Drip or Percolated coffee...which is best?

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Drip or Percolated coffee...which is best?

QUESTION:

Is there a difference between drip and percolated when it comes to taste? Coffee at home is not as good as when I purchase a cup...even from a gas station.

ANSWER:

Yes, there is a difference between coffee from a drip brewer and coffee from a percolator.

Almost every time, the coffee from the drip brewer will taste better.

When you brew coffee, whatever the coffee maker, the water temperature should be slightly below boiling point.

A drip brewer drips hot water through the coffee grinds just once. But percolators keep the coffee in contact with boiling water for an extended period.

In other words, percolators just boil the flavor out of your coffee.

If you love coffee, avoid using a percolator.

NOTE: In recognition of those who love their coffee percolated, read our page about coffee percolators...

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Drip or Percolated coffee...which is best?

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Jan 19, 2012

Percs seem better to me
by: Anonymous

I love my percolator... I'm glad others on this site disagree with this post as well.

Jan 06, 2012

Percorlator or Drip?
by: scottae316

The editor of this site and other experts claim that modern electric percolators boil the water. This makes absolutely no sense. If this were so, the only thing coming up the tube would be steam which is the result of water being boiled. If you watch the glass top of a percolator you will see it is WATER, not steam. Yes, it may boil at the bottom but as it travels up the tube and comes in contact with the lid you it turns back to liquid. Just think for a moment, how long would it take to make coffee if it was steam and not water. A little common sense will tell you that this is a myth. Now if one has an expensive drip machine that has precise temperature control and a good spray nozzle (like a Bunn) it would do an excellent job if you used non-bleached filter papers. But the vast majority of coffee makers do not have precise temperature and spray nozzle control.

Dec 18, 2011

Drip is a waist
by: Anonymous

I am going back to our percolated coffee maker. We have tried various drip makers, and all seem to have a bland taste. Most were absolute coffee waisters, with poor saturation. I am tired of the amount of coffee needed in a drip to make a good full tasting cup of joe. Each time in the past when we went back to percolated, the taste was better, and our coffee bean consumption went down. As far as getting the right amount, coffee blend, and grind, this needs to be done with drip or percolated. The aroma is the icing on the cake with a percolator, and a good hot cup is also nice, without the use of a microwave.

Dec 16, 2011

Perked coffee is hotter
by: Anonymous

Doesn't anyone agree that perked coffee is and remains much hotter than the drip

Dec 14, 2011

Prefer to Perc for sure!
by: Anonymous

I bought a perc by the advice of my mum. She said it makes the best cup of coffee. I had to try it! I purchased one online and it came in a couple nights ago. I love my coffee, I really do but this perc... out of this world good! I don't know how to explain it other than if you don't perc you don't know good coffee! The color, the richness, the scent, there isn't anything like it. Brewed seriously just tastes like flavored water but perc coffee is truly full bodied. It's like chocolate milk thick but it's coffee. You can't do better, I urge you to try it, I'll never go back to brew :)

Sep 25, 2011

No WAY
by: Anonymous

Are you kidding me? Percolated coffee retains all of the oils, all of the flavor. Nothing beats a good cup of percolated coffee in the morning (or any other time of day). Drip coffees are weak coffee flavored water in comparison!

