Percolator?

jmcquown said:

I had an electric one that Mom gave me, must have been from around 1960 or
so. The percolator was too much fun! And yes, it bubbled up into the
glass
top and made that wonderful perking sound.

It's memories of those neat little details that makes a percolator so fun.
If you didn't have the memories and went strictly by the science, you'd
never get one. Personally I think all the little details associated with
eating contribute just as much as the actual food to making the total
experience. Wine can taste so much better during a romantic dinner, hot dogs
can taste better at a ballpark, steaks taste better at a picnic, etc. And
perked coffee can taste better (or at least half decent) too! ;-)

--
wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

wff_ng_7 said:

jay said:

Why you should never percolate coffee:
Percolators violate most of the natural laws about brewing coffee.

While that may very well be true (actually it is true), other coffee
preparation methods just don't have the nostalgia and romance value
that a percolator does. I guess it depends on the era one grew up.
Drip coffee makers started to replace percolators in the 1970s (with
Mr. Coffee, etc.) and percolators largely disappeared within a
decade. There's at least a whole generation that was never exposed to
the percolator, and of course have no nostalgia for them.

One of the big advantages of a percolator is you can get a stovetop
one and can make coffee without electricity (if you have a gas stove,
etc.).

I prepare coffee by several different methods. Mostly it's espresso,
but I also make perked coffee and Turkish coffee (another "boiling"
process). Maybe it's just the memories that the perk, perk, perk
sounds bring back, along with the aroma while perking that does it
for me. Not that it makes better coffee. To be authentic, you
absolutely need a percolator with the glass top! ;-)

I had an electric one that Mom gave me, must have been from around 1960 or
so. The percolator was too much fun! And yes, it bubbled up into the glass
top and made that wonderful perking sound. I fondly recall spooning coffee
grounds into the metal basket. Didn't take more than 10 minutes. I'd start
the coffee and go take a shower. Come out, dry off, dress, it was done.
Tasted heavenly. I'm not sure I've ever gotten as good a cup of coffee out
of any of the newfangled machines.

Jill

Joseph Littleshoes said:

How long does one let a coffee percolator perk?

Six minutes after you hear the first perk is the rule I use for my
campfire percolator.

l said:

wff_ng_7 said:

I did get a glass vacuum coffee maker (Bodum) about a decade ago, but had
much trouble using it because it kept getting clogged going back down. I
suspect the plastic "filter" didn't work as well as those vacuum coffee
makers from the 1950s (ones with Cory rods).

I have been using a Bodum Santo glass vacuum maker (sounds like what you
had); I initially had the clogging problems you mentioned, then I read the
instruction booklet. I had been using the same grind as in my old Mr.
Coffee; I switched to a coarser grind, as recommended in the instructions,
and the clogging problems went away.

If you still have your Bodum, try a coarser grind, you may find you'll get
a
very tasty, though non-nostalgic, cup of coffee.

I no longer have it, but I did recognize the problem with the grind
coarseness. I grind my own beans, so I set the grinder to a much larger
size. But that didn't help because my grinder (an older Braun)produces a lot
of fines even at a coarse setting. I know it's not the best grinder, but I
wasn't willing to get another one just for the vacuum pot. Strangely, it
doesn't seem to have much effect using my Pavoni lever espresso machine.
Maybe I've just learned to compensate for the poor grinder over the years.
The puck is always solid with no channeling, and the timing is right. I
think one gets a better feel for what's going on with a lever machine so one
can adjust one's technique. However I wouldn't recommend one for most people
for a bunch of reasons.

--
wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Stove top, and i have a gas stove so i let it perk for about 4 minutes on
a very low heat, it was o.k. but i think next time i will let it perk a
bit longer?

I did drag out the old Corningware stovetop percolator this morning and used
it. I put about 4 "cups" in and brewed (from start of perking) for 5
minutes. That came out about right for me. This pot is one of those with the
glass top, so I could judge brew strength to some extent by color.

