Gooseneck kettles have gained in popularity with cafes and home coffee lovers alike. Many of them do look like a beautiful work of art. 

 

If you use brewing methods such as French Press, Moka Pot, Aeropress or Cold Crew then you can safely skip buying a gooseneck kettle. Their utility in such methods is inconsequential. 

 

However, gooseneck kettles are useful in the the pour-over brewing routine. This is so because in a pour-over  brew three variables affect the taste of resulting cup of coffee: 

 

1. Grind size of coffee

2. Contact time with water 

3. The amount of coffee grounds

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 and sadly they are not independent of each other, which is why a precise and steady pouring rate of hot water makes a difference. 

 

We can extend the brew time by adding the water very slowly to increase the extraction of the coffee. With a narrow spout gooseneck kettle, slow pouring rates are easier to achieve than a regular kettle. 

 

In words of James Hoffmann - “If we pour at different rates on different days (something that is very easy to do) then we will get different-tasting coffee from one day to the next, which is not a good scenario.”