Water Taste Experiments - Hario Buono vs Paico

After wistfully reading Petr's lovely series on Heating Water on Charcoal, I vow to get an outside setup going.  But for this fine spring day, I have to make do with what I have. Today I'm trying to see if there is a difference between gas stove boiled water vs. electrically heated water. It's a battle of the goosenecks in my house today.  

You may be surprised to see the much maligned electric Hario Buono on the left after my repeated tirades of it producing burnt plastic water. I finally figured out how to get rid of this deal breaking toxic taste. After a few minutes of persistent wiggling, I was finally able to pop off the toxic smelling plastic cap which prevents water from dripping into the heating element. Ironically water was condensing on the cap dripping into pot which ruined the water.  I had tried multiple times previously to pop it off but I was afraid to damage the heating element and I wasn't sure how it was attached so I didn't exert enough pressure.

I looked through all my drawers to see if could fashion a stainless steel version of this top cap even bending a silver spoon and a cookie cutter.  After being so easily defeated, I repeatedly poured hot water and baking soda on the cap until the smell was no longer noticeable.   My husband who came home just now offered to make me a new metal cap but since I had already spent two hours willing the toxic residue out if it, I declined.  I am happy to report this teapot is now back in service just in time to replace the rusting Kamjove which I had bought to replace this Hario Buono.

To make sure the Hario Buono was acceptable, I sipped just plain hot water in various cups as well as "brew" the water in teapots. While I could not taste any stainless steel residue in the various ceramic cups, there is a particularly drying quality to the hot water which lessens as it cools down. I also drank the water in stainless steel cups and you could definitely taste the iron and metals. The more water you sip, the more you become attuned and the sweeter the water tasted. Even with my unreliable palate, I could taste ever minute differences between each of the cups of the same water.

The other shiny bell shaped stovetop kettle is a Paico which arrived two hours ago hot from Kowloon to expand this experiment.  I do detect a subtle difference between stovetop and electric heated water but since the two kettles are different despite them being stainless steel, I cannot definitively attribute the taste difference to either mode. The stovetop water has a less drying taste- more refreshing but not as refreshing as the stone pot.

A few days ago in a fit of late night bleary eyed impulse, I ordered this bell shaped stainless steel Paico stovetop kettle. When I showed the ebay listing to my husband the next morning, he rolled his eyes and promptly dinged me on two counts- aesthetics and function. He said it had the wrong kind of flourish and he could already see that the handle and top would be too hot to touch. He was right of course.