Eeekkk not the stove ones!
I’d recommend russell Hobbs -
British, Australian, new Zealanders and alot of European people would expect an electric kettle/jug. I even have a little travel one haha …
I love green tea!
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Pods are the worst for the environment!! I don’t recommend them at all. Please Google the environmental impact of them.
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I admit, I do not have a proper tea kettle yet. I need to get one! I am considering setting up a little mini coffee station for my guests upstairs.
(for anyone that doesn’t know yet, my guests rent the upstairs bedroom and bathroom, I use the bedroom and bathroom downstairs, we share the common spaces of kitchen and living room that are downstairs)
I was planning on putting a little table in the hallway, with a keurig, and maybe one of these kettles, with a supply of k-cups (personally, i hate the things, such pollution!), teas, and mugs. My fear has been guests making coffee and spilling it, as well as concern over them wanting fresh cream or half and half which would need to be kept cold. It’s all carpet up there, and I’m not willing to put in a little mini frig cause that would just invite all kinds of issues.
In any case, I am always shocked at how many people drink tea from a bag. I only drink loose leaf tea, and I have quite a selection here, but my favorite tea of all time is a mixture put together by my local tea lady. It’s called Shanti. If you want to know why you should not be drinking tea from teabags, here is a link.
Also attaching a photo that I have on my ABB site of my ‘house tea’ as I call it.
My fab tea brand is pukka
Looks good. They have some really interesting articles! Just read one of them about the the string they use for the tea bags, this is a company obviously very concerned with the quality of what you are consuming!
You need a Keurig machine:
And then the single serve pods, AKA K-cups
They are pricier than tea bags, but involve much less mess.
Thanks, @Garden1Gnome,
Surprisingly, these devices are available locally, but again clearly imports and very overpriced. I think I’ll go low-tech and buy a regular electric kettle.
Both these are terrible for the environment.
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Thanks for the suggestion, @Kirsty_Jane. This one is available on Amazon India too, at double the price. Sigh.
Hi jaquo,
I have seen many times that it is recommended that hosts buy an electric kettle for guests from England, Australia and New Zealand. As they are pretty expensive and take a lot of counter space, will you please explain why they are better than a kettle that you heat via the gas burner.
I struggle a bit with how many things to buy and store to accommodate different cultures and tastes. I’ve had the following requests:
Rice Cooker (Asians)
Slippers (Asians)
Clothline for guests who aren’t used to dryers. (Europeans)
Black Out Curtains (Americans)
Lock for the guest room door. (Middle Easterners)
Outdoor grill. (Europeans and Asians)
Microwave (Everyone)
I’ve gotten the rice cooker, slippers, black out curtains, microwave and door lock. There’s no way I’m getting an outdoor grill as we are in a drought and I don’t want the back yard set on fire. Someday I might get a clothesline. Interestingly, none of our English, Australian or New Zealand guests have mentioned an electric kettle, but as it’s mentioned so often here, I’d like to know why it is so important.
Certainly 
You can buy an electric kettle for about $14 or less from Amazon. They take up hardly any space. (Our rental is 420 sq.ft. so space is at a premium.)
I have no idea why it’s different to a stovetop kettle but somehow it is. (Maybe it’s because British, Australian and European guests are just more familiar with them?) I suspect that they heat the water more quickly and when we Brits (and others) are desperate for a good cup of tea we want it quickly. (As we do at home).
Europeans are perfectly used to dryers but many prefer to use a clothesline for environmental reasons. (I do always). I agree about the outside grill - we have one but I discourage guests from using it because of liability and cleaning issues.
But if your guests don’t mention an electric kettle then I wouldn’t worry about it
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Hi jaquo,
Thanks for the info.
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It may not be as big of of a deal if you’re renting out a whole house. For people staying in a shared place, it allows them to make hot drinks in their room. Also, many Chinese people like to eat instant noodles when they travel (not sure about other Asians.)
Hi @Barthelemy,
Yes, I see. I found pictures in a different place
http://www.flipkart.com/philips-hd9316-06-electric-kettle/p/itmeb42pnzbjdzm5
which clearly show there is a screw-on bottom. Which looks like it is made of plastic.
You mean it will stop looking good because it will become scratched? One concern with plastic is that the taste will get into the water. Also, I don’t generally like how plastic looks. And I generally try to pick stuff that looks good and is of good quality, to the extent possible.
Yes, exactly.
Yes! Invest in an electric kettle. Most parts of the world regard them as essential as running water when seeking a place to stay. I am a huge fan of this Breville kettle I purchased a few months ago.
Best $80 I ever spent!
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Don’t bother with a Keurig. They’re insanely expensive, inefficient, and wasteful. Do what I do and get some boxes of individual instant coffee packets from Starbucks and keep them along with your teabags near your electric kettle. This is a perfect set up even for a host who doesn’t drink hot beverages. It will provide anything a coffee or tea drinker would want.
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Hi Garden1Gnome,
Thanks for the info. I rent a bedroom in my house. Although I don’t have rules about where to eat, I don’t want to encourage guests to prepare food in the bedroom as we’ve had to get rid of ants after several of the guests. In fact, the guests who left this morning left some blueberries on the floor even though we supply a trash can with a fresh liner for each guest and keep a supply of trash can liners in the guest room.
Another reason I’m reluctant to buy an electric kettle is that in Southern California gas is much cheaper than electricity. As my range is gas, I would be spending more money to indulge a preference. If it were more efficient to use an electric kettle, I’d bite the bullet, but from what I’m hearing it isn’t.
This sounds like a good idea for someone like me who dislikes the wastefulness of a keurig.
Keurig was giving away machines not too long ago.
They were? I would probably take a free one 
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