| Product: |
Brita Acclario |
| Date: |
18/05/08 (64 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Cordless from base.
Disadvantages: Too slow filtration, slow boil, easy to make mistakes that prolongs your brew. Energy inefficient
I'm writing this for two reaons. Firstly is for you, the dooyoo community, who deserves to hear the voice of experience on kettles. Secondly, is to annoy my tea-loving mother. Because she covets this kettle.
I'll give you a quick description so this is all in context for you:
The kettle is a fairly large unit, with a corded base that the kettle itself comes away from. Quite nifty, but come on, this is the 21st century - everything is wireless. The kettle is then divided into two main parts - the bottom boiling section, with a flat metallic heating element (good for the fight against limescale, or so I've heard). It holds about a litre and a half or so of filtered water, but you'd be unwise to fill it that high - this thing gets heavy. On top is the resevoir, that holds about a litre of unfiltered water. The idea being that you fill the resevoir from the tap, flick down a rubber catch which covers the boiling switch. The water trickles down from the resevoir into your boiling chamber (this sounds like the parts to an engine). You then flick the rubber slide which both stops the fliter process, and allows you to push the boil button.
This product, whilst rather flash and not a terribly bad idea, is a terribly bad idea. It takes very long time to filter, and I could probably boil it quicker by holding it really close to my chest on a sunny day. Let me tell you all the things wrong with it.
Firstly is the little problem of the filter and boiling process. This would be a bigger problem if the water went through the filter at any rate of measurable knots, but meh. To the credit of the engineer behind it, the problem WAS thought of ahead of time. The switch stops water from filtering through whilst you're boiling, otherwise you'd be dripping cold water into (slowly) boiling water, and it would take even longer. While this is a necessary feature, it means that if (as often happens) you're thinking ahead of time, you fill up the resevoir of unfiltered water on the top, and forget to hit the switch. So for all your forward thinking (which in a regular kettle, would never be necessary) is for nought.
Secondly, is the imbalance of the kettle. If you're boiling a brew for more than 4 people, you're going to need 2 top-ups to the kettle. Well, at least in my house. None of this tiny teacup business. Anyway, this is because the top resevoir has only about two-thirds of the capacity of the bottom one. Standing there like a moron as water mockingly goes through the filter like a child that doesn't want to go to bed is truly maddening. Just imagine you have two kids with two different bed times and I think you can see where I'm going.
Now the physical imbalance of the unit. Allow me to set the scene, as it were. So you're making a brew, filling up your resevoir for your lovely Brita filtered water, but oh no! You've put in too much. You can't pour it out, because you'll pour what HAS filtered through (and believe me, waiting as long as you had, you really don't want to do that). So you put the lid on, flick your switch and the boil starts, and one episode of Corrie later, it comes to the boil. If you're sensible, and using a regular kettle, you're safe in the knowledge that if it was overloaded, the weight is all at the bottom. Imagine now, if half of that weight is in the top, throwing off your normal steady aim, and the other half, just to keep things fun, is scalding hot water!!!! Tsk tsk tsk.
"But what about the fresh taste of Brita filtered water??" You bellow. Well, personally I think it's overrated, but here's what you do, and this is what we did before purchasing this naff kettle. Works like a charm.
You have a good normal unfiltering kettle. You know, old school. And you get a filter-jug. This literally solves every problem. No silly switch to forget to flick, dedicated filter which is MUCH quicker than this rubbish, no hot-water imbalance, and much more energy efficient - you'll never have to boil more water than you need, because theres no guesswork involved with the filter.
I think that covers all the bases. Just don't buy filter kettles.
Summary: Waste of cash, space, energy. Just looks futuristic
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