Mine is as good as new after 9 months or so. I love it!

Boldjava wrote:If you are doing pour-overs, the slurry of coffee decreases temps due to the coffee grounds being at room temp. I have used a thermometer to measure. I take my water up to edge of boiling (210*) and commence pouring. Lower temp water will leave you in the 180s/lower 190s for extracting -- not what you want.

No argument here. I was just pointing out that there is no reason to leave the water at a rolling boil for any period of time. I use ±12 ounces of hot water to rinse the filter and bring the cone to temperature before adding the ground coffee. Then I take the water to the edge of boiling before blooming the grounds. While the ground coffee starts off at something close to room temperature, its mass is small compared to that of the water and the pre-heated ceramic or glass cone. Temperature stability should be okay with good pouring technique. That's why we keep the slurry wet at all times. (Improved temperature stability is the main reason I find the Bonavita PID kettle interesting.)

While rare, some people report problems with rust (and the reports are not necessarily manufacturer-specific). Cooking the water too hard and too long might contribute to this phenomenon. For example, the rust pattern here looks vaguely heat patterned:

Bonavita PID Kettle - 1st Look

Rusting could also be a function of local water conditions. It could also be a function of variability in the stainless steel. I definitely have some stainless steel items in the kitchen that have never rusted (and probably never will), whereas other pieces show rust after just a few months even though they are generally not in proximity to water. That's pretty clearly a function of the stainless itself. Presumably the kettles we use are built out of a high-grade stainless, but some batches of material could still be better than others.

We recently started having the rust issue on our kettle and I came across this thread, and page 6 specifically, when Googl-ing it. Our issue is very similar:



Our kettle was purchased in October 2012 from Amazon and has a date code of "1234". We have also noted some fit and finish anomalies with the gooseneck spout (some finishing marks, off-alignment and not as bent as most seen on-line). I have filed a warranty claim with Bona-vita.

We use the kettle 1x-2x/day for pour-over coffee using the 205°F pre-set, don't let water stay in the kettle if we aren't using it (at least most of the time) and our water is "hard enough" to have a water softener (we obviously use un-softened water for the kettle but do run it through a counter-top water filter).

I am hoping to get a replacement from Bona-vita and wanted to subscribe to this thread to see if a consensus developed on what leads to the rust forming on some but not others. FWIW, our previous kettle is a 7-year old Braun AquaExpress WK210. While the body is plastic, the stainless steel bottom plate stills looks new. Unfortunately I have grown accustomed to the temperature display and the pour control from the gooseneck spout on the Bona-vita.

You say you don't leave water in the kettle when not in use, however, is it actually dry?

If you pour all the water out, then stick the lid on and forget about it, there will still be plenty of residual water/condensation within the kettle. Both at home and at my cafe I always dump the kettles out upside-down and then leave the lid sideways in the top, so there can be air circulation.

Forgive me if I'm off the mark here!

@hamish5178. No need to ask for forgiveness; I am looking for ideas exactly like that. And I think you hit the mark. We would empty the kettle by pouring through the spout and that seems to leave some water. We will start emptying by pouring upside-down and open the lid as you suggested to promote air circulation.

Comparing the Braun to the Bona Vita I can see where our old method would work for the Braun (constantly open spout on top flush with the interior wall) and not as well with the BV.

skittles_s wrote:Owners: how are these holding up for you? Amazon has a number of reviews mentioning rust after only a few months. What are you finding? The price is "right" but is it adequately durable?

I am beginning to show evidence of corrosion. Pictures are attached.

Mine was bought in December 2012, date code 1234. I had to get a replacement base immediately, as the temperature display was fluctuating wildly. With a new kettle under warranty, it will be all new! That is a little disappointing.

I leave it with some residual water in it, refreshing daily. Runs once or twice a day. Nothing exceptional.