Do you have a favorite Tea Kettle?

Working through a cool or chilly day just begs a warming cup of hot tea.

Treat yourself and get through your afternoon with any flavor of tea, chamomile if you need to relax or even try ginger for a little pick me up.

There are so many health benefits to tea you have no excuse.

So what tea kettle should be your staple? Tea kettles never go out of style and can come in stainless steel or enamel. They are beautifully designed with classic styles that last a lifetime.

What does a good kettle do?

First of all, it has to heat the water quickly. It doesn’t matter what tea will you brew or what temperature the water has to be exactly. Nobody wants to wait around for a long time for water to start boiling.

Second, the kettle should allow you to set it to a desired temperature. Boiling water is great for strong black tea, but various other teas require lower temperatures to really develop the perfect flavor.

Third, your kettle should signal when the water is ready. Now here comes a tricky part – while there needs to be a sound, that sound should not be too loud and overbearing. Virtually all stovetop kettles whistle when the water is boiling, while electric kettles beep once or more times. Some of them make a loud clicking sound when the lever switches from “on” to “off”. Either way, it has to be some sound to prevent you from sitting and monitoring the process or forgetting that you are waiting for water to boil.

The kettle should have an automatic shut off function. Stovetops can’t have this, but all electric ones should. This function prevents the water from boiling out dry and kettle catching fire.

The outer parts of kettle should stay cool. This requires double walls, which can get warm to the touch too, but avoid kettles with single wall because they get scorching hot and are destined to burn you at one time or another. At least make sure that the handle stays cold.

A good kettle should pour water with ease and have a well-controlled water flow. It should feel balanced and sturdy in your hand.

One common problem of kettles, especially stovetop, is that they are prone to rusting. People have to pour the water out and wipe their kettles dry to avoid that, but who has time for such activities? The rust is especially likely to happen to stovetop kettles. Regardless what kind you have, a good tea kettle should not rust.

Good kettle should be long-lasting and serve for a long time without problems. Make sure you look at all the points where two or more parts meet and all wielded places. One piece kettles don’t have places where to fail and start leaking water. The C-shaped handles are very prone to disconnection problems, so pay special attention to them.

Large lid or top opening is very important too. This is not only convenient for refilling it, but makes cleaning and wiping dry easy. Ideally, your hand should fit inside the kettle.

Some things to consider:

Before you go out to buy a kettle, think how many people you will be brewing the tea for on the daily basis and on special occasions. Large kettle will take longer to brew, but will come in handy for large groups. If you will be using your kettle for 1-2 people, chose a smaller one. It will be faster and more precise than brewing a large one only half way full.

Think what kind of tea you will be brewing the most. Black teas require a full boil at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but it is not the case for most other teas. Delicate tea, like green, is best when the water is not fully boiling. Brewing delicate teas correctly is not only art and tea etiquette – too hot water can create bitter taste. If you like green and white teas, it makes sense to spend a little more and get a kettle with adjustable temperature option. This will save you time and you won’t have to first boil and then wait for the water to cool off.

Think about the elevation of your home. If you live in the mountainous region, you know that the higher you are, the less temperature you need for water to boil. It is easier to get your kettle overheated and boiling dry if you don’t have an automatic shut off option. Tweaking your water temperature in the mountains is also very useful.

Here's our list of our 10 favorites.

Sori Yanagi Stainless Steel Kettle from Golden Calf - $150
Demeyere Resto Tea Kettle from All Modern - $60
Revere 6 Cup Whistling Tea Kettle from Target - $20, with 25% off kettle coupon $15
OXO Good Grips Stainless Brushed Tea Kettle from Amazon - $40
Sapper Whistling Tea Kettle from Canoe - $325
Kaico Tea Kettle from >Nalata Nalata - $150
Simplex Chrome Tea Kettle from Sur La Table - $200
Le Crueset Stainless Steel Tea Pot from Everything Kitchens - $90
Uplift Kettle from the MOMA store - $88
Chantal Stainless Kettle from Bloomingdales - $100