What's new

Percolator Fans - Suggest Some Parameters

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Well, once again B&B has got me chasing down a relic from the past - this time I scored a vintage Revere Ware stovetop percolator (8 cup I think, holds approximately 40 ounces of water below the basket). For those of you perking, what are your suggested times? I have tried an 8 minute perc with about 77g of coarse ground (French Press sized) and found it pretty good, but wondered what others are doing? Is there a big difference with an electric perc? I'll admit that the one I have is fussier to operate than the Technivorm that I'd been using, but it makes better coffee .. so I've been brewing in the percolator and then using the thermal carafe of the Technivorm to hold the finished brew ..

Any tips?
 
I love using my old aluminum Comet perc while camping, usually I follow the markings on it but that won't help here. I've never measured it but it's around a 1/2 cup coffee vs. the #16 mark. LOL But what might is that we only perc for 5 minutes. This is also roughly the time I wait for my French Press. If you wait longer it gets bitter.

I've found 20g of coffee per 250ml (9oz) is a good ratio for French Press/Pour Over. Grind is a big factor as well. Coarse for French Press vs. Fine on pour over.

If you have a grinder and a good small scale I'd start a short diary of measures. Shouldn't take long to dial that in, but I think the time might be the biggest factor. I doubt there's much difference between the electric and stove top, once it starts popping, start the timer.

Good luck!

p.s. FWIW, I use a dark roast coffee
 
I only use electric perks, not stove top ones. I use the coffee and water reference lines, plug in and, shazam.... here's coffee.

I don't use a percolator very often as SWMBO has taken over the Moccamaster in the morning while I stay in bed. I only see coffee in a cup when I get up Now.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Thanks - I grind each pot fresh and have a scale, though I've ever only measured the beans, setting the water by reference lines. Usually when I am messing around with something new they get weighed, but normally I end up figuring out how many scoops & let it go like that .. i.e., the Technivorm was best at 7 scoops or 77 g of beans into the grinder.

Mick - Can you customize the brew time with an electric or is it one size fits all?
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
You mean we don't get hauled up in Coffee Court for mentioning percs in here? Amazing. What a great place!

My godmother used a Corning ceramic percolator. I remember wandering bleary into the kitchen and she'd have that damn thing on the stove with the element just blazing. Whatever she did, it worked. I loved her coffee right up to the day she passed away.

I have a stainless stovetop perc, probably some generic one sold by a number of outdoor outfitters. I use it occasionally -- mostly it stays in the box with the camp kitchen gear.

I usually start it off cranked right up, but once it starts perking I'll turn the heat down just to keep it burping and let it go five minutes.

If the choice is perc or no coffee, I'm gonna treat that thing like my best friend.

O.H.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
You mean we don't get hauled up in Coffee Court for mentioning percs in here? Amazing. What a great place!

My godmother used a Corning ceramic percolator. I remember wandering bleary into the kitchen and she'd have that damn thing on the stove with the element just blazing. Whatever she did, it worked. I loved her coffee right up to the day she passed away.

I have a stainless stovetop perc, probably some generic one sold by a number of outdoor outfitters. I use it occasionally -- mostly it stays in the box with the camp kitchen gear.

I usually start it off cranked right up, but once it starts perking I'll turn the heat down just to keep it burping and let it go five minutes.

If the choice is perc or no coffee, I'm gonna treat that thing like my best friend.

O.H.

Thanks OH, so far the vintage RW stovetop is giving me better coffee than the Technivorm ever has, using 7 or 8 scoops of whole bean ground coarse, I'm not discerning enough to taste a difference between a 6 minute perc & 8, though the 8 scoop load pretty much fills the drip basket up.
 
Mick - Can you customize the brew time with an electric or is it one size fits all?


Not on the ones I have.

Plug it in, it starts. They do turn off. Not sure what shuts them down (time or temp).

i.php.jpg
 
You mean we don't get hauled up in Coffee Court for mentioning percs in here? Amazing. What a great place!

My godmother used a Corning ceramic percolator. I remember wandering bleary into the kitchen and she'd have that damn thing on the stove with the element just blazing. Whatever she did, it worked. I loved her coffee right up to the day she passed away.

I have a stainless stovetop perc, probably some generic one sold by a number of outdoor outfitters. I use it occasionally -- mostly it stays in the box with the camp kitchen gear.

I usually start it off cranked right up, but once it starts perking I'll turn the heat down just to keep it burping and let it go five minutes.

