My Review Of Alessi Kettles: Beauty and Function Combined

Seeing my tea kettle on the top of my stove always brings back great memories for me.  The whole time I was growing up my mom kept a tea kettle on the top of the stove. It sat there shiny and ready to make the water for tea at a moments notice. In some way it came to symbolize home and comfort for me, as I remember the times my mom and I sat drank tea together. Since I have been on my own, I too always keep a tea kettle on the stove. It is a small reminder of my wonderful mother, and all the great times we share.  I thought it was time for me to bring you my thoughts on great tea kettles.

When I looked over many, many models and I discovered  Alessi kettles, my love affair with the tea kettle started all over again.

What To Look For In Stainless Kettles:

A quality tea kettle needs to do three things well.  The first is boil water, the second is whistle well, and the third is look good.  Sounds pretty simple, right?  Well it is… until you start looking at the choices.  And boy are there a lot of choices.  As I began sifting through the different styles I came up with a short list of what  is important in a kettle.

• Great design
• Quality construction
• An ergonomic stay cool handle
• Even heating
• A whistle you can hear

There are many kettles out there that will boil water well, but some of them are not very durable, while others are just uncomfortable, and some are ugly.  For me I always want both form and function in my kitchen which is why I have selected the Alessi bird kettle to review.

What Makes Great Design?

Great design is a marriage of an item being beautiful and also being functional.  It is as much about the joy you get when using an object, as it is about how well it performs its task.  The Michael Graves tea kettle combines both with beauty, craftsmanship, and simplicity.  It makes the art of preparing tea pleasant and fun.  In fact, one of Mr. Graves early users of his kettle, wrote a letter to Mr. Graves saying, "you don’t know me but I’m always very grumpy when I get up in morning. But when I get up now I put the tea kettle on, and when it starts to sing it makes me smile — goddamn you!"  

The partnering of the Alessi Italian design company with Michael Graves was an excellent match.  Alessi brought demanding standards to the table and Michael brought an exquisite sense of design.  When designing this stainless steel kettle both parties took into consideration not only what would make the piece beautiful, but also what it would take to make a great cup of tea.   With quality in mind Mr. Graves and Alessi built in some features that make this kettle the best selling piece in Alessi history.

The first feature is the base.  You may wonder why the base of the kettle is so important.  I really had no idea either until I started looking at kettles more closely.  You see the Alessi company set out to make a kettle that would boil tea faster than any other kettle on the market at the time.  In their collaboration with Michael, they decided to make the base of the Alessi kettle as wide as possible.  This not only makes the base more stable, but also heats the water faster.  Which is wonderful when all you want after a long day is a cup of relaxing tea.

Another interesting feature of this kettle is the handle.  It is made of polyamide, which is both heat resistant and extremely durable.  The kettle now comes in three color combinations white handle with a white bird, black handle with a black bird, and a blue handle with a red bird.  The blue handle is the original design, because blue signifies cool, and the handle remains safe to touch even when the kettle gets hot.   The handle is also very comfortable in your hand and is ergonomically correct.  This was something that Mr. Graves decided on himself, and is another example of great design.

Construction Zone: Quality Construction Makes The Difference.

There are many tiny details that go into this kettle to create a quality product.  The most important is the material it is made of.  The Alessi Bird Kettle is constructed of 18/10 stainless steel.  I don’t know about you, but when I read things like 18/10 stainless steel my eyes glaze over.  But I wanted to give you a complete review, so I went out and found out what 18/10 meant so that you would know.

What it comes down to is the numbers 18/10 represent the amount of Chromium and Nickel found in the stainless steel.  The higher the numbers, the better the quality.  Chromium and Nickel give stainless it’s luster and shine and also protect it from rusting and pitting.  Since 18/10 is the highest grade available, it is the best one to manufacture high use items with.  Because this Michael Graves kettle is manufactured with this metal it will stand up to years of use.

In an interview with BusinessWeek in 2005 Micheal Graves is quoted saying that "Alessi came loaded with plans on minute technical requirements on how the joints would come together in the kettle."   That is typical of the Alessi design philosophy of style, function, and durability.  When you buy an Alessi tea kettle you can be sure that it will last you a long time.

What Is With The Whistle?

I think it is fair to say that the whistle on this kettle is iconic.  It is not too strong a word to use.  After all this kettle has been featured in movies and placed in museums.  It has also been the best selling piece for Alessi for 25 years.  A lot of that has to do with the little bird that perches happily on the end of the kettle.  The bird is the whistle, and while it doesn’t sound like a bird, it is delightful none-the-less.  

When you are using the kettle be sure to pull the bird out straight, and to wait a moment before removing.  This will help the bird to last for a long time and to keep him from being too hot when you pull him out.  If the bird does break you can order a replacement part for a song (sorry bad pun I know) of about $15 or so.  

All in all the whistle on this piece is one of most unique of any tea kettles I’ve seen and will make it stand out in your home.  

How Much Should You Expect To Pay?

This item is widely available online for around $175.  You should never pay for shipping on this item, because Amazon offers it at the best price I have seen online ($175 or less) with free shipping.

What’s Included:

• The Alessi Tea Kettle
• The Singing Bird Whistle

What Others Are Saying:

The Alessi Tea Kettle gets rave reviews at Amazon.  It receives a 4 out of 5 star rating by the customers there.  Here are what people are saying.

• "I have owned this tea kettle for about 10 years. Not only is it fully functional as staple in my kitchen, it’s adorable. Everyone who enjoys tea at my house comments on it."
• "You know it when you see it, there is no other like it. I use mine daily and have for more than 15 years."
• "This kettle is outstanding, plus it looks classically beautiful!"
• "Because first of all this thing is 18/10 stainless steel which is somewhat hard to find in a quality tea kettle. second of all, this whistle is decently loud enough for me to hear throughout my entire house as long as everything is quiet."
• "Alessi Michael Graves Tea Kettle stainless-steel Azure HandleThis is a beautiful classic for which I was willing to pay top dollar. It does what it’s supposed to do beautifully and quickly: look good and boil water. "

Any Complaints?

There were very few complaints about this product on the web.  The one complaint that I did run across is that you have to remove the bird whistle in order to pour the water, which can be quite hot.  This is easily remedied by waiting for about 30 seconds to a minute after you take the kettle off the heat and then pull the bird straight out.

Where Can You Buy The Alessi Michael Graves Tea Kettle?

You can buy this Alessi tea kettle from Amazon.  From what I can tell by comparing prices online Amazon does have the best deal, especially when you factor in free shipping.  There are several color choices available.

1.  Click here for the classic blue handle with red bird
2.  Click here for the white handle with white bird
3.  Click here for the black handle with black bird
4.  Click here for the electric model.

Where Can You See More Reviews?

The best place for reviews from people who actually use the product is Amazon.  Click here to read more.