-A proud coffee snob

Jul 03, 2011

A good perk is best!
by: Larry

I have a coffee group that is devoted to vacuum pots. While they made do a good job if everything is just right, I also love to try other kinds. I have had many versions of drip pots. Some I rather like just for what they are. But after discovering that some very old early perks that used alcohol or were heated on a solid fuel range worked so well if watched carefully I expanded to some newer electric types I found on ebay or sales.
Here is my experience which I often retry to prove to my self its correct. I could name at least four bean coffees that I have ground reasonably fine which in a drip pot made awful coffee. I was really going to give up on them. However when I ground them more like perk pots need, more coarse, and then used a quality mid 50's or 40's perk, the results were amazing, enough so I would never have guessed that it was the same beans. That hooked me on trying many percolators. Most stove tops including the popular pyrex ruined the taste in my book. But the mid century rather deco Sunbeam when working correctly is a terrific producer of all sizes of pots of good coffee. I am currently testing out a Dormeyer pot which is pretty fair but I am disappointed in the construction compared to Sunbeam. Bottom line is the best pots in their day knew what they were doing, many standard "Plug In" perks from the 20's on up will make wretched tasting over cooked coffee. As will many later with bad thermostats. If your persistent I think you will find that a good electric perk can be a wonderful addition to your line of coffee makers.
As a side note, I keep seeing temperatures of somewhere near 210 for perks to stop at. So far my experience is that the better ones tend to shut off when the water is nearer 170 to 180 which is fine by me. The coffee has a better flavor as it cools off some which may be personal taste?

Editor's Note: Larry, hi. Do you have photos? If so, you can share them here: http://www.coffeedetective.com/coffee-photos.html

Also, are some of these percolators still available? If so, where? If not, which of the modern percs do you think is best?

Nick

Jan 28, 2011

I switched to percolated coffee
by: Anonymous

I just inherited my mom's old electric (Mirro? GE?) 9-cup electric percolator, and I'm hooked. I think the coffee has a much smoother edge than drip coffee. DH (who is the brewer in the family) cheerfully makes the perked coffee for me; for him, the only drawback is that it takes longer than a pot of drip coffee, but I think I can get him to make the switch permanent.

Jan 24, 2011

Will never go back to drip!
by: Svetlana

I recently purchased a 4-cup FARBERWARE electric percolator and will never go back to drip. The coffee tastes smoother/richer and seems to be less acidic.

This change came about after having been out to dinner with friends and enjoying a good cup of coffee. One of my companions said "I wish coffee at home tasted this good!" I remembered how wonderful mom's percolated coffe was back in the old days. She used the FARBERWARE electric as well.

Just purchased the 8-cup on Amazon - they offer a 12 cup as well.

Nov 08, 2010

Best brewer?
by: John S. ST pete fl

Can anyone recommend a brewer that brewers really hot coffee. Most are around 180 to 190. Coffee not good like commercial machines

Thanks. John.

Sep 26, 2010

Love my perc!
by: Mr Coffee

Yup, Coffee is my last name :)

We switched from drip to perc a few years
ago. We started with a Pyrex 6 cup perc
that I got off E-bay. But, it DID boil the
water. The coffee was very good, though.
Being a Pyrex, we broke a couple of the pieces
over the next few years and finally decided
to stop replacing them. VERY expensive.
You also had to babysit the pot to be
sure you achieved your "low roll" or you
ruined the batch you were making.

We have an electric one now and we LOVE it!
No babysitting :)

Why did we switch?

We did not like the plastic parts of the
drip nor the bleached paper filter. Also,
the kitchen does not have the coffee aroma
with the drip that the perc gives us!

My wife wants to go back to the Pyrex because
it is cool..LOL..but I think our electric
one makes better coffee. So, that's the
one we will be using for now.

Jul 21, 2010

electric percs do not boil
by: rob

Hi--I agree with the previous post that percs do not boil water. Water is heated in the well only hot enough to cause bubbles which then move the water upward through the perc tube. Water is continually entering the well to be heated. The perc brewing shuts off when the temperature of the coffee reaches serving temperature. It takes longer to brew this way .

I have a corning 10 cup electric percolator which brews perfect coffee.

Jun 22, 2010

Remembering Percolated Coffee
by: Joe - No pun intended

My Polish grandmother and mom had me drinking coffee at 4 years old albeit with cream and 2 teaspoons of sugar. This is in the 50's an early 60's. They percolated coffee in a small metal percolator with a glass top on an electric stove. Not sure about the coffee/water measurements but I do remember them adding a pinch of salt or two to mitigate the bitterness. Heat on "HI" until percolating starts and then turn down to level "4". I always thought it stopped percolating by itself, I guess as the heat gradually reduced, and that meant it was done. The aroma was comforting to me and the taste was delicious. Over the years I got caught up in the efficiency of drip coffee but today I longed for percolated coffee after reminiscing with my childhood friend. Think I'll look for one of those 4 cup metal percolators.

