Percolator Questions

[Kilroy6644]

Hey, all. I'm new to this section of B&B. I'm usually over at the Brown Leaf. Anyway, I'm not a coffee connoisseur. I don't get into roasting or grinding, and I don't worry about how to get the best brew. I'm perfectly satisfied with my Mr. Coffee and Folgers. But I also like new toys, so over the weekend I picked up a French press and a moka pot. Both provide a nice change of pace from the dripper. But my favorite cup of coffee is the early morning camping trip cup, made in a percolator on the Coleman stove. I'm sure part of the appeal is the setting, but the percolator is a big part of it too. And my percolator doesn't work.

For background, this is essentially what I have, but with percolator guts. The stem is clean and there's no blockage, but I get no perking. It used to work, because I've used it before. The only difference is that now I'm trying to use it on a coil electric stove.

My initial hunch is that the wide base of the pot is the culprit. With a gas stove, I could turn down flame so that the center gets most of the heat, but the coil heats more evenly, boiling all of the water at the same time. I'll admit, I don't have a lot of experience with percolators, so maybe I'm doing something wrong? My stove settings are SIM, 2-6, HI. On 3, after 45 minutes I have a pot of hot water. From 4 on up, it all just boils without perking. Today I had it at a rolling boil for five minutes and still got nothing.

So, what are your thoughts? Is it a percolator problem, or operator error? I'd be more than happy to buy a new one, but I'd hate to spend the money and still have the same problem. Am I being too impatient? Should I wait longer for the perking to start?

 

[Greg the Hammer]

I think you may be right about the electric coil range, the heat probably isn't focused enough. I use a Farberware electric perc at home and I love it. I've had it for 5+ years and it still works like a champ.

 

[Kilroy6644]

Well, this morning I decided to let it run longer to see what happened. I put the stove on Hi, and after having it at a rolling boil for about 10 minutes I did get some perking. But you can't hear the perking over the sound of the boiling, and this percolator doesn't have the glass top. So I suppose I'll get a new one anway. Or maybe bad percolator coffee is what I'm looking for. I'll have to try it.