The one problem with this Corningware percolator is I'm afraid I'll break it
by having the flame too high to bring it up to perking temperature. So it
took forever to get to that point. I'm not that familiar with Corningware
and how sensitive it might be to high heat.

--
wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

jmcquown said:

Randy Johnson said:

wff_ng_7 said:

While that may very well be true (actually it is true), other coffee
preparation methods just don't have the nostalgia and romance value
that a

percolator does. I guess it depends on the era one grew up. Drip
coffee makers started to replace percolators in the 1970s (with Mr.
Coffee, etc.)

and percolators largely disappeared within a decade. There's at
least a whole generation that was never exposed to the percolator,
and of course have no nostalgia for them.

I'm a babyboomer and have many fond memories of growing up in the
'50s and '60s. Percolators and outhouses are two things from that
era that I just can't work up nostalgia for; hell, even service as a
grunt in Vietnam during Tet of '68 rates higher than either of those
things.

Heh, you may know my father. He was at Tet.

Now, I imagine there are some of you that are itchin' to

Quoted message said:

tell me I just never had good perc'ed coffee or that I never used a
proper outhouse; that may be so, but my vast experience in these
matters tells me they are experiences I'd pay to avoid having agin.

Okay, so would you pay for a Starbucks cuppa coffee?

I wouldn't anymore. Not after having the best cappucinos and caffes in
the world. Heck, using the local brand of expresso, Caffe' Kimbo I make
better expresso using jerry rigged filters and my senseo maker than I
get at Starbucks(that's about all it's good for, that and small cups of
cocoa for my DD)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Maybe a Moon Pie and an RC Cola or Dr. Pepper; heck, I wouldn't mind
havin' a Coke with a bag Tom's peanuts dumped in it. Now that's
somethin' to git nostalgic about.

You're a funny guy. Moon pies and RC Cola. Good lord, haven't seen those
things in years! It's 2007, man!

They're on sale all over the place. I saw them here last week...lol..

wff_ng_7 said:

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Stove top, and i have a gas stove so i let it perk for about 4 minutes
on a very low heat, it was o.k. but i think next time i will let it
perk a bit longer?

I did drag out the old Corningware stovetop percolator this morning and
used it. I put about 4 "cups" in and brewed (from start of perking) for
5 minutes. That came out about right for me. This pot is one of those
with the glass top, so I could judge brew strength to some extent by color.

The one problem with this Corningware percolator is I'm afraid I'll
break it by having the flame too high to bring it up to perking
temperature. So it took forever to get to that point. I'm not that
familiar with Corningware and how sensitive it might be to high heat.

Real Corningware (which is not made anymore) is a ceramic that is just
fine for stovetop or broiler use. You need to be more concerned about
scorching the coffee from high heat rather than cracking the pot.

Bob

jmcquown said:

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Gregory Morrow said:

Sheldon wrote:

> Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>
>> How long does one let a coffee percolator perk?
> How strong and/or bitter do you want your coffee?
>
> Most all percolators come with directions that are only
> approximations about how much coffee per cup and how long to perk.
> Some electric percolators do incorporate a strength setting device
> that is essentially a timer, so the result is again merely
> approximation. It's really up to you, experiment until the coffee
> you choose to use is brewed in such a way that it is pleasing to
> you. There really are no rules except that the longer you let it
> perk the more bitter... the cheapskates use less coffee but let it
> perk longer. Of course regardless, a clean pot and good water is
> paramount.
>
> The old aluminum percolators all make terrible coffee, you cannot
> brew decent coffee in aluminum. Use stainless steel, the new modern
> plastic percolators are even better... any metal will impart an off
> flavor to perked coffee simply due to the length of time it's in
> contact with so much metal surface... if your percolator is aluminum
> immediately after perking decant any extra to a glass caraffe.
> Coffee deteriorates rapidly, don't brew more than you can consume
> within twenty minutes. Hardly anyone uses a perculator anymore,
> they all make lousy coffe... why are you asking?

Joseph found a few books of S&H Green Stamps he has to redeem...

