Given that I’ve had really outstanding sous vides results with ziplock bags and a styrofoam box, manually mixing boiling water and tap water with a grill thermometer, I think it’s well worth a shot.

Unfortunately an uneven grind always leads to uneven extraction.
Edit: Also, from memory I think that kettle gives you 80c water for brewing green tea? you normally want it much hotter for coffee extraction. The standard brew temp is the 92-96 range and you’ll need a slightly higher kettle temp to achieve that.
In the end results are all that matters but I reckon you might get more coffee character and less unpleasant (underextracted) flavours by using hotter water.

FYI, I find it at least as quick as any other method (except I guess instant), and definitely faster than drip. Water goes in the electric kettle. The press assembled and two scoops of coffee in the tube while the water is heating. Before the water boils (my kettle is transparent so this is easy to judge) I pour the water into the press. Stir. Rinse my spoon. Press. Done.

Sofaboy has been pwnd!

So many times items listed on the US Amazon are either not available in the Canadian Amazon, or are much more expensive. 

For American coffee, top-off the mug with hot water. For a latte, top-off the mug with hot milk.

I’m still interested in learning to use it better and it sounds like you have a feel for it, so I’d love to learn how to make it work better for me. 

Justine Bateman’s brother?

No, Sean Bateman’s brother.

Edit: it has lots of grace-notes (like an extremely pleasing noise to let you know it’s done)

One minute? Dang. National Health and instant kettles. I think I need to move.

Here’s why. The maximum power you can get out of a North American outlet is 1.8 kW, more or less. Mains voltage is about 120 volts, though appliances and such are usually specified as running on 110–120 V, so I think there’s a bit of variation. The ordinary outlet around the house is on a 15 amp circuit breaker, so: 

15 A × 120 V = 1800 W

Kitchen ranges and electric dryers are usually on a heftier circuit breaker, but I think they still top out around 4–6 kW. If memory serves, those are actually at double the normal voltage and on a 30 A breaker, which would come out to 7.2 kW tops. You’d actually keep the normal draw of the appliance below that, to avoid tripping the breaker. 

Bottom line: two of your fast-boil kettles actually have the heating power of an entire North American range.

Compared to that, keeping water heated for any longer than necessary seems very wasteful.

So if you want a 4L variable temp water source, check the local Teavana (or other tea store that carries Zojirushi), you might get lucky…

The inside is 18/10 stainless and maintains 208°, 194° or 175° after boiling. Amazon’s got it right now for $65(!) which is half of what I paid, I may get another for work. I prefer it to the Zojirushi, but it’s the same concept.

And at 4qt, I can easily fill my Hario or ceramic slim kettles for a cup or 4 of pour over.

DANG that is good coffee.  My only complaint is that it uses a lot more coffee grounds than I’m used to with the drip maker.  But it does taste a whole lot better.

Sounds to me like a drip machine is exactly right for your family but a large french press might be interesting as well. If early morning convenience is most important, check out the pod machines. The best that I’ve tried are the Nespresso machines. 

Aeropress is still my favorite “easy” way to make coffee though.

Still, it’s worth checking the water temps with some other device.

Also super handy for making sauces, etc. It boils the water first, before bringing it to the desired temp., which is a plus. It’s got a timer, so the water’s right in the morning, and pretty well insulated so that keeping that water hot all the time doesn’t feel too wasteful. The high volume is really nice as well when there are multiple beverage hounds about, throughout the day, as in a workplace.