Adagio's UtiliTEA Water Kettle Review

Adagio's UtiliTEA water kettle is a quick and easy way to heat water to preset tea brewing temperatures. It is quick, economical, variable and attractive.

Although this electric tea kettle is relatively simple, it has a lot of subtle perks. Here are the pros to the kettle I noticed:

• It features an attractive stainless steel design that could work with a variety of kitchens, and it feels sturdier than Imperial Tea Court's Programmable Digital Tea Kettle.
• It can heat water to between 160 degrees Fahrenheit (a good temperature for more delicate green teas) and 212 degrees Fahrenheit (a rolling boil).
• It's quick. It took 1.5 minutes to bring the minimum water level to 160 degrees and only 3.5 minutes to bring the maximum water level (30 ounces) to a rolling boil.
• It has a removable base that swivels 360 degrees, a water level window and a light that indicates when it is on.
• For safety, it shuts off before boiling dry.

There are a few cons to buying Adagio's UtiloTEA Water Kettle.

• It holds less water than Imperial Tea Court's Programmable Digital Tea Kettle and Breville's Variable Temperature Kettle.
• It's not as stylish or sturdy as Breville's tea kettle.
• The temperature dial is set to tea types, not specific temperatures. As easy as it is to make broad generalizations, different teas have different brewing temperatures, and it can be difficult to select the best temperature without numerical values on the kettle.
• Although I had no issues with the construction of the kettle I sampled, some reviewers complained of issues like a dial that fell off or a kettle that would not properly heat their water. This may or may not be a sign of inconsistent construction.

For the price, this is a fantastic electric water kettle. It's not perfect, but for tea drinkers, it's a huge step up from the "boil only" water kettles and it's far more convenient and accurate than using a stove top (or, gasp! a microwave) to prepare water for tea brewing.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.