For those of you still heating water up in the microwave, get with the times and invest in a kettle.

Whether you are tea or coffee drinker, or both, there is a necessity to heat up water to make your brew of choice. And it doesn’t matter whether you want to make a cup of tea or coffee or a whole pot, heating water up properly is key. While there are a variety of options, using the microwave to heat up water for your cold brew coffee or your cup of mint tea just is not satisfactory. The microwave method might have proved necessary in college, you are grownup now and grownups heat up their water properly.

In deciding just what kind of kettle you need, the first choice to make is whether to invest in an electric or stovetop model. There is no right or wrong choice here, there are pros and cons for both. An electric kettle can be more energy efficient than a stovetop form, but the electric model does take up valuable kitchen counter and electrical socket space.

After deciding on electric or stovetop, the choices do get more difficult and rely on your household’s particular beverage habits. If you strictly drink Earl Grey tea, you may make one choice, but if you like cold brew coffee and your partner drinks various kinds of herbal teas, you choose differently. We offer up a few suggestions that just might fit you lifestyle.

The Various Types of Kettles

1. Cuisinart Perfectemp Electric Kettle

An electric vessel hat perfect for tea and coffee drinkers alike. You can choose from six heat settings for the just right temperature for tea or coffee. There are six preset temperatures for delicate, green, white, oolong, herbal, black, and French press.

2. Le Creuset Whistling Kettle

If you prefer a stovetop pot, one great choice is a cast iron version. It’s also ideal to have a whistling kettle when boiling water on the stove. This option is also available in a variety of colorways.

3. Bonavita Electric Gooseneck Temperature

A gooseneck kettle is a must have for those who enjoy making coffee via one of the pour over method like Chemex or Bodum. This model is electric also features variable temperature setting, which makes it suitable for tea or coffee.

4. Williams Sonoma Rapid Boil Kettle

Here’s another stovetop option, but this stainless-steel model is designed to boil water 20% faster than traditional stainless-steel kettles making it a more sustainable stovetop choice.

5. Breville IQ Kettle

This pot is another option for electric temperature selection, but this model is made from German Schott-glass, which ensures the purest flavor for those who don’t like to boil water in metal.

6. Stagg Pour Over Kettle

Here’s a pour over option, but for the stovetop as opposed as an electric model. It also also features a built in brew-range thermometer for making your hot beverage just right.

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Rain is beating down on the filmy window, yellow lights are blinking like friendly fireflies on the spruced up pine, and your couture edition Snuggie is nowhere in sight. Now is the time to bypass that chalice of chilly organic grape and sip a warm eggnog or Irish Coffee by the toasty fire. In addition to tasting delicious, hot cocktails take the edge off of shopping at the mall and visiting with intense relatives for weeks at a time.

Dirty little secret: I store my own personal flask of peppermint schnapps in a drawer in the guest bathroom at my mother’s manse. You never know when the mood will strike for something hot and medicinal while lounging with Nana and watching marathon reruns of The Nanny and Golden Girls.

If you aren’t leaving home and entertaining during the holidays, offering these options is a way to bring the ambiance of the ski resort into your pad. Here are a few recipes to consider for adding cheer to your holiday this year:

1. Burning Bush

This new spin on the old Hot Toddy calls for Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey (this is where its name is derived, not from the book Exodus) along with honey, hot water and a lemon wedge garnish. Created by New Yorker, Jim Meehan, it is simple to prepare:

Place the lemon wedge in the glass, add 1 1/2 oz of whiskey , 3 oz of the hot water. Stir, don’t shake, and chill.

2. Orange Anise Mulled Wine

You can have fun with varieties of mulled wine in your crockery cooker this time of year, and this recipe delights all your senses with the aroma of seasonal spices and citrus. It requires 2 bottles of Shiraz; 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar; 1 stick of cinnamon; 3 star anise; 1 tsp whole cloves; 1 orange; Orange peel strips.

First, remove the orange peel with a peeler and cut and peel into strips. Then squeeze the juice and discard the seeds and pulp. In a 5-quart crockery cooker combine the juice, wine and brown sugar. For your spice bag, tie the orange peel, cinnamon, star anise and whole cloves in a cheesecloth bag, and add to the cooker. Cover and cook on low for six hours to simmer the flavors. Serve in punch cups or pretty mugs.

3. Starbucks Hot Mocha Cocktail

If you’re a coffee or cocoa hound, you will love this espresso drink made in a saucepan using Starbucks coffee liqueur. It calls for 4 1/4 cups whole organic milk; 4 oz. Starbucks liqueur; 3 cinnamon sticks broken in half; 3 cups espresso; 1 1/2 cups healthy sweetener; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 cup whipping cream; 1 cup cocoa powder.

To make, mix milk and cinnamon sticks in a heavy saucepan and simmer over a high heat. Remove, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Whisk espresso, sweetener and 1 cup of cocoa powder and bring the hot chocolate to a simmer, whisking frequently. Throw out cinnamon sticks and add the Starbucks coffee liqueur. Add the cream and whisk until thick. Ladle the cocoa into 8 mugs. Spoon chocolate whipped cream on top and serve.

4. Hot Apple Pie Cocktail

Apple cider is a popular winter treat and this cocktail is easy to make and very pleasing. Put aside 2 1/2 cups Simply Apple Juice and 4 cinnamon sticks; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp. allspice; 1/4 tsp ground cardamon; 4 small scoops of organic low fat vanilla frozen yogurt; 4 oz. apple schnapps.

Place the apple juice, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice, vanilla, allspice and cardamom in a medium saucepan and warm it for two to three minutes over a medium heat, stirring until mixture is hot and spices are blended. Add in schnapps and divide among 4 mugs, topping with the yogurt.

5. Christmas Punch

An ideal choice for a big group, this English favorite blends rum with citrus and seasonings and has a pretty presentation – whether in a common bowl or grandma’s punchbowl. The recipe includes 4 pt. water; 1 lb. sugar; juice and rinds of three lemons; one bottle of rum; one bottle of ruby port; grated nutmeg; a sliced apple and a sliced orange.

Make it by boiling the water, sugar and lemon rinds in a saucepan. Cool and strain. Add the rum, port and lemon juice and transfer the liquid into a pre-warmed punch bowl. Float the fruit slices on top and sprinkle with the savory nutmeg. After three or four cups, that home wax kit he gave you won’t seem as offensive. Merry mixing!

A popular invention for those who like it straight: If you dislike fruity blends and need that whiskey straight, you can get it to an excellent room temperature using Whiskey Stones – innovative soapstone cubes that look hot and do the trick.

Images: Silly Little Man, Sanfranannie; Charityworld; Insidious; Haleynealphotography; Polkadotcreations

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