On trial: Sage Smart Kettle

When I say that I was excited to receive this kettle, I’m trying to sound cool. I was ecstatic to receive this kettle. There are a few reasons why something so basic-sounding could bring such joy, starting with the fact that I’m an avid tea drinker. Not English breakfast (can’t stand the stuff) but herbal, mainly green, all day, every day – our kettle is undoubtedly the most handworking appliance that we own.

Second: I’m impatient. I hate waiting for tea to cool down, so much so that I’ll always leave a little bit of room at the top of the mug for a splash of tap water so that I can drink my tea immediately. Third? I’m looking to cut my energy bills because, well, who isn’t?

Finally, I’m a Sage stan. I’m a proud owner of their cult coffee machine and so hoped that it would be love at first cup with this kettle. Was I right? 

As you might have guessed, this is Sage’s smart kettle; a kettle with five temperature variations (from 80C to boiling), a keep-warm function, a cordless jug and a quiet boil. It’s stainless steel, so it looks chic – especially sitting next to my already namedropped coffee machine in the same finish.

The names of the tea suggestions the kettle has labelled seem a bit random (I’d never heard of oolong) but this is something we can sweep to one side when the design and the result are as good as they are. 

As mentioned earlier, I love being able to control the temperature of my cuppa. Pick from 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100C, depending on how scalding you like your tea but also on what tea you’re drinking. Green tea, for example, should never have boiling water poured on to it because it kills the taste and the natural phytochemicals (the good stuff) in the leaves.

Sage’s smart kettle also has keep-warm functionality which keeps the water the exact same temperature you requested for as long as 20 minutes – great if, like me, you boil the kettle and then your child demands your attention, stat.

This kettle is also pretty good on energy consumption, especially as I’m not needlessly heating to 100C every time. My favourite thing about the keep-warm setting – pour your drink, keep the kettle warm, then come back 20 minutes later and use the leftover water for the peas you’re about to cook. Boom! Money, water and patience saved. 

Truthfully, I begged to review this because my old kettle was broken. But now I’m Team Smart Kettle, for ever. I love how quiet the boil is. It’s not silent, but it’s much quieter than any other kettle I’ve used, which is brilliant if, say, you live in a small flat and will do absolutely anything it takes to keep your husband and child asleep so that you can enjoy a cuppa. In silence. Alone.

Randomly, but importantly, I love that the lid is soft opening, so you don’t risk splashing boiling water on to yourself thanks to overly enthusiastic popping-up. 

With the cost of living front of mind for pretty much all of us, there are two sides to this question. First up, don’t buy it unless you’re actively in the market for a new kettle because let's be honest, who has £99.99 to burn?

But if you are on the hunt for a new kettle with bells and whistles, I’d buy this. It looks beautiful, works like a charm and I’m curious to see if I save money on my energy bills. Give it a go, tea friends. Yes, even you, oolong and English breakfast people.