May 05, 2010

I think that like the perc
by: bubalu

I picked a 8 cup poly perk (of all things) at Savers for $5. I spent three days cleaning it with brew rite - maybe ten or more cycles. Followed directions that I found online. Ended up with an excellent brew. I may switch to percolated, maybe I'll by a new 12 cupper. It takes up less space.

Mar 15, 2010

One more time, I will explain this.....
by: Anonymous

Electric percolators do not boil; they heat the water to between 195 and 205 degrees, depending upon wattage. The water is heated in a small well into which the bottome of the pump stem sets. This action creates pressure, causing the hot water to rise through the tube until it spills out into the basket full of ground coffee.
As this drips down through and out the basket full of coffee, the hotter mixture remains on top as more cold water is cycled up through the pump stem once again.
Eventually, mixing ocurs, and there is coffee cycling through the grinds repeatedly, but this causes no different a chemical reaction than what takes place in a press pot where the grinds are floating in the hot water for a few minutes.

Mar 09, 2010

Percolator Coffee Myths
by: NewsView

Are there bad percs? Of course! You have to do your homework before you buy. But don't believe it when people say they will "boil" your coffee. That's old school. A modern perc won't. And like any coffee brewing method, it takes practice to master the right technique.

TIPS:

1) To avoid bitterness, do not leave spent grinds in the perc to "keep warm". Use an oven mitt to discard the spent grinds ASAP.

2) Coffee should be consumed within 30 minutes and/or transferred to an insulated server for fresh taste an hour or more later. A glass, vacuum lined server or airpot is a good flavor-saving investment.

3) Do not use pre-ground coffee. A coarser grind will prevent A) harsh taste, B) grinds in the bottom of the pot. There ARE perc paper filters but some people can taste them. I simply avoid serving that last bit. Even on a drip coffeemaker the very bottom of the pot will have more dissolved solids. Don't drink it!

4) Coffee aficionados will spend more money on a quality burr grinder than anything else! What matters for a French press or a drip coffeemaker ? consistent grind size ? makes a difference in the quality of perc coffee, too. The operator's know-how will make the greatest difference ? not the method per se.

FACT VS. FICTION

A) When perc coffeemakers got their bad reputation, bitter ROBUSTO beans prevailed. Today we enjoy better access to fresh coffee/local roasters. We're not living in the 1960s and the perc technology ? and our impressions of it ? needs to keep pace with the times.

B) A 2008 COOKS ILLUSTRATED article revealed that MOST modern drip coffeemakers struggle to extract properly. If they do at all, we aren't seeing a benefit until minutes later ? assuming you brew ENTIRE POTS! Drip coffeemakers are not superior to the perc. Their weaknesses are just different.

C) Critics claim that wonderful perc aroma means all the good flavors are burning off. Not so fast! Much of what we perceive as flavor is actually conferred by SCENT. Would you accuse a restaurant that serves delicious smelling food of "cooking out flavor"? Absolutely not! If you've ever experienced severe congestion from a cold, allergies or sinus infection you may recall how bland food tasted. That's because you weren't getting the benefit of the aroma in your nose/mouth. We're "evolved" as a species to be drawn to fresh, fragrant aromas for good reason. Your nose knows the facts!

C) BPA and pthalates made headlines in recent years for turning up in plastic baby bottles. What of the fact that many of these plasticizers are in our automatic drip coffeemakers? If substances known to contribute to breast and prostate cancer are of concern ? given that the increase in those cancers parallel our "love affair" with plastics over the past 50 years ? the percolator may be a welcomed bright spot in a dim horizon.

