Review: Fellow Stagg EKG+ Electric Kettle

I’m not superstitious, but sometimes it feels like my first cup of coffee or tea of the day knows something I don’t. If it’s rich, full-bodied, and creamy, the world is my oyster—well, I don’t like oysters, so maybe the world is my soft, delicious mochi. If the drink is thin, bitter, and watery, I should buckle up, because stuff’s gonna go real bad.

As much as I’d like to think my morning beverage is sending me signals from the universe, it’s a lot more likely that good coffee or tea is easy to make when you have the mental energy and patience to do it just the way you like. The key to preparing a killer steeped or brewed elixir is consistency, and the Stagg EKG+ electric kettle delivers exactly that—it takes some of the guesswork out of preparing a consistent cup.

It's expensive, but it can act as a counterweight to the burden of bad days, tipping the scale back to “Today might be OK after all.”

Gooseneck kettles like this one are amazing for pour-over coffee preparation, because of the precision they offer when pouring water over the grounds, but the Stagg EKG+ is an amazing kitchen gadget I’d recommend for anyone, even if you rarely brew coffee.

Having a kettle that can heat water up to any temperature (above room temp) is handy when you’re baking, making homemade syrups, and quick-marinating soy curls or dry beans. That narrow spout also makes it an excellent choice for pouring boiling water into small, narrow passages, like the kind you’d find in a glass tobacco pipe or the oven chamber of a tobacco vaporizer.

A kettle that can bring water up to specific temperatures will level up your tea and coffee game in ways you might not expect. No more thermometers or guesswork when you’re trying to steep a more delicate green or white tea—try brewing them at 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit instead. Black teas absolutely blossom when you steep them in 180- to 190-degree water. For yaupon teas, I had the best luck with a long 8- to 10-minute steep with 200-degree water. For standard pour-over coffee, I came to really enjoy a 180-degree steep. A consistent temperature made my morning cup reliably smooth and creamy.

The best part? It’s so easy to experiment. Do you think it’s total nonsense that tea and coffee taste different at 160 degrees than they do at 180 degrees? Do a quick comparison test and brew both, then compare. I can taste the difference in the coffees and teas I use, but these temperatures might be completely different with your local water, and your favorite coffees or teas.

You can absolutely get an electric kettle with temperature control for cheaper, but what you’re paying for here are build quality, looks, and a myriad of other factors. Think of it like buying a nice pair of headphones.

The EKG+ is incredibly durable. Compared to other kettles I've owned, it's almost impervious to scuffs, scratches, and common kitchen wear and tear—and I’ve been pretty rough with this thing. Add on to that the well-made gooseneck and it’s easy to see why this is the kettle you'll find in just about every café in Portland, Oregon.

It's a mega cutie too. Just look at this thing. Those curves, the cleverly designed handle that just anticipates exactly how your hand wants to hold it, the long goosey-gooseneck. Look at the gams on that dame, I might’ve said if I were an old-time street tough, chomping on a toothpick and hassling passersby with my trademark zingers. The design language is spare without being minimalist, luxurious without being ostentatious. It’s a love letter to clean, purposeful industrial design, and I’m here for it.

That clear and concise design philosophy carries through to the function of the kettle itself. It has one button that doubles as a knob to control the temperature (Knob Feel would be proud) and a single LCD that displays the water temp. On the back of the heating element (the square base), there’s a switch to toggle on or off the kettle’s “hold” function—if you want it to keep the water at your desired temperature for up to 60 minutes or let it cool down.

I does have some some quirks. The display doesn’t always behave. It sometimes turns off and doesn't come back on until I unplug the kettle then plug it back in. It happens infrequently, but you should keep this in mind if you’re going to place it in a spot where the plug will be hard to reach. Speaking of which, the power cord is only 2.5-feet long, which might be too short depending on your outlet situation.

Smart appliances and kitchen gadgets make me squint suspiciously. It's easy to get burned by them: They often ask for too much personal information, turning your home into a node of the surveillance state, and they can end up getting bricked by poor software support. 

So I want to be super clear: This is a smart kettle, but it’s every bit as good without its Bluetooth capabilities. Not to mention, there’s no danger of being spied on. The plus-sign in the name differentiates it from its nonsmart version (the Stagg EKG, which retails for $150), and the only differences are app compatibility and colorways.

The Stagg EKG+ is compatible with Fellow’s iOS app. (Fellow doesn't have an Android app, but you can use the Acaia Coffee app instead to control it.) The app offers two functions: remotely turning your kettle on and off and changing the temperature. Plus, you can check if your water is up to your desired temp without getting off the couch, which gets a chef's kiss from me.

The app’s basic function is appealing, as it's uncluttered and gets out of your way; there’s no fiddling with settings. But that also means functionality is limited. I would’ve liked to be able to set a timer—start heating my water in 30 minutes, say, and send me a notification when it’s at 180 degrees. Or the ability to hold the temperature for 10 minutes instead of 60. 

Most of all, I just want a notification to pop up on my phone that tells me when my water is ready, because this kettle is whisper-quiet, especially if you're in the next room. No beep or click or ding to let you know it's done. 

Alternatively, if you don't care for those smart features, you can save yourself some cash by going with the non-connected version instead. Either way, you’re getting an excellent electric kettle that I have been evangelizing about to everyone who will listen for weeks. 

Smart appliances sometimes manage to thread the needle and deliver a product that fits seamlessly into your life. That’s the EKG+ in a nutshell, whether you're a coffee and tea connoisseur or not.