Capresso 261.04 teaC100 Temperature Controlled Water Kettle

Very good for tea-lovers, with two reservations
We've been using this Capresso electric kettle pretty heavily (several times daily) for just over a month, and so far it's working quite well.

Pros:

- No plastic parts in contact with water (important for health reasons).

- Temperature control works very well, so it's great for tea lovers.

- Reasonably attractive retro-modern design.

- Auto-shutoff works properly at high altitude (8500 feet here), unlike at least one of it's temperature-controlled competitors.

Cons:

- The unique design of this kettle has a flaw for single-serving use: The steel dome at the bottom must be completely submerged to avoid damage, which means you always have to heat at least 2 1/2 cups at a time, even if you only need one (because if you only put one cup in, it won't cover the top of the steel dome). This unnecessarily wastes energy, water, and time, and this problem doesn't exist with other kettles (it's specifically a result of...

Luv this kettle
Fits my needs perfectly; I drink about 3 - 8oz cups of tea each morning. No issues thus far after 3 weeks of daily usage.

Initial heating of water first thing in the morning:
Filled to maximum capacity which is 48 oz
Water and ambient air temperature: 75 F
Time to reach 195 F was 4 mins 30 secs.

Used the following to measure temperature:
CDN DTQ450X ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer

Reheats within minutes if reheating within a few hours after the initial heating. I do not refill the kettle with water until after making my last cup of tea.

Love its simplicity of operation!

.
.

Update: 10.11.2012
Kettle still going strong, still using daily.

To operate:
Turn dial to desired temperature then press the center of the dial to turn on.
When ON, a blue ring on the knob lights up along with a blue LED...

Quit After a Week
I bought this based on the other great reviews, but mine quit working after a week. I returned it through Amazon's great return policy. One other thing to note is that it has a large silicone rubber type ring in the bottom of the kettle to seal the heating element to the glass kettle. There is no mention if this is BPA free or not.

As a replacement for this kettle, I ordered the Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle. So far it has been fantastic. It has a variable temperature setting the will maintain a constant temperature for a pre-determined time. The Capresso would bring the water to one of five pre-determined temperatures and then shut off once it has been reached. Plus the Bonavita is an all stainless kettle. The only plastic on the kettle is where the handle attaches at the very top, which is out of reach of the heated water. I highly recommend the Bonavita over the Capresso.

Click to Editorial Reviews