Percolating Coffee

[Ben]

Anyone do this? On a total whim, I bought a stovetop Faberware percolator for 15 bucks. I think seeing it must have brought back childhood memories of how my mom always made coffee. While I don't drink lots of coffee, every once in a while I want more than my french press (my preferred method) will make, and figured this would be perfect for that, and very simple as well.

Apparently everyone on the Internet talks about what a crappy cup of coffee percolators make. Frankly though, I've been liking the coffee that comes out of mine. I'm by no means a coffee connoisseur, and can only drink coffee with cream and sugar regardless of how it's made, so maybe I'm missing whatever it is that makes percolated coffee so bad, since I don't drink it black. I like the smell of the coffee percolating though, as well as the nostalgia aspect and the simpleness of it all.

[Perd Hapley]

Well, anything is better than a Frog press.

[Fly320s]

You like it; that is all that matters.

Percolating boils the coffee and repeatedly uses the coffee liquid to soak the coffee grounds. That will make the coffee bitter and strong if you don't control it.

[Ben]

You like it; that is all that matters.

Percolating boils the coffee and repeatedly uses the coffee liquid to soak the coffee grounds. That will make the coffee bitter and strong if you don't control it.

Yeah, that's what everyone has said, and it certainly makes sense. I haven't tasted any bitterness at all (of course cream and sugar probably have a lot to do with that), but I've also been careful to turn down the heat once the percolating starts, and I don't let it run more than five or so minutes.

[dogmush]

I had a percolator for years.  You could pretty easily over boil the coffee.  Gotta say though, I love my Kurieg and would never go back.

[French G.]

I have a cheap perc pot for ensuring I have a hot cup of coffee to watch the end of the world. If I used it much I'd find one with a non-aluminum basket, not really into aluminum foodware and acidic food.

[mtnbkr]

We use a percolator at deer camp.  What we do is watch for it to start percolating, then turn the heat down to med-low and let it perc for about 2 minutes.  That gives us a good pot of coffee.

Chris

[charby]

We use a percolator at deer camp.  What we do is watch for it to start percolating, then turn the heat down to med-low and let it perc for about 2 minutes.  That gives us a good pot of coffee.

Chris

Same experiences I have, I even make it at home sometimes on the weekend if I have time to watch it. Seems to make a better cup then the auto drip.

[Devonai]

Well, anything is better than a Frog press.

Are you sure you're using the right grind?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pco6GFCVcHU

[MillCreek]

Well, anything is better than a Frog press.

Every weekday morning, I get up, grind 0.5 cup of my home-roasted coffee, add one liter of hot water just off the boil, steep it for four minutes and then press it in one of my four frog presses.  The. best. coffee. ever.

[Kingcreek]

My grandma always added an eggshell or 2 to the basket of her perc to take the bitterness out.
I prefer a fine fresh grind and a slow filter drip. My wife likes the bunn velocity at home because it's FAST but it doesn't make the best coffee.
Years ago on impulse I bought a very expensive looking and vintage Alessi Italian espresso pot on an auction for $4 new in the box with spare gaskets and a set of cups and saucers. Now that makes a really good americano but it's kind of a pain to clean.

[zxcvbob]

I really like coffee made in a 30 cup electric percolator.  But you have to make at least 20 cups, and you have to start with cold water (otherwise the coffee is too weak.)  Stovetop percolators are tricky.

My everyday coffeemaker is an aluminum stovetop drip pot.  Lemme see if I can find one on eBay with pics...
Here's the closest one I could quickly find

Wife really loves her Keurig.  I like it when I quickly want just one cup of coffee and there's none leftover on the stove.

[Ben]

Wife really loves her Keurig.  I like it when I quickly want just one cup of coffee and there's none leftover on the stove.

Yeah, my Keurig is also for when I'm in a hurry. Works well for a quick cup, but I've been trying to get out of the "in a hurry" business of late. 

[BobR]

We had a 30 cup percolator in our shop on the boat, and would get 20 lbs of coffee every week to go in it. All was good until we "borrowed" some lobster tails when they were being loaded on the boat. We took the pot apart and jumpered the temp switch on it so it would boil our lobster tails.

Coffee never tasted the same after that.  Even with the usual hint of JP5 in the water, the lobster still came through.


bob

[zxcvbob]

You just need to clean it with hot water and washing soda.  (don't ask me how I know this)  Not baking soda, they are different.

[roo_ster]

We use a percolator at deer camp.  What we do is watch for it to start percolating, then turn the heat down to med-low and let it perc for about 2 minutes.  That gives us a good pot of coffee.

Chris

Same here on capouts, with an enameled metal percolator, but add 8 minutes.  I like strong coffee.

I really ought to get an all-stainless percolator for home use to supplement the auto-dripper and froggie press. 

[zahc]

You like it; that is all that matters.

Percolating boils the coffee and repeatedly uses the coffee liquid to soak the coffee grounds. That will make the coffee bitter and strong if you don't control it.

Maybe that's why they became popular...maybe they actually make better coffee for stingy, poor, or war-rationed people who are trying to get the most out of a bare minimum of coffee?

[230RN]

I don't remember how I make coffee.  I'm still asleep when I do it.

Sorta like walking or chewing.  It's automatic.

There is a drip maker on the counter, and it's plugged in and there's half a pot of coffee still in it when I finally wake up, so I guess that's how.

When I was a kid, we used a percolator, and like Kingcreek's mother, my Mom used to put eggshells in the pot when she pulled out the basket, but she said it was to settle the grounds.  Apparently the small amount of albumin left on the eggshells was a coagulant.

[French G.]

I don't remember how I make coffee.  I'm still asleep when I do it.

Sorta like walking or chewing.  It's automatic.

There is a drip maker on the counter, and it's plugged in and there's half a pot of coffee still in it when I finally wake up, so I guess that's how.

When I was a kid, we used a percolator, and like Kingcreek's mother, my Mom used to put eggshells in the pot when she pulled out the basket, but she said it was to settle the grounds.  Apparently the small amount of albumin left on the eggshells was a coagulant.

LOL, you'll wake up when you go to the fridge to get water and come back with milk. I did that, not fun to get all the milk out of the drip maker. I made weak coffee one morning too, apparently works better if you put coffee in the basket.

I've used salt to cut the bitterness too, works great, especially with those aforementioned nasty 20lb cans of GI coffee. Late in boat life we started getting Folger's issued. Praise fluffy deity. I've had a few mornings where 10lbs of coffee lasted a few hours, nothing like coffee for 3,000.