Kettles and tea makers

A kettle boils water. A tea maker on this list steeps the leaves and then gets them out of the water.

Variable temperature kettles, the Smart Kettle pattern, stop short of a rolling boil. That matters for green tea and for coffee that is poured over, where water at a full boil pulls out the bitter end of the cup. Black tea can take water off the boil. The dial is only useful if you set it. Left on 100, it is an ordinary kettle with a thermostat.

If the kettle furs up inside, the water is hard. Descale it the way that model's manual says. A furred element takes longer to click off and throws white flakes into the cup. Do not boil a kettle dry to "burn the scale off".

A tea maker holds the leaves in a basket. When the steep time ends, the basket lifts, so the tea does not sit and stew. Loose leaf needs room to swell. Packing the basket full gives you a weak cup and a mess when the leaves expand. The basket has to be seated or it drips onto the base.

Milk for tea is still a jug and a stove, or the steam wand on a coffee machine. The tea maker does not texture milk.