For many, the idea of buying, and then using a gooseneck kettle can feel like a waste of time, some believing that they are just an unnecessary gadget.
However, if you really want to make the best pour-over specialty coffee you can from home, or just purely love great-tasting coffee, then ensuring you have your own gooseneck kettle is a must.
Even if you are just looking to have a better understanding of what a gooseneck kettle is and why you are seeing them pop up in most specialty coffee shops, then this article is for you.
We dived in and did a little research on the gooseneck kettle, and why you need a gooseneck kettle for pour-over coffee.
In a rush? Our top Gooseneck Kettle pick for pour-over coffee Coffee Gator Pour Over Kettle
Table of Contents
What is a Gooseneck Kettle?
If you have ever seen someone at your local coffee shop prepare and make a pour-over coffee brew, then you have probably seen them use a different kind of kettle than what you see in most people’s household kitchens.
What you saw would have been a gooseneck kettle. So what is a gooseneck kettle?
Although this type of kettle boils water like any other kettle, it has its own uniqueness.
The gooseneck kettle has a long narrow curved neck where the boiling water comes out, which of course resembles the neck of a Goose.
Why Do You Need a Gooseneck Kettle?
For those who are into making pour-over coffee, or simply want to better understand the process of pour-over coffee, then your first step should be wanting to know the reasons why you need a gooseneck kettle.
When you are preparing a pour-over coffee, you have to slowly and evenly pour the water down in a circular motion.
The unique long curved neck that the gooseneck kettle has is specifically designed for this brewing style.
Due to the slow pouring motion, you need to be comfortable to aid your control, therefore, the handles have also been designed with comfort in mind.
The handles are designed to give you a full grip, as well as enough width and space between your hand and the hot kettle.
There are a number of reasons why you should choose a gooseneck kettle, these include;
Extraction
With pour-over coffee, you do not want to just unevenly dump boiling water onto your coffee grinds.
Water should be added gently and strategically to ensure a perfect and even extraction.
When using a gooseneck kettle correctly, you are able to be more precise with your pouring.
Control
A gooseneck kettle is a perfect tool to add control to your brewing process.
The uniquely shaped neck has been carefully designed to allow greater levels of control over the speed and strength of your pour at any exact spot.
You will be able to easily control the flow rate when pouring the water onto the bed of coffee grounds, as you can gently tilt your wrist forward and backwards without the occasional overpour, which is also key to a perfect pour-over brew.
Consistency
Due to the great levels of control and even extractions, you are able to create consistency with your pour-overs time and time again.
With a gooseneck kettle, you will ensure you are using the correct amount of water every time, pouring it at the same controlled speed, as well as evenly pouring over your coffee grounds.
With a normal kettle, you just cannot keep that consistency, and sooner or later there will be an imbalance which will only hinder your pour-over coffee and its outcome.
Taste
Finally, due to the consistency and all the benefits that a pour-over brings, you are only going to set yourself up for a great-tasting coffee brew.
Due to the ability to have high levels of control and precision, you will be able to create a perfect balance as all your coffee grounds release the same amounts of flavour, limiting the risk of producing a bitter and/or sour brew.
As the gooseneck kettle makes pour-over coffee so easily, when used correctly, you can quickly make changes to your routine and refine the flavour of your coffee.
What Are The Best Gooseneck Kettles?
Whether you have one or not, there are actually a lot of choices out there which can quickly become slightly confusing and time-consuming.
So we have done the hard work for you to save you time and money by giving you the best Gooseneck Kettles in our opinion.
It would be difficult to go wrong with these six options below, as all the recommended products are coming from reputable and trusted brands within the coffee community.
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Diguo Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle |
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Overall it is pretty hard to say out of the six options which is the best, however, personally if it is going to be your first gooseneck kettle purchase, then we would recommend the Coffee Gator Pour Over Kettle which you can find over on Amazon.
They have learned from previous products and other brands, therefore, creating a perfect match for those who do not want to overcomplicate things.
It provides perfect control over the water flow rate and has a built-in thermometer so you can accurately keep track of the temperature.