If the choice is perc or no coffee, I'm gonna treat that thing like my best friend.

O.H.

I've got two of the Corning ceramic electric percolators, 6-10 cup models. They both make great coffee.

Clayton
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I just bought this at the Salvation Army store for $5.99 plus tax. No idea if it worked, but it was a risk I was willing to take, as I am cheap but REALLY wanted to see if perked coffee was as good as I remembered, and I'm kinda dense so I knew it had to be electric:
IMG_20210201_155929269.jpgIMG_20210201_155559507.jpg
After 4 or 5 pots I'm beginning to dial it in. Getting better every time I use it. But..... I also received a new device that I bought online that I used for the first time this AM. It's one of those, oh I don't know what it's called. I'll take another picture. I will say this about the perc vs. my 4 cup Mr. Coffee: it is thermostatically controlled, so it keeps the coffee HOT, without boiling/evaporating it away like my Mr. Coffee.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
16125597796825595443535385397114.jpg
No added charge for the instant weather report! Can you figger out what that coffee filter is called? Once I dial that in I think I will be thrilled with the taste of my Dunkin'Donuts coffee.
 
View attachment 1218673
No added charge for the instant weather report! Can you figger out what that coffee filter is called? Once I dial that in I think I will be thrilled with the taste of my Dunkin'Donuts coffee.
I believe that is commonly known as a "gold tone" filter, though gold-tone may also be a specific brand name. You can use it in your auto-drip machine instead of a paper filter. Though some people use them as if they were a plastic filter basket, using it to hold a paper filter. It will let more coffee fines and oils pass through into the pot which many people enjoy. You can experiment with it to see if you can dial in a taste that you like.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Ya know what I have noticed this week drinking percolated coffee?

I have missed the oil floating around on the top of my cup! Them danged paper filters trap it, and in my opinion, some of the flavor.

I read recently that the oily stuff in coffee is supposed to kill rats by making their arteries explod from excessive cholesterol if they drink the human equivalent of 55 gallons of percolator coffee everyday for 100 human years. (Don't quote me exactly on the numbers, but I'm a licensed health pro, so I must be close.)

But since I've been on an anti-lipid drug that is actually werking, I think I'm gonna enjoy my oily coffee.

I'm such a superhero!
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I believe that is commonly known as a "gold tone" filter, though gold-tone may also be a specific brand name. You can use it in your auto-drip machine instead of a paper filter. Though some people use them as if they were a plastic filter basket, using it to hold a paper filter. It will let more coffee fines and oils pass through into the pot which many people enjoy. You can experiment with it to see if you can dial in a taste that you like.
THANK YOU! I will say this: it does let some "powdery" grounds through, but it is fine by me. I think the War Department may get angry with me tho, if I go down the road that I fear I must: roasting my own beans, and grinding them as I use them! But I'm really afraid that this is unavoidable, sigh.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Ya know what I have noticed this week drinking percolated coffee?

I have missed the oil floating around on the top of my cup! Them danged paper filters trap it, and in my opinion, some of the flavor.

I read recently that the oily stuff in coffee is supposed to kill rats by making their arteries explod from excessive cholesterol if they drink the human equivalent of 55 gallons of percolator coffee everyday for 100 human years. (Don't quote me exactly on the numbers, but I'm a licensed health pro, so I must be close.)

But since I've been on an anti-lipid drug that is actually werking, I think I'm gonna enjoy my oily coffee.

I'm such a superhero!
55 gallons of coffee a day. Whoa and I thought I drink a lot! Goals. 😜
 
Using my 6-cup Corning Ware Electric Percolator this morning to brew some Seattles Best Post Alley Dark Roast. 49 year old pot still makes a great cup of coffee.

Clayton

Sent from my SM-A705U using Tapatalk
proxy.php
 
View attachment 1218673
No added charge for the instant weather report! Can you figger out what that coffee filter is called? Once I dial that in I think I will be thrilled with the taste of my Dunkin'Donuts coffee.
I use the 4-cup size paper basket filters in my Corningware Percolators. Keeps most of the grounds out of my coffee and still allows the rich coffee flavor to pass through.

Clayton

Sent from my SM-A705U using Tapatalk
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
I took my 4 cup perk back to the other house last year. I still have a larger samovar that I am going to have to use....

Love samovars! Not much for tea, personally, but having hot water around is always useful.

Details? (Even if it's a samovar coffee perc...)

O.H.
 
Top Bottom