In short, don't knock a perc until you've TRIED a perc!

Feb 01, 2010

agreed drip is best
by: Anonymous

my drip coffee machine just broke so I had to get out an old perc pot that my aunt gave me. It worked so I had coffee, but the taste was not anywhere near as good as the drip! It tasted like an old cup of joe, not the strong wonderful coffee flavor I've come to enjoy. I only use organic coffees and I don't like it weak, but perculated coffee just can't cut it for the wonderful coffee flavor, not even close.

Dec 09, 2009

Prefer percolate
by: Anonymous

I also enjoy coffee especially when I have it from a coffee shop or hotel, for the last year I have been drinking drip coffee but no matter how I changed the ammounts if coffee and water it was always bitter I even quit drinking coffee because it was so disgusting. I have just recenty switched to a percolater and it tastes so much better, I can enjoyy coffee again.

Sep 23, 2009

Perc Perc Perc
by: Robert

I have always enjoyed perc over drip. I find the sound of the perculating familiar and calming. Maybe I am just old fashioned, but coffee to me is an event not just a thing to cross off my list during my day.

Sep 09, 2009

I like perked..
by: Dallas Perker

I picked an old Pyrex percolator and tried it out using 100% arabica coffee, mid-priced, to see how it compared to my Mr. Coffee dripper. I was very pleased with the taste of the percolated coffee.I tasted a slight more bitterness, but overall, the flavors were more pronounced than the drip coffee I'm used to. I use coffee creamer, which masked the bitterness. Kind of reminded me of McD coffee, which always seems more bitter than mine at home.

Aug 22, 2009

Perc fan
by: Anonymous

Agree. I switched from drip to percolated years ago, and still using the same percolator. My mom had one too, back in the 60's, and I remember stealing sips from her coffee cup as a kid. Even then the coffee tasted great. I recently tried to go back to drip, for the automatic timer, but decided to give away the coffee maker and pull the percolator from storgage. Maybe all that childhood caffiene caused some brain damage, but I don't believe what they say about percolators boiling and ruining the coffee. The taste is just not nearly as good, to me, brewed any other way - including French press.

Percolators also offer some cost savings. No paper filters needed, and less coffee is required to brew a pot, vs. filter drip. Yet the flavor is richer, and yes, a little stonger. Depending on the coffee blend, and brand, you may have to play with a pot or two, adjusting your tablespoon levels, until you find the measurement that suits your taste. Once you do, you may be hooked for life.

Also, try skipping the expensive coffee shop stuff - many ordinary grocery brands taste wonderful, percolated. However, avoid the cheap, everyday "regular" blends by the top coffee manufacturers. They can taste pretty awful, esp percolated. Instead, spend the extra .50-.75 cents and try their next level up - the specialty blends. (eg "100% Columbian") I am often pleasantly surprised by their rich taste and lack of bitterness. The extra blending and roasting effort is noticeable.)

One last note. Concentrated coffee will continue to drip from the percolator basket after the coffee brews. Remember to remove the basket 4-5 minutes after the brew cycle completes to avoid an overly strong pot of Joe.

Aug 07, 2009

Pecolator Coffee Is Best
by: Anonymous

The reason that percolator coffee is best or even french press for that matter is the hot water stays in contact with the beans longer releasing the natural oils of the coffee and making for a better cup. I roast my own coffee and percolator coffee is just more flavorful and more intense than drip. Making automatic drip coffee is like pouring hot water over a chicken and calling it soup.

Jun 29, 2009

I prefer to percolate
by: Anonymous

I feel that percolated coffee actually releases more nuances of flavor that does your typical drip pot. Not only that but the temperature of the coffee remains hotter for a longer duration of time.

Sep 14, 2008

Not so
by: Anonymous

Perc coffee is the best

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Drip or Percolated coffee...which is best?

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Drip or Percolated coffee...which is best?