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I am writing a new review of this kettle after having owned it for about 3 months now. In my first review, I was a bit hesitant to give positive marks on some aspects due to an abundance of complaints I’d seen in other reviews on Amazon and a fear that some of the complaints might come true for me. I am happy to say this is a great kettle and I am really really happy to have bought it. There are only a few downsides and many positives.

The gooseneck spout is a godsend. It allows for a very precise pour and the speed at which the water comes out is just perfect. It takes about 4-5 seconds to fill it up a gaiwan and gives the tea leaves a nice swirl before leaving them to steep. Alternatively if I am brewing a very delicate tea that should not be agitated, the gooseneck allows for a very slow but steady pour that will not rustle the leaves much. In terms of pouring, this kettle is the best I have tried, hands down. The pistol grip is also very comfortable and the 1-liter size is perfect for what I’m using it for. I need a smaller kettle like this one so I can get a more controlled pour. It’s easier to maneuver since it is less heavy. It allows for more elegant motion of the wrists.

The 1-year warranty was a selling point for me because my last kettle from another company crapped out after 6 months of use and only had a 90 day warranty.

My biggest complaint has to do with the buttons and how they work. On my last kettle you could simply push the – or + keys to change the temperature. On this kettle, you have to press the “Temp Set” button before the – or + keys will do anything. I’m not sure why they added an extra button just for the sake of unlocking the other two. It’s not easy to accidentally press them, and even so doing that would only change your temp by one degree for each press unless you hold it down a while. The other annoyance is that after returning the kettle to the base it will NOT start to reheat back to the set temperature until you push the “hold” button again. It takes a while getting used to this and if you’re like me and had a previous kettle that automatically started to reheat once returned to the base, you’ll find it taking you a few months just to get used to having to push that button again. Otherwise a few minutes later you’ll go to pour another round and realize you’ve got to hit the hold button and wait for it to reheat.

The heating element makes a very noticeable sound, clicking on and off as it tries to reach the set temperature. Sometimes the element will click on and off every few seconds for a while, so the sound can be very frequent. If repetitive clicking sounds annoy you, this could be a bad investment for you. I was put off by this at first but pretty quickly learned to ignore it. A few months later I don’t even notice it at all. I expect some noise from a kettle, and this one roars a lot less as the water heats than previous ones I’ve owned, but the clicking is a trade-off.

I did have a problem very early on with the LED screen flickering when the heating element was on, but this problem seems to have resolved.

The included plastic screen to cover the base is a really nice accessory, though I’m not sure how necessary it is since the base doesn’t really appear to have many seams where water could leak into it anyway. The sticker included did say it is for commercial or frequent use. I guess it is meant to be used in an environment where the potential to spill something on it is high, or where there’s a bit of hustle and bustle or moving around of objects.

The plastic base of the kettle itself (not the control unit it sits on) is a bit wobbly on mine and does not sit flush with the stainless steel. While this doesn’t seem to affect the functionality or cause the kettle to wobble when seated, it feels like cheap manufacturing. Not a big deal really, but something to note.

The timer function is nice, but only operates when the kettle is not seated on the base, so prepare to sit the kettle down elsewhere if you want to run the timer. It counts upward from zero so you don’t have to set it, but you do have to pay attention to it as there is no beeper or anything to alert you when it reaches a certain time.

As for the preset temperatures, I feel somewhat misled by the product description. I thought it was possible to have user-defined presets, but it is not. The wording on that should be a little more clear. You can, however, cycle through the presets to get to a temperature close to where you want it and just dial from there to reach the desired temp. It saves time from having to dial all the way from a low temp to a high one or vice versa.

One other thing. I had this plugged into a power strip with some other appliances and it took substantially longer to heat up than when plugged into the wall outlet directly. It may be beneficial to only use this directly with an outlet. The cord is not as short as some reviews say. It is about 3 feet long and can be wound underneath the base to store it away.

I would not really recommend ordering this kettle for the full price of 95 dollars, as it will occasionally drop in price on Amazon. When I ordered it it was 60 dollars and free shipping, so keep an eye out if you want a good deal on it.

Overall though, I really love this kettle. If there are two things I want in a kettle now they are a gooseneck spout and variable temperature to any degree (and it will do C or F so that is a bonus). The small size makes it really elegant and easy to use for Gongfu tea ceremony, and once you get used to the controls and the clicking sound of the heating element turning on and off, there really is not much to complain about. I have seen no signs of rust on this thing yet and I do not dry it out after each use, so the issues with rust that others have reported may have been in fact fixed in newer versions, as Bonavita has said it has been.

I do recommend this product, but there are some things that could make it better, so just be aware. It’s probably one of the best ones out there you can get if you need precision, but it has a few minor annoyances to come with it.

Well, this confounded my expectations. I have never had an unroasted Dong Ding, so this is a new experience to me.

