The Hario gooseneck kettle is my go-to for brewing coffee in Nacho the Van. Since I use camp stoves to heat water for pourovers, it never occurred to me to use anything else. Most often, when I serve coffee, I'm off the grid as there's no electricity besides the small Jackery electric generator I use for my coffee grinder. However, when I had to start using the Hario at home every day, I realized how fantastic of a kettle it is.
So what happened?
The coffee industry, like anything, can be a bit fadish and even pretentious. Sure, you can pick up an off-brand electric kettle on Amazon for $50, and it is great. Why? Because it's simply heating water. But in the coffee world, why spend $50 when you can drop $165 on a Fellow Stagg EKG electric kettle? You can even drop $225 on the Fellow Stagg EKG Pro kettle. Coffee shops around the world use this kettle. So, I bought a Fellow Stagg EKG kettle.
I've been using that kettle for over 4 years now. You know what? It heats the water. It heats water the same as my off-brand $50 electric kettle in my office. Similar design and aesthetics, too. Unfortunately, one day, as I was inspecting the inside of the kettle, I discovered it was rusting. I wondered why my coffee wasn't tasting as good as it normally does.
Thinking it might've been simply a bit of discoloration, I tried scrubbing it out. Nope. It was rusting a good bit. I had to pitch it. No more $165 kettle. How would I heat water at home?
Luckily, I had an extra Hario gooseneck kettle at home. In fact, this was an extra kettle I found for $7 at Goodwill. It was a bit grimy when I picked it up in the store. After I got it home and cleaned it up, I happily discovered it was seemingly brand new.
When my pricey Fellow kettle bit the dust, I needed a way to heat water until I replaced it. That's when I started using the Hario kettle at home. Again, I've been using the Hario to brew coffee outdoors at events. But something happened ...
The more I used my Hario kettle, the more I realized I didn't need to replace my electric kettle. Why pay for the luxury of heating water this way? Most often, I brew coffee with the water temperature just off-boil anyway.
One of the best parts of my morning coffee routine is just that: the routine. The only difference between heating water with an electric kettle and heating it with a stovetop is the timing. This means it takes a little longer to heat water on my stovetop than it takes to heat an electric kettle. But is it that big of a difference? All I do now is start heating water earlier in the process. That's it. That's the only change. Well, other than reclaiming a bit more of my counter space.
Yes, I understand that this is not the way to go for coffee shops. You need an electric kettle. But for heating water at home, in a van, or at a campsite? The Hario is a great option. While currently on Amazon, it'll cost you $47.50 for a Hario; plenty of other alternatives work just as well (like the IKAPE Kettle or the Gator Kettle, both for $28.99). Remember, you're just heating water.
Maybe I'll replace my electric kettle someday? Until then, I'll continue to enjoy my Hario gooseneck kettle.