;-)

After breaking my 5th French Press i started making campfire coffee,
boil the water in a pot, put in the appropriate amount of coffee and
let sit for 3 - 4 minutes.

I feel about paper coffee filters the way most people seem to feel
about metal percolators.

I was at a local flea market earlier to day and got a Revere Ware
steel percolator for $5.

I almost got a nice butler's table for $50 but was just not quick
enough

Don't worry about them, JL. I hate coffee made from those quick flash
coffee makers (Mr. Coffee I don't care if he was married to Marilyn Monroe
be damned). A percolator gives you a cuppa joe (heheh) like you get from
old fashioned diners. I've even had a hand an making camping coffee over an
open fire and really, there's nothing better.

Jill

I can never get my coffee strong enough from my Mr. Coffee for some
reason. Don't use it that often.

zxcvbob said:

Real Corningware (which is not made anymore) is a ceramic that is just
fine for stovetop or broiler use. You need to be more concerned about
scorching the coffee from high heat rather than cracking the pot.

The one I got is definitely the original real Corningware. I've got a 1965
Sears catalog, and the exact same model is in it at a price of $10.95. Sears
high end, all stainless electric percolator is priced at $19.95 for
comparison. An old Sears catalog is a great reference tool for "the way
things used to be".

I think I'm going to stick with the lower heat just in case. I only use this
percolator if I'm doing a very leisurely weekend breakfast anyway. Though I
know I could find another one if I broke it, it would not be the one my
grandmother used.

--
wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

Randy Johnson said:

wff_ng_7 said:

While that may very well be true (actually it is true), other coffee
preparation methods just don't have the nostalgia and romance value
that a

percolator does. I guess it depends on the era one grew up. Drip
coffee makers started to replace percolators in the 1970s (with Mr.
Coffee, etc.)

and percolators largely disappeared within a decade. There's at
least a whole generation that was never exposed to the percolator,
and of course have no nostalgia for them.

I'm a babyboomer and have many fond memories of growing up in the
'50s and '60s. Percolators and outhouses are two things from that
era that I just can't work up nostalgia for; hell, even service as a
grunt in Vietnam during Tet of '68 rates higher than either of those
things.

Heh, you may know my father. He was at Tet.

Now, I imagine there are some of you that are itchin' to

Quoted message said:

tell me I just never had good perc'ed coffee or that I never used a
proper outhouse; that may be so, but my vast experience in these
matters tells me they are experiences I'd pay to avoid having agin.

Okay, so would you pay for a Starbucks cuppa coffee?

Quoted message said:

Gimme a french press, vacuum pot or Melitta cone to make my coffee
and gimme an nice indoor, flushable toilet with paper that's made
for the purpose.

I'll give you the flush toilet thing, not so sure about the complications of
a french press.

Quoted message said:

Now. I do get a big smile on my face when I see my Roy Rogers
lunchbox, no matter how beat-to-[censored] it is, or when I think of Hoppy,
Cisco and Sky King.

Maybe a Moon Pie and an RC Cola or Dr. Pepper; heck, I wouldn't mind
havin' a Coke with a bag Tom's peanuts dumped in it. Now that's
somethin' to git nostalgic about.

You're a funny guy. Moon pies and RC Cola. Good lord, haven't seen those
things in years! It's 2007, man!

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Gregory Morrow said:

Sheldon said:

Joseph Littleshoes wrote:

> How long does one let a coffee percolator perk?

How strong and/or bitter do you want your coffee?

Most all percolators come with directions that are only
approximations about how much coffee per cup and how long to perk.
Some electric percolators do incorporate a strength setting device
that is essentially a timer, so the result is again merely
approximation. It's really up to you, experiment until the coffee
you choose to use is brewed in such a way that it is pleasing to
you. There really are no rules except that the longer you let it
perk the more bitter... the cheapskates use less coffee but let it
perk longer. Of course regardless, a clean pot and good water is
paramount.

