Percolator Coffee

[mso489]

Just a quick note on military coffee, and by the way, food. I was always told that the Navy did better food than the U.S. Army, and at least aboard ship, I think they made an effort to make that come true. It was plain fare, but the galley crew made an effort to do it well. On the other hand, if it is possible, I believe the Navy did the worst job of any service on the coffee, because it was available continuously, and this caused both the ingredients and the brewing to hit depths you may only imagine if you have not shared a cup. All of the flavor of the coffee bean that makes us enjoy this beverage was long departed. Perhaps there was some caffeine left, because you could revive yourself at 02:30 with a cup, but wakefulness was all you got. The flavor was somewhere between rust and chicory.

 

[redone]

I drink French Press every day but recall some tasty percolated coffee from years past. May have to give it a new try.

 

[coyja]

Very strange that this tread would start up today.

I always drink French press, but was helping my cousin clean out her house today and she gave me a Corning Ware stovetop percolator in like new condition, said she has a few of them.

I’ll give it a shot in the morning!

 

[haparnold]

I use a percolator on camping trips, and much like I enjoy the attentiveness a pipe requires to keep the ember burning at just the right rate, I really enjoy the attentiveness (and near-constant fiddling) required to make good percolator coffee.
However, I'm just not a fan of coffee made in a metal vessel. I always feel like it colors the taste in a way I don't care for. Every morning I use a glass French press. It's not that I'm a huge press guy; more that I prefer to make my coffee in glass or ceramic.

 

[didache]

This might surprise some people but the American style percolator is almost unknown here in the UK where the filter machine or French press rule supreme.
For myself I have a 15 year old electric filter machine which has a clock and timer on it. Before I go to bed I set it up and, voila!, a pot of coffee is waiting for me when I get up in the morning.
If I want something a little stronger I use a Bialetti stove top espresso maker (I have a couple of them in different sizes).
Or, now and then, I make Arabic coffee (something I learned in Jordan and highly recommended).
Mike

 

[madox07]

I prefer a Turkish Copper Kettle, like the one in the image. It requires a very fine grind on the cofe, but in my opinion it brings out the best in the cofe - especially single roast.

Like didache said, percolator in Europe is a museum piece. I actually had to look it up on google, and the minute I saw one it reminded me of old cowboy movies. As far as stove things, I guess your old fashioned espresso machine is the most popular in continental Europe:

 

[mikethompson]

my trusty setup.
Mike, tell me about Arabic coffee. I see it at the stores sometimes and I'm always tempted.

 

[didache]

Mike - years ago I was in Jordan and we were travelling between Amman and Petra. We stopped about half-way for coffee and a break. The waiter brought this incredibly fragrant coffee and I expressed interest in it. To the Arab mind I was honouring their establishment so, before I knew it, I was brought into the kitchen to get lessons!
Basically, you need very finely ground coffee and some cardamom pods. You spoon some coffee into water in an Arabic or Turkish coffee pan together with a few partly crushed pods. You let it boil up - take it off the heat - repeat a couple of times, and then pour very carefully into small cups. It is strong as anything, and a little sludgy at the bottom. But it will have the most incredibly fragrant smell and taste which always transports me in my mind to a souk in the middle east. Basically it is a cardamom flavoured Turkish coffee.
Now, if you want a flavour of it without the hassle, you can buy coffee with cardamom already in it which you can make according to your usual method. Alternatively, just put a few crushed pods into your perc basket, or however you usually make your brew. You ought to be able to get the cardamom from any decent supermarket. I don't know exactly what you have seen at the store - maybe it is the cardamom inclusive, but it might just be the coffee itself in which case you would still have to buy some cardamom.
Good luck with it!
Mike

 

[mso489]

French press and maybe some of the filter methods, and certainly espresso, are the purists' way to a good cuppa. I just like percolator best, I guess for reasons of nostalgia and cultivated taste. I hope enough people will keep the faith with this old way to keep quality percolators available at easy prices. didache, I'm intrigued that percolators aren't a U.K. thing. Interesting the way cooking methods trend.

 

[davet]

We lost our power for a couple of days last week so I had to dig this out, worked great!

 

[mso489]

White speckled blue enamel ... Bravo!!! That looks like about a twenty cup model.

 

[buster]

I have an old percolator pot in my camping cook kit. I was a French press user for many years. My mom broke one a year or so ago. My wife ordered a cold brew maker from OXO to replace it. I was skeptical but I like having coffee extract in the refrigerator now. It's like rocket fuel and not acidic. My wife just got back from a trip to Vietnam. She picked up one of those metal drip things to make Vietnamese coffee. I'm enjoying that quite a bit. She also got a few packages of civit coffee. I tried it once before and was not impressed but made in the little metal Vietnamese drip thing and wow!

 

[cranseiron]

Buster, I was in Jacarta, Indonesia a few years ago where I bought 500g of civet coffee.

It's called Koppi Lewak in Indonesia. I can honestly say it was the best coffee I've ever had-- silky smooth, low acidity and very little bitterness. Wish I had access for more. It was the shit. Get it? :rofl:

 

[eltice]

@davet. I have the same model, used it this weekend due to a power outage. My only gripe is the “knob” on the lid is so small. It’s hard to take the lid off if I’m using a towel when it’s hot. Other than that, it works well.

 

[leacha]

I use the electric Percolator. Nice and hot!

 

[beefeater33]

I grew up on perked coffee..... great stuff!

I gave up coffee about 3 years ago, English Breakfast tea replacing it. I still drink about 4 cups a year, on special occasions............ I do miss it, but it was jacking up my innards............

 

[jdhayes]

I remember my grandparents using a percolator when I was very young. I wish I had thought enough to save those old percolators years ago, but alas they are gone now, probably just thrown out. I am the only coffee drinker in my house, my wife even hates the smell of coffee. I have a french press and it makes good coffee, but the clean up is just too much for just me. I prefer the pour over with a cone filter. Now however, after reading this I need to try some perked coffee.

 

[mso489]

Civet coffee may be a bridge too far for me. I'm sure we all eat a certain amount of material that has been passed through the digestive tracts of other creatures, but I'm not sure I want to do it intentionally, premeditated. Obviously, it is convincingly good; few who've tried it have complained.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I don't drink much of coffees except for those after-dinner espressos poured via Gaggia Classic manual driven espresso machine and then have stainless steel electric percolator which I favor when I'm in the mood of larger amounts of dark roasted French type of coffees, back in the days these like electric percolators were quite popular in Finland and especially in Sweden,today they sell for about $ 50.Apparently,over the past ten years they declined in popularity here and presumably the demand for those declined in America as well.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If you are going to use the cheapest coffee on the grocery store shelves, then sure... put it in one of those godawful peculators. But, as for actual tastes, I think the hipsters finesse for bringing back stupid ideas like Atari games, aerosol cheeses, and peculators has added to the allure for these coffee making disasters.

But, if boiling your coffee to death and having it get even more burned tasting the longer you let it set is what you desire, then have at it.

Ha ha, me? I'd rather drink coffee made in my truck's radiator than put peculator coffee in my mouth. Blech, blech, blech!