EDT Flow Pureglass Electric Kettle Review: A Brew-tiful Kettle

Before this, if anyone had quizzed me about aesthetic kettles that actually enhance the looks of your kitchen, Smeg would have been the only brand that came to mind. And that thought would almost immediately have been followed by a warning: “Yes, it looks gorgeous, but it’s ridiculously expensive.”

Then I discovered EDT.

The Flow Pureglass Electric Kettle was a rather pleasant surprise, not least because it undercuts the Smeg kettle by a good ₹10,000. But more importantly, this is one of those rare kitchen gadgets that doesn’t look like it was designed purely to be shoved into a cabinet after use.

It is hugely pleasing to the eyes. In fact, it’s the kind of gadget you could almost design your kitchen around. The colours are poppy, immediately attention-grabbing and considerably more playful than the sea of black-and-silver appliances that usually occupy kitchen counters.

But thankfully, EDT hasn’t just stopped at making a pretty kettle.

Design

There is clearly a lot that has gone into the design of the Flow. The Pureglass borosilicate glass body is the obvious star of the show, letting you actually watch the water go from perfectly still to a rolling boil. It also means the water touches glass rather than a heated plastic reservoir, which is a nice touch if you’re particular about what your water comes in contact with.

I particularly like the handle. It has a nice ergonomic shape and, more importantly, the cool-touch construction means I don’t have to think twice about grabbing it after the water has heated up. It feels comfortable in the hand and doesn’t have that awkward, top-heavy feeling some glass kettles suffer from.

Then there’s the dock.

This is probably my favourite bit of the entire design. The base is far more interesting than it has any right to be, with a precision control knob that makes setting the temperature feel almost unnecessarily satisfying. There is something oddly addictive about turning that dial and watching the temperature selection change. It’s one of those little interactions that makes the product feel more considered.

The Flow also manages to stay relatively compact despite its 1-litre capacity, and at around 980g, it isn’t something you’ll dread moving around the kitchen.

And then there is the whole colour situation. I had the Rubik variant, and it adds considerably more personality to the kitchen than a conventional kettle ever would. This is very much an appliance that wants to be seen.

Functionality

The biggest reason to buy the Flow, beyond the aesthetics, is its temperature control. Instead of the usual electric-kettle routine of switching it on and waiting for the water to boil, you can set exactly how hot you want your water, with ±1°C temperature control. There are four presets for 50°C, 70°C, 90°C and 100°C, covering everything from warm drinking water to tea and coffee and a full boil.

And this is one of those features that sounds unnecessary until you actually use it.

I drink a fair amount of coffee throughout the day, and being able to choose a temperature rather than simply getting boiling hot water is surprisingly convenient. It takes the guesswork out of brewing and means I’m not standing around waiting for the water to cool down before pouring it over my coffee.

The Cl-arity mode is another interesting addition. EDT says it boils water at 100°C for long enough to help reduce chlorine, microbes and impurities. Whether you need this every time is debatable, but I like that it is there, particularly if you’re using the kettle primarily for drinking water.

The Flow is also more versatile than a regular kettle. It can handle everything from hot water and tea to coffee and even things such as instant meals (I cooked Maggi in it once and it came out perfectly fine). Needless to say, a thorough wash was required afterwards.

There is one thing I would have liked to be different, though: 700W is not particularly powerful for an electric kettle. It does mean the Flow isn’t the quickest kettle I’ve used when I’m simply trying to get a litre of water boiling. If speed is your priority first thing in the morning, you’ll notice the difference compared with higher-powered kettles.