Can I use Le Cruset Whistling Kettle for Chemex?

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
jaybar
Posts: 143
Joined: 12 years ago

#1: Post by jaybar »

Hi

Can I use my new Le Cruset whistling tea kettle for my Chemex brews?

I am tired of having swan neck kettles that don't let me know the water has boiled. I don't want to stand by my stove and wait for the water to boil. I tried the Bonavita electric kettle. I really don't have room for it on my limited counter space AND it gets coated with whitish dots quickly after first using.

The Kalita Wave had its problems too. Ten minutes to boil a full kettle and no indication when done. Moreover the swan neck kettles are all too small if you want to pre-fill your Chemex with very hot water to rinse the filter and warm the vessel. You need to boil twice or have two kettles.

The Le Cruset stainless boils relatively quickly, has a loud whistle and is large enough so I don't need more than one kettle.

Can this be used with my Chemex?

Thanks

Jay

coffeedom
Posts: 205
Joined: 14 years ago

#2: Post by coffeedom »

If you can somehow make a slow, controlled pour that lasts 3-4 minutes, go for it. The point of the gooseneck kettles is that they allow you that degree of control so that you can pour evenly without disturbing the coffee bed too much.

Some do chemex differently and do a pour/wait/refill thing which doesn't require so much precision. Don't know if the cup is any worse this way or not.

Moreover, pouring boiling water directly on the fresh coffee bed is less than ideal. Some wait until the water has cooled off the boil to begin the pour. So having a kettle that tells you when it's boiling is not a real advantage.

Most people with stovetop gooseneck kettles pour with the kettle cooling during the whole 4 minutes, so the water is obviously cooling during the pour. This is probably not a bad thing.

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bmb
Posts: 343
Joined: 12 years ago

#3: Post by bmb »

What works quite well is to heat the water in a quick electric kettle (or your Le Cruset), pour enough water for brewing into the goose neck and use the rest for rinsing the filter and heating cups and vessel.