At the risk of being drawn and quartered I wish to tell this short tale. I have become enlightened regarding the much-maligned percolator. My wife and I went antiquing yesterday and she bought a few percolators. One was a cheap little aluminum stove-top model. She made coffee this morning using Maxwell House. Being a guy who roasts and grinds his own beans and brews them in a French Press, I was skeptical of the percolated brew I was about to taste. Boy was I surprised. This method produced a very good tasting cup of coffee! In my opinion it beats the heck out of a drip pot. Of course I won't be abandoning my beloved French Press, but I will certainly be looking forward to occassional cups of perked joe with my lovely wife.
Percolators
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Yes, its far superior to the drip method, although it still does not measure up to French Press. We gring our own beans every morning and press them. We drink the boldest blends we can find. Used to use a percolator, which is still, in my opinion, not bad. I like the whole process of percolation. And another advantage is that you can keep the coffee hot for much longer without any hassle. Whereas with the press, you have to quickly decant your coffee into something to keep it hot.
About the only time I use a percolator these days is when I'm camping. Percolated coffee always comes out much hotter than using the drip method, which is very welcome on cold mornings.
i have a small glass 4-6 cup stove top percolator,and i have good luck with it.better than a drip maker.
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Thanks John! That looks like a clever little brewing device. I've never seen one.
Although as a French press user you're used to strong (sludgy) coffee, I can't imagine the use for a percolator these days. The vacuum pot is better, as is the Aeropress.
Constantly recycling the grounds through boiling water (the percolator method) may be anathema to most, but if you enjoy it..........
Constantly recycling the grounds through boiling water (the percolator method) may be anathema to most, but if you enjoy it..........
I went through many drip makers, some made horrid brew and some made good brew. The one I'll stay with 'til it dies is a Capresso Aroma Classic that was purchased new a few years ago. Some think that this brews with water that is too hot, but I'm very happy with the coffee out of it. I usually go with a Yemen/Brazil blend, but sometimes...
To paraphrase another forum: brew what you like, and like what you brew.
Wayne
To paraphrase another forum: brew what you like, and like what you brew.
Wayne
OldSaw
The wife's investment
While I try to avoid AD's, MBW and I went on a hiatus a while back and picked up these. The Capresso, in the background, is our daily brewer along with the matching grinder. The DeLonghi espresso maker works great and was a prize MBW won. Most of the others we snagged because the price was right, like the unit on the left next to the two cup espresso maker is a stove top espresso maker that we got in Traverse City for $8.00 because it had no box.
I'm with Ouch on this one. Perc's break just about every "law" of good coffee making.
The reason that you find drip coffee so sub-par is because most drip coffee MAKERS are sub-par. Try a Technivorm and you won't go back. Mr. Coffee, Krups et. al. YUCK! They don't even get CLOSE to the proper temps.
That said - if you like it - go nuts!
The reason that you find drip coffee so sub-par is because most drip coffee MAKERS are sub-par. Try a Technivorm and you won't go back. Mr. Coffee, Krups et. al. YUCK! They don't even get CLOSE to the proper temps.
That said - if you like it - go nuts!
I agree with all the above about percs breaking all the "laws" of good coffee making. I usually use a 1-cup drip from Black & Decker which is nearly indestructable (I've used it daily for 14 years and counting). But, I recently discovered an electric aluminum perc (6 cupper) that had been my grandparents' (dates to the '40s, I believe) and it makes one darn good pot of coffee. Best I've ever had was french press, but it's too much work and too time consuming for me in the early morning.
I'm with Ouch on this one. Perc's break just about every "law" of good coffee making.
The reason that you find drip coffee so sub-par is because most drip coffee MAKERS are sub-par. Try a Technivorm and you won't go back. Mr. Coffee, Krups et. al. YUCK! They don't even get CLOSE to the proper temps.
That said - if you like it - go nuts!
+1
I love the sound that a perc makes, but that is about all I like about them.
I've never had better coffee than that from a percolator. The electric drip coffee makers just don't compare. And then the coffee pot sits on a hot burner and just keeps on cooking. I think the Bunn coffee makers are the worst about scorching the coffee after it has brewed.
My $.02 worth.
My $.02 worth.
That's what we used to call a "Silex". Cold water goes in the bottom section and when it is heated the expansion forces the water into the upper part where the coffee is. The heat is turned off and upon cooling, the coffee is sucked by vacuum back into the lower pot. For the younger folk here: it was popular in restaurants, diners and homes into the mid 60's, when coffee urns started taking over in restaurants.
Ken.
Darn good coffee can be produced in a Silex.
I used a stovetop percolator back in college and grad school, and for the past 15 years have used an electric Farberware model. I love my percolated coffee -- it's a matter of using the right (relatively coarse) grind, and good coffee (I use Trader Joe's French Roast most of the time). Unfortunately, I've noticed that the newer Farberwares are really cheaply made (they've moved production from New Jersey to China). But you can still pick up good quality U.S. made versions in second hand shops and on ebay.
OldSaw
The wife's investment
The stainless steel ones also work great as a funnel when changing the car oil.
The other major brands from the '30s through the '50s were the Corey, and the Sunbeam Coffeemasters. I have one modern and eight vintage vac pots that are excellent/mint. The really make the best coffee. Over the years, I've bought and used about every type of coffee maker, and still like the vacuum pots (also called coffee siphons) best of all.
Their heyday was from the mid-'30s to the mid-'50s. In the '50s, 'convenience' and 'labor saving' were the household watchwords and the vac pots were not 'automatic' (except for the Sunbeams and some Farberware 'coffee robots'). Also, they were somewhat messy and took a fair amount of manual effort for cleanup. Percolators took over and the Drip Pots that were introduced in the '60s killed them off.
For my morning coffee, I use a Presto Scandinavian drip maker that is the only inexpensive drip pot that brews at the proper high temp. Evenings/Weekends I revert to the old fashioned siphon.
-- John Gehman
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- #19
I'm happy this thread stimulated so much interest. I expected to be unvaryingly lambasted for praising the percolator. Turns out, as in shaving, that opinions on products and techniques often take divergent courses. Happy coffee sipping and happy shaving to you all!
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