pour made in a single motion where the coffee bed is saturated without too much fuss. I do think this initial pour will get easier with practice, so I will give the kettle more time before a final judgement. Just don't think of it as a dripper and you will be happy. Other than that, the kettle works pretty well at controlling the flow rate and directing the stream of water.

 

[JPDyson]

(I have not measured water temps at any stage.)

You might be shocked how hot that water is, then.

 

[Sullybob]

Thanks for doing the write up and video's Steve. I'm in the market for another kettle and I've been looking at the Bonavita. Other then the one liter capacity it would be a big step up from my current kettle.