The old aluminum percolators all make terrible coffee, you cannot
brew decent coffee in aluminum. Use stainless steel, the new modern
plastic percolators are even better... any metal will impart an off
flavor to perked coffee simply due to the length of time it's in
contact with so much metal surface... if your percolator is aluminum
immediately after perking decant any extra to a glass caraffe.
Coffee deteriorates rapidly, don't brew more than you can consume
within twenty minutes. Hardly anyone uses a perculator anymore,
they all make lousy coffe... why are you asking?

Joseph found a few books of S&H Green Stamps he has to redeem...

;-)

After breaking my 5th French Press i started making campfire coffee,
boil the water in a pot, put in the appropriate amount of coffee and
let sit for 3 - 4 minutes.

I feel about paper coffee filters the way most people seem to feel
about metal percolators.

I was at a local flea market earlier to day and got a Revere Ware
steel percolator for $5.

I almost got a nice butler's table for $50 but was just not quick
enough

Don't worry about them, JL. I hate coffee made from those quick flash
coffee makers (Mr. Coffee I don't care if he was married to Marilyn Monroe
be damned). A percolator gives you a cuppa joe (heheh) like you get from
old fashioned diners. I've even had a hand an making camping coffee over an
open fire and really, there's nothing better.

Jill

jay said:

Quoted message said:

How long does one let a coffee percolator perk?

never..?

Why you should never percolate coffee:
Percolators violate most of the natural laws about brewing coffee.

* Don't over extract the oils and flavor. Percolators work by taking
coffee and reheating it and throwing it over the grounds over and over and
over again.
* Never reheat/boil coffee. This destroys the flavor. For best flavor,
boil the water, pass it over the grounds and retain the heat. Don't reheat
it.

Violating these rules may not sound like much, but these are about the only
rules there are. The effect of a percolator is to keep passing boiling
water/coffee over the grounds until there is no flavor left.

When I was kid growing up in Canada in the 50s, most people were tea
drinkers. it may have been that so many Canadians were either English
immigrants or children or grandchildren of Brits. Then again, it could
have been because of the horrible coffee that percolators made. One thing
that really ruins coffee is to heat it up after it has been brewed, and
that is exactly what percolators do. They have that inverse funnel and
tube affair that uses heat to lift water up to the drip basket.... over and
over and over. There weren't many people who perked a good cup of coffee.
Then in the late 60s we started getting Melitta cones and it wasn't long
after that that drip coffee machines became available.

One method that used to make terrific coffee was the vacuum system. It
involved a carafe which was sealed with a funnel affair that sat on top.
The unit was put on a burner and was the water boiled it was forced up into
the funnel. When all the had gone to the top you took the unit off the heat
and the the cooling pot formed a vacuum that sucked the brewed coffee back
down.

wff_ng_7 said:

One of the big advantages of a percolator is you can get a stovetop one and
can make coffee without electricity (if you have a gas stove, etc.).

You can do the same with a drip coffee maker. Drip coffee machines are the
offspring of the Melitta coffee cone and filter system of the late 60s. Set
the cone on top of a carafe, insert a filter and coffee and then pour the
hot water into the coffee.

Quoted message said:

I prepare coffee by several different methods. Mostly it's espresso, but I
also make perked coffee and Turkish coffee (another "boiling" process).
Maybe it's just the memories that the perk, perk, perk sounds bring back,
along with the aroma while perking that does it for me. Not that it makes
better coffee. To be authentic, you absolutely need a percolator with the
glass top! ;-)

A lot of campers use the Turkish coffee method, but with a coarser grind of
coffee. Just put the water and grounds in a pot heat it to boiling, take it
off (three times) and pour the coffee out gently to keep most of the
grounds in the pot.

Lately, I have been using the French press a lot, another that can be used
with no power as long as you have heat to boil water. I had given up on
that thing until a friend clued me into the trick of using a coarser grind.

Quoted message said:

--
wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

Joseph Littleshoes said:

jmcquown said:

I had an electric one that Mom gave me, must have been from around
1960 or
so. The percolator was too much fun! And yes, it bubbled up into the
glass
top and made that wonderful perking sound. I fondly recall spooning
coffee
grounds into the metal basket. Didn't take more than 10 minutes. I'd
start
the coffee and go take a shower. Come out, dry off, dress, it was done.
Tasted heavenly. I'm not sure I've ever gotten as good a cup of
coffee out
of any of the newfangled machines.