The first steeping was light with hints of sweet soft floral. By the second the infusion color is a light yellow-green with a very generous buttery flavor and mouthfeel and a finish of floral and sweet vegetal flavors. A few infusions in I’m reminded a bit of a Tie Guanyin. There are the nice hearty leafy qualities with just hints of floral and spice. In later steepings the tea is more mellow and buttery with just dull sweetness, but it is good for many infusions. I’m on 6 and and though there is a bit of a mineral flavor emerging, it is still overall good to drink. By infusion 8 the bitter/mineral quality seemed to back off again and the cup is mostly sweet, if not a bit weak. I’m doing a 9th infusion before I stop (can you tell yet that I’m brewing Gongfu style?). Wow! On the 9th infusion the flavor changed completely and now it tastes like artichoke! Surprising! There’s a little lingering sweetness, and as it cools I’m getting more of the clove/camphor notes from before. Okay, maybe one more won’t hurt. 10’s a good stopping point. Oh yeah, now that I’m trying it, it’s quite interesting. Really different from where this tea started out. Still buttery with some nice artichoke and cream notes.

While I must confess I find myself more drawn to the roasted type of Dong Ding, this unroasted version is unique and fun to enjoy. It really gives you a peek at what nuances in the tea leaves develop into the qualities you’d find in a roasted Dong Ding when it is roasted.

This is my first time with a Da Yu Ling. The taste was overall reminiscent of a Jin Xuan mixed with maybe an Ali Shan. The flavor was mostly what I’ve come to expect from a high quality Taiwanese oolong, light and floral with notes of mountain greenery. There was a hint of spice like maybe camphor or clove on the first steep as well as a bit of a creamy taste. As the infusions went on, they became more floral and subdued with a honey-like sweetness.

With other Taiwanese oolongs, there is often a quality that sticks out to me and makes it taste unique. Dong Ding has that dried fruit kind of flavor, and Jun Xuan is very milky, while Shan Lin Xi is very foresty and Tie Guanyin is floral and leafy. As for Da Yu Ling, it seems like a balanced tea and nothing particular stands out to me in the flavor, so it is not one I will likely be keeping in my own cupboard, but if you love a nice clean and floral Taiwanese oolong, this is a good pick.

Well my 75th review should be for something special, and this tea is certainly that. This was certainly an interesting blast from the past. I was 6 when this tea was produced.

I had the honor of sharing this sample with a friend and we both had a very similar impression of the flavor, so I feel confident in relaying our observations.

The first steep yielded a very distinct dill flavor. In fact it was almost briny like pickle brine! Whaaaaat? There were of course the expected roasted and leafy qualities of oolong, but a pickle-like flavor stood out to us the most.

On the second infusion some more nuances emerged, sort of a toasted sesame flavor and a light sweetness. It has been a while since we enjoyed this tea together and I am going off of notes here that I recently found lying around, so I didn’t really log down my reactions to any later steepings, but I remember each infusion getting milder and more on the sweet roasty side while the dill and brine flavors backed off.

It was really interesting to me, also strange seeing how much different people’s impressions of it were here on Steepster. I’d have never described it with some of the notes some others did, but I guess we all taste and remember tastes differently. :3

This is my first White Peony experience outside of Shang Tea, owned by Zehua Shang, who specializes in white tea, has won pretty high awards for his White Peony, and farms the tea himself, so his tea is direct from the source to the customer. Thus, beware of my bias.

That said, I’ve never felt compelled to purchase Bai Mudan from any other vendors since Shang’s is top notch, and even better I live near the store so I can go and purchase it firsthand and enjoy some tea with the awesome employees. This Rishi white tea only landed in my cupboard because I was at a local grocer to try samples of some loose teas they had in bulk bins. I saw this and thought I’d give it a try since I could sample it very cheap this way.

After a steep or two, the leaves are very green and smell perfumy. I drank the first steeping before starting my review, so my review will start with the second. I am brewing this Gongfu style. This infusion is more yellow than the last, which was a bit pale.

The aroma of the liquor is lightly floral and I’m picking up hints of camphor, to my surprise. The flavor is smooth and lightly green with just a touch of nectar-like sweetness. There are very subtle green and juicy notes like a fresh cucumber. As it cools more and as I get into the third infusion and beyond, there is a copper-like mineral taste, subtle, but there.

The flavor overall is somewhat soft though, bordering on too soft, even after allowing the tea to cool some. I know not all teas are created equal, but I’m using the same amount of leaf I always have with White Peony. I think perhaps I’ve been spoiled on amazing white tea and now that I’m trying one from a less-specialized vendor (meaning their company doesn’t have a specific specialty for white tea), I am seeing now why so many people claim that white tea “tastes like nothing” to them. Indeed, if this white tea from Rishi is more indicative of what white tea is like outside of the high-end vendors, I can see that white teas can be very subtle. I have had a few silver needle teas from sources other than Shang Tea and some were very lacking in flavor or depth, while others were quite robust, so I guess the amount of flavor in white tea can really vary.

While I don’t think this White Peony from Rishi is particularly complex or thick in flavor, I do think it is good, and I think that for the mid-range loose tea market it is a good offering. If you aren’t looking to pay top dollar for your white tea or are looking for the convenience of being able to purchase it at some grocers nearby (currently I only know of Whole Foods selling this, but there may be others), this tea is worth the money. The flavor is pleasant and mild. It was a pleasant experience to drink it, and biases aside, I feel happy to have drank it.