Manual vs Electric Gooseneck Kettles
As discussed, gooseneck kettles come in a variety of different shapes and designs, but what you will eventually come across is the Manual Vs Electric decision. Which option is better for you? What’s the difference, and does it really matter at all?
With a manual gooseneck kettle, you would boil the water over a direct heat source from somewhere else, like a stovetop, which would be the more traditional way.
Therefore, you have to be very careful with the temperature as you have manual control of the heating process.
These days, you will find many manual gooseneck kettles have their own built-in thermometer, so it should not be too much of an issue to accurately gauge your water temperature.
With electric gooseneck kettles, the heating process is powered by electricity, which you generally plug it into the wall. These types of gooseneck kettles are also known as Variable Temperature kettles.
Therefore, with most electric kettles you can set the temperature control, and turn it on to start the boiling process, just like most household kettles.
However, some do not come with temperature control, but they all generally come with an automatic shut-off function.
So what option is better? Well, it is pretty easy to say that an electric gooseneck kettle would be a lot more practical and most probably requires a lot less attention, therefore, the entire brewing process becomes much faster and less room for human error.
Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it will ultimately come down to personal preferences.
Does it really matter, in our opinion, no not really, if used correctly, you will come to the same result.
What to look for when buying your own Gooseneck Kettle?
To make things easier for you when buying your own gooseneck kettle, there are a few things that you can easily look out for.
Water Flow Rate –
Pour over brewing methods can easily come with human error and bad techniques. It is important to ensure you purchase a kettle that does not poor to quickly or flows out unevenly, you need a consistent, precise and even flow for best extraction.
Capacity –
It may seem obvious, but you will need to ensure you purchase a gooseneck kettle that will suit your daily consumption needs, you also want to make sure you do not have an over sized kettle which when filled with water will become heavier and harder to use.
Generally a 1L gooseneck kettle will be the ideal capacity, if you drink only 1 – 2 cups of coffee a day then you will be fine with a 500ml capacity too.
Material –
When it comes to a gooseneck kettle, finding the cheapest option is generally not a good idea as these will be made from poor quality materials.
Make sure the one you buy is made from a non-reactive and rust free material like 18/8 stainless steel which you may see advertised. This will also guarantee durability and longevity.
How to clean a Gooseneck Kettle?
To ensure your pour over game keeps up to a high standard you will need to ensure you look after your gooseneck kettle from time to time.
We recommend wiping the outside of your kettle on a regular basis with a damp cloth or anti bacterial wipe.
When it comes to deep cleaning the inside of your kettle, we suggest you keep on top of this and do this every couple of months to prevent limescale build up.
Kettle cleaning solutions, or homemade mixtures are both effective cleaning options as well as to remove any lime scale.
You can achieve this in four simple steps:
- Dilute a kettle-cleaning product with water and pour into the kettle.
- Boil the kettle for a period of time.
- Leave the solution in the kettle to soak.
- Rinse with cold water.
Just ensure you realize the importance of keeping your gooseneck kettle at a healthy and clean standard.
What is a Gooseneck Kettle Alternative?
Still not sure? Well if you are one of those people looking for an alternative method for pour-over coffee, then we have a few alternatives that can work.
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| Household Tea Kettle |
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| Funnel |
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| Milk Steaming Pitcher |
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Conclusion
The Gooseneck Kettle is perhaps one of the most iconic symbols of contemporary manual brew coffee, especially in recent years with the rise in Specialty Coffee.
It is elegant, ergonomic and eye-catching which makes the Gooseneck Kettle a perfect fit for the third-wave coffee movement.
Overall, do you really need a gooseneck kettle for pour-over coffee? Well in short the answer is no, however, by using a specialised tool such as this, you will be making great-tasting pour-over coffee with ease, providing you with precision and consistency that other kettles just cannot reach.
A gooseneck kettle alone of course will not solve everything if you are using bad coffee beans, but you are spoilt for choice with the specialty coffees available, our most recent beans we used was the Gardelli Sumatran Specialty Coffee.
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