Jill

I have to agree, Jill, i don't think how one makes the coffee is as
important as the beans one starts with.

I did not get my new percolator for any nostalgic reason, i got tired of
breaking French presses and had, for several years been making my coffee
in a sauce pan. More than adequate.

I just happened upon an old steel percolator at a flea market and though
it might be better.

It makes more coffee than my little sauce pan, i don't have to watch out
for it boiling over AND it filters out the extraneous grounds.

I am very pleased with the percolator.
--
JL

The coffee coop that I'm in at work was going through so many pots of
coffee, I dug out my 30-cup coffee urn (huge electric percolator) and
took it to work as a joke. I decided to use it once, and it brewed just
as good coffee as the Mr. Coffee we were using, and was faster and more
convenient. So we kept using it and just keep the Mr. Coffee for backup.

Bob

Joseph Littleshoes said:

The only thing i have not tried is the gold filter from France, and i
don't like pouring hot water over plastic, now if i could get the gold
filter set in ceramic or metal....

I use a gold filter. It seemed expensive at the time I bought it. That was
a long time ago, so it proved itself to be an economical purchase years
ago.

wff_ng_7 said:

zxcvbob said:

Real Corningware (which is not made anymore) is a ceramic that is just
fine for stovetop or broiler use. You need to be more concerned about
scorching the coffee from high heat rather than cracking the pot.

The one I got is definitely the original real Corningware. I've got a
1965 Sears catalog, and the exact same model is in it at a price of
$10.95. Sears high end, all stainless electric percolator is priced at
$19.95 for comparison. An old Sears catalog is a great reference tool
for "the way things used to be".

I think all or most of those were recalled a long time ago. We had one
of those Corningware percolators that was an inherited never used piece.
There was a recall because the epoxy glue they used to attach the metal
band for the handle could loose its bond allowing it to separate.

Quoted message said:

I think I'm going to stick with the lower heat just in case. I only use
this percolator if I'm doing a very leisurely weekend breakfast anyway.
Though I know I could find another one if I broke it, it would not be
the one my grandmother used.

jmcquown said:

Heh, you may know my father. He was at Tet.

1st Cavalry (Airmobile), sometimes called 1st Air Cav; Quang Tri province,
near the DMZ

Quoted message said:

Now, I imagine there are some of you that are itchin' to

Quoted message said:

tell me I just never had good perc'ed coffee or that I never used a
proper outhouse; that may be so, but my vast experience in these
matters tells me they are experiences I'd pay to avoid having agin.

Quoted message said:

Okay, so would you pay for a Starbucks cuppa coffee?

Only if in desparate need of caffeine and there is no other alternative in
sight; however, there's almost always as good or better coffee, at much more
reasonable prices, within a couple of blocks. Starbucks is really selling a
lifestyle, not coffee, and it's not a lifestyle I embrace. I don't drink
their frou-frou concoctions and find the majority of Starbucks "straight"
coffee to be astringent/acidic/bitter. However, when in desparate need,
I'll drink anything remotely similar to coffee, even the vile greenish-brown
instant the Army gave us in C Rations. On the very rare occasion I drink
instant today, I would prefer it to be Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso.

For truly enjoyable coffee, not just a caffeine injection, I prefer freshly
ground, 100% Colombian beans, brewed in a vacuum brewer, press, cone or
single-pass drip brewer (Mr. Coffee, Bunn, etc).

When I want something a bit frou-frou, I'm happy with a nice chicory/coffee
blend with steamed milk. Oh, and never inhale while taking a bite of a
beignet; in fact, it's best to hold your breath, unless you don't like the
person across from you. ;-)

Dave Smith said:

You can do the same with a drip coffee maker. Drip coffee machines are the
offspring of the Melitta coffee cone and filter system of the late 60s.
Set
the cone on top of a carafe, insert a filter and coffee and then pour the
hot water into the coffee.