This is a great green tea. It has a bit of a dry mouthfeel, but to be fair, the one I tried was from a little sample my friend gave me and has been in a tiny plastic ziplock for quite some time, so it hasn’t been exactly stored in the most optimal conditions.

The flavor of this green tea is very creamy and soft. There are some light vegetal and nutty tones. The smell is lightly sweet. It’s got a bit of a pecan praline vibe to it and as the tea cools it becomes even more enjoyably sweet. The second steep is even more sweet and mellow than the first, with possibly a hint of unsweetened coconut flavor. This is quite a soft tea and offers some unique qualities from my other experiences with green tea.

This green tea struck me as interesting because if it hadn’t been labeled I probably would not have known it was a green tea just by looking at it. It looks more like a raw loose Puer or some other dark tea. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it tastes more like a raw Puer than a green tea. It’s rather on the dark and earthy side for a green tea. The notes are very nutty, with green bean and a bit of black pepper. This doesn’t have the brighter vegetal notes of most green teas and I was almost expecting a roasted flavor to accompany it, but it didn’t exactly. This tea is not suited to my tastes in green tea. I am sure others will find it more interesting.

I could swear I have reviewed this before… I’ve had this tea quite a while now, and though I had some technical difficulties when I was first learning to brew it, I feel I’ve definitely figured out my preferred method to get the most of the tea without making an overpowered cup. I have gone through quite a few shifts in the method I use to brew red/black teas in the gongfu style before I found one that really worked great for me.

Anyway, this is one of the best red teas I’ve had. There’s an interesting light floral quality to the scent resting atop some darker notes of earth, baked bread, cocoa, forest floor, and yam. The darker, mustier qualities are well balanced by a lightness that comes through in the flavor as yam and honey. The tea is tangy with a hint of bitterness on the back-end like dark chocolate or coffee, but to be fair I brew this a bit on the full-bodied side, while I’ve noticed most practitioners of Gongfu Cha I’ve met will brew red teas more on the light side, making a honey-colored liquor rather than a red one. That tends to yield more of the subtle notes present in a red tea. I prefer a bit more strength since repeated infusions will eventually yield a lighter liquor anyway. Not that this tastes exactly the same as if you had brewed it light to begin with, but it’s similar.

On a final note, I absolutely love the tin design and its designation as a “Year of the Horse” tea. I know A&D have done some teas like this before and I really am eager to see what comes out next year for the Year of the Goat. My only complaint is that the tin is basically a small paint can, so you will need something handy to pry the lid off if you purchase a tea tin from these guys. I keep a quarter resting atop the lid as it works well to do the trick and doesn’t take up any extra space while the tin is in the cupboard.

I haven’t reviewed on Steepster in a bit, so I figured I’d write a new one.

This Master Grade Tie Guanyin has all the makings of a Tie Guanyin, the buttery vegetal quality, the foresty and floral notes typical of Taiwanese high mountain oolong. As Tie Guanyins go, this one registers on the softer and more mellow side of the scale. There’s a gentle (and I really mean gentle) honey sweetness to it and a really soft vegetal flavor, reminding me slightly of spinach and zucchini. It is definitely floral. I can see the ideas others have offered of orchid or honeysuckle, but they are not quite on the mark from what I’m getting. Anyway, it’s hard to attribute other flavors to a tea in any case, so those are probably close enough, maybe a bit of a jasmine-like quality is there too.

What’s odd to me about this tea is that it is the Master Grade variant Tie Guanyin that Yezi offers, and it has less prominent and memorable qualities to me than the High Grade Tie Guanyin, which is a step down in grade and pricing. I’ve drank both today, so I have them fresh in memory to compare. Where the High Grade had the unmistakable scent of holiday spices and hints of camphor, the Master Grade is more round and no flavor or scent sticks out to me distinctly. It does seem more buttery than the other.

If it comes to personal recommendation though, I actually prefer the High Grade to this one as I think the “spiced” quality and camphor notes are what make that one really wonderful to me.

One of China’s 10 Famous Teas on many iterations of the list, Liu An Gua Pian is also called “Melon Seed” tea because the puffy leaves look like melon seeds.

The flavor and scent are both incredibly sweet at first. There’s a lot of vegetation and grassy taste and the usual hints of green bean you get in a lot of chinese green teas. The taste is really nice and complex with a hint of mineral in the background. I am not in the mental state to flesh this out with notes today, but I do like the tea a lot and think that it is a pretty unique tasting green tea. I overbrewed it a bit the first time using my usual green-tea steeping parameters, so you may need to use slightly less leaf or time than usual.

EDIT: Teavivre recommends 3g per 85ml water for 30 seconds if you are brewing gongfu style, then adding 30 seconds each time. That sounded a bit strong for my tastes so I used 3g in a 100ml gaiwan for 15 seconds, adding 5 each time and got really incredible results.