It's still early days with the OXO Adjustable Pour-Over Kettle, but this product really checks off all the boxes for pour-over coffee enthusiasts. In fact, the packaging seems to be heavily marketed towards a specific coffee brewing purpose, even though there's a variety of other uses for a gooseneck kettle with regulated temperature. My previous setup for pour-over (I use Chemex, V60, and Kalita Wave at various times...kind of an addict) was a stovetop gooseneck or an electric Bodum kettle. In either case, I would need to use a thermometer to gauge temperature, or just boil it and hope it cools to about the 200-205 degree range when I needed it. It really was not an ideal solution for how often I do pour-over. So, I looked at some options like the Stagg EKG ($150 for the non-Bluetooth model), but as sexy as device is, it just seemed overpriced for something that could fail and fundamentally just needs to add water. Enter the OXO model, which has a street price of around $100.00. I actually really like the aesthetics of the design - particularly the base, which is a glossy black, compact enough to tuck into my coffee cabinet, and has a flat cord that wraps twice around the inside the base (good idea, OXO!). Even better, in reviews on YouTube and by the Seattle Coffee Gear demos, it seemed to perform as well or better than the Stagg, and actually operates at a higher wattage. I think it heats to a boil in about 3-5 minutes, though that obviously varies by water volume and starting temperature. Since the process of pour-over coffee is supposed to take around 3-4 minutes (still working on my grind size and timing), it can actually be quite a challenge to keep water at a specific temperature other than boiling for that full period of time. On the OXO kettle, you set the temperature, it beeps to alert you when the water is heated (appreciated), and then it will keep the water at the set temperature, provided you return it to the base within 60 seconds of removing it. There is also a simple kitchen timer accessible by long-pressing the "OXO" button - useful for timing your pours. The number display appears almost white in photographs, but is actually a light blue, and very easy to read. Two additional things I REALLY like about the OXO kettle that may not be readily apparent: (1) The last temperature you set it at saves on the device, even after you unplug it and plug it back in. HUGE. Some other units have "presets", and the OXO knob is a little too "fine" to turn all the way up from room temperature quickly, so this would have been a major annoyance to have to reset to 201 degrees, or whatever your preferred brew setting is. (2) The thermometer inside the kettle is very accurate and extremely fast. I try not to heat more water than I need, but sometimes, I realize during the process that I'm going to need more. I've even added cold water into the unit while it is heating (I'm sure OXO advises against this for various safety reasons, so I am NOT advocating this), and the thermometer instantly displays the cooler aggregate temperature. And I checked the final temperature with a good external thermometer and it seems accurate within a degree or so. I quick word on some of the negative reviews - this is always a concern, but it just seems like par for the course for this kind of product. All of the popular options (Bonavita, Stagg), as well as the cheaper regulated kettles, are littered with anecdotal complaints about leakage, rust, or failure of the heating components. It is impossible for me to know if those individual problems are due to bad units, misuse, or poor user maintenance. If I encounter any such issue, I would certainly update my score and review content. But the OXO unit does come with a 2-year warranty, and I feel like that is a reasonable period of time for any inherent product "defect" to show itself. For this type of kitchen product, I would be perfectly happy with a 5-10 year window of operation with regular use. The OXO Adjustable Temperature Electric Kettle heats water faster than most of its competitors, manages to stay relatively compact for storage, and has all the key features a pour-over enthusiast would want. Highly recommended.
