Updated 2/20/2020
A lot of new companies and products have emerged since the original version of this article was published in 2015. We’ve re-evaluated our original picks and added a few new ones.
Pourovers give you complete control over the coffee brewing process. You can decide how many cups you want to make and even how how the water is poured over the coffee grounds for optimal extraction. However, to take full advantage of this benefit, you need a gooseneck kettle designed for pourover. Here’s a look at some of our favorite pourover kettles, in case you don’t already have one.
Evaluating Everything from Shape to Price
When we looked at pourover kettles, we evaluated them on four criteria:
- the shape of the kettle and it’s weight distribution
- how quickly the kettle heats water
- the capacity of the kettle i.e. how much water can it hold
- the kettle’s price
The latter three criteria may seem obvious. How quickly a kettle heats up, its capacity, and its price will matter to any consumer.
The first criterion, however, is specific to pourovers. A kettle’s shape and weight distribution affect how precisely it can be poured. Kettles with long necks and even weight distribution provide the greatest control over pouring.
Our Favorite Pourover Kettles (In Order)
Without further ado, here’s the list of our three favorite kettles currently on the market. They’re listed in order and based on the above-mentioned criteria.
- First on our list is the Bonavita Kettle with Temperature Display. We like it’s long, narrow neck and 1-liter capacity, not to mention that it has a temperature display (it’s also available without the temperature display). At just under $100, this is our favorite kettle, but it’s also the most expensive of the three we like.
- Our second-place finisher is the Hario Kettle with Heating Element. This kettle has everything the Bonavita has, except for the temperature display. Its gooseneck is nice and long, and it holds 1.2 liters of water. We like the model with a heating element, but there’s also a stove-top version that costs a little less.
- The Kalita Wave Pot rounds out our list. The only model without a heating element, this kettle is affordable but still has a beautiful neck and great capacity. It’s 1-liter body will hold more than enough water for most pour-overs.
If you’re venturing into the world of pour-over coffee, you’ll want a gooseneck kettle. Any of these three options is a great choice and will serve you well for many cups to come.
What about the Stagg EKG kettles?
We’re big fans of the Stagg EKG kettles. The products are beautiful looking, functionally top-notch and every single person we know who has one swear by them.
But, while Stagg makes an incredible product with their EKG kettles, it is difficult to justify a price point that is more than double of the Bonavita Electric kettle. If you can afford it and not compromise your budget on that upgrade grinder, by all means, go for it. If not, stick to our original 3 picks.
Amazon has so many other brands of pourover kettles.
In general, we are skeptical of unknown brands that pop up on Amazon for any hardware product. However, you may luck out and find something that is a great value for money and works well as well. For coffee hardware, I would recommend doing some research –
- Filter by number of reviews, and reading a few of them (the best ones and the worst ones) to ensure that there are no dealbreakers for you
- Look for patterns in recent reviews. Many times, brands change manufacturers and new issues come up with new people making the product. In some cases, old issues get resolved as well.
- Look for older reviews of products especially if Amazon customers have posted updates on their reviews (especially for kitchen items, you want something to last for many many years)