The more I go through this thread the more I remember about coffee devices I
have but don't use all that often.

I also have what I believe is called a Vietnamese coffee maker. I guess it
is essentially the drip method. I use it when I'm in a hurry and just want a
single cup of coffee. Here's a picture of one like mine:

http://tinyurl.com/32ayf5

I microwave the water and then pour it over the ground coffee.

--
wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

jmcquown said:

I had an electric one that Mom gave me, must have been from around 1960 or
so. The percolator was too much fun! And yes, it bubbled up into the glass
top and made that wonderful perking sound. I fondly recall spooning coffee
grounds into the metal basket. Didn't take more than 10 minutes. I'd start
the coffee and go take a shower. Come out, dry off, dress, it was done.
Tasted heavenly. I'm not sure I've ever gotten as good a cup of coffee out
of any of the newfangled machines.

Jill

I have to agree, Jill, i don't think how one makes the coffee is as
important as the beans one starts with.

I did not get my new percolator for any nostalgic reason, i got tired of
breaking French presses and had, for several years been making my coffee
in a sauce pan. More than adequate.

I just happened upon an old steel percolator at a flea market and though
it might be better.

It makes more coffee than my little sauce pan, i don't have to watch out
for it boiling over AND it filters out the extraneous grounds.

I am very pleased with the percolator.
--
JL

ravenlynne said:

jmcquown said:

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Gregory Morrow wrote:

> Sheldon wrote:
>
>
>> Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>>
>>> How long does one let a coffee percolator perk?
>>
>> How strong and/or bitter do you want your coffee?
>>
>> Most all percolators come with directions that are only
>> approximations about how much coffee per cup and how long to perk.
>> Some electric percolators do incorporate a strength setting device
>> that is essentially a timer, so the result is again merely
>> approximation. It's really up to you, experiment until the coffee
>> you choose to use is brewed in such a way that it is pleasing to
>> you. There really are no rules except that the longer you let it
>> perk the more bitter... the cheapskates use less coffee but let it
>> perk longer. Of course regardless, a clean pot and good water is
>> paramount.
>>
>> The old aluminum percolators all make terrible coffee, you cannot
>> brew decent coffee in aluminum. Use stainless steel, the new modern
>> plastic percolators are even better... any metal will impart an off
>> flavor to perked coffee simply due to the length of time it's in
>> contact with so much metal surface... if your percolator is aluminum
>> immediately after perking decant any extra to a glass caraffe.
>> Coffee deteriorates rapidly, don't brew more than you can consume
>> within twenty minutes. Hardly anyone uses a perculator anymore,
>> they all make lousy coffe... why are you asking?
>
>
>
> Joseph found a few books of S&H Green Stamps he has to redeem...
>
> ;-)
>
After breaking my 5th French Press i started making campfire coffee,
boil the water in a pot, put in the appropriate amount of coffee and
let sit for 3 - 4 minutes.

I feel about paper coffee filters the way most people seem to feel
about metal percolators.

I was at a local flea market earlier to day and got a Revere Ware
steel percolator for $5.

I almost got a nice butler's table for $50 but was just not quick
enough

Don't worry about them, JL. I hate coffee made from those quick flash
coffee makers (Mr. Coffee I don't care if he was married to Marilyn
Monroe
be damned). A percolator gives you a cuppa joe (heheh) like you get from
old fashioned diners. I've even had a hand an making camping coffee
over an
open fire and really, there's nothing better.

Jill

I can never get my coffee strong enough from my Mr. Coffee for some
reason. Don't use it that often.

Same here, a friend "took pity" on my after seeing me make coffee in a
sauce pan and gave me a Mr. Coffee type drip machine. I was very
disappointed with its performance and i don't like the paper filters,
even the "green" unbleached, "organic" type they have here at the local
"Whole Foods" i swear i can taste the filters.

The only thing i have not tried is the gold filter from France, and i
don't like pouring hot water over plastic, now if i could get the gold
filter set in ceramic or metal....
--
JL