Tea Sunrise wrote:
I'm thinking of purchasing one specifically for tea since sometimes I
don't like to heat water on my stove in a tea kettle. I hear that
electric kettles heat water very quickly.

Why don't you like the stove?

A few questions.

Do they really heat water faster?

Faster than what?

I find them slower than my gas stove, for the most part. But if I had an
electric stove, I might find them faster.

In general, the power input rating will tell you. If you have a unit rated
for 1500 watts, it will generally heat water faster than a 1500 watt electric
range top, because there is less heat lost around the sides and more going
directly into the water. But if you have a unit rated for 500 watts, it isn't
going to heat as quickly as a 1500 watt electric range.

How would you regulate how hot the water gets, either boiling or on
the brink of boiling? (usually I let the water rest for a few minutes
before steeping senchas, whites, and other delicate teas)

Most of them boil the water, then cut off. Some fancier ones can be
set to shut off at a preset temperature lower than boiling as they are
designed for just that application.

As a side question, do you measure how hot the water gets before
steeping your high quality loose leaf teas.

I don't. I tend to estimate it by ear. But then, I mostly drink black
teas.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."