Percolators get a bad rap

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Percolators get a bad rap

by 01becko
(Lex KY)

Even though percolators overextract grounds, what a percolator does is insulate coffee from its worst enemy, which is air. If you buy vintage, the trick is getting one with stainless steel-- not aluminum-- innards.

I perk, turn down the heat if it adjusts, and then remove the basket and pole. Pot stays relatively balanced for a good hour.

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Percolators get a bad rap

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Oct 04, 2009
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perc coffee
by: Anonymous

I have always thought that perk coffee had the deepest flavor with the greatest depth and texture.

I believe on subsequent passing of the water over the grounds gets the deeper aspects of the beans to the brew....

after perk it took me a long while to get used to drip,,,, it seemed to me that it was lacking.. no matter what brand of pot or brand of coffee....

michael d

pi_stachio@yahoo.com

Mar 09, 2010
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BIG LIE: Electric Percolators Boil Coffee
by: NewsView

The boiling complaint against percolator coffee is so often repeated that it isn't even questioned anymore.

But it should be.

Would we expect a MR COFFEE drip brewer built in 1973 to compare to today's drip coffeemaker with all the bells & whistles?

Probably not.

Similarly, electric percolators have evolved. They may look the same as they did years ago, but have any of these so-called coffee experts bothered to take a closer look since they were, oh, about 9 years old and didn't drink ANY coffee back then, let alone the perc variety?

The only part that is still true of modern electric percs is that coffee passes over the grounds more than once in the brew process. If you don't like that, fair complaint. If, on the other hand, you think ANY perc coffee will taste bad, that's because you haven't HAD any. Your readers aren't dumb: We can see through someone who is repeating what they've heard vs. what they know firsthand.

Anyone can make bad coffee using ANY method. You've heard it said that "Guns don't kill people, people do." Well, I say "Coffee brewing isn't the cause of bad coffee, people are."

Assuming you get the technique down right and all other factors are properly accounted for, perc coffee is very good and it smells better too. Did you know that from an olfactory science point of view that MUCH of what we consider "taste" is actually influenced by smell? Yep. But the proponents of coffee brewing urban legend would also have us believe that great aroma = poor flavor. Again, another tip-off that the so-called experts are only repeating hearsay. And we all know how reliable secondhand info. 100x removed is!

Take it from the many people who weigh in on this topic when the subject comes up here and elsewhere on the web: Those who have tried perc coffee from a MODERN electric brewer that keeps brew temps in the ideal range prefer it. Sure you have to do a few things, like take out the spent grinds after the brew cycle is complete and not re-perc the coffee over and over again to keep it warm. But there are similar caveats about not leaving drip coffee to bake on the warming plate all day ? and we don't uniformly disparage drip brewers! Every coffee brewing method has its Dos and Don'ts. The fact that it is possible to mess up the coffee isn't cause to discount the entire method.

In closing, folks need to be encouraged to make up their own minds. Problem is, this isn't the type of message we get while reading what the "experts" have to say. Anytime somebody tells you how you MUST to do something, that's arrogance talking.

Ignore it and buck the trend.

Nov 24, 2010
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I love electric percolators
by: Joanne

I used a Farberware electric percolator for many, many years and was quite happy with the quality of the coffee it brewed. Then along came this new, so-called wonderful coffee maker from Mr. Coffee. Since several of our friends had purchased this new marvel drip coffee maker I finally caved. For years I used drip makers and for years I really was not satisfied with them. I owned both inexpensive drip makers and expensive ones. In 1993 I purchased a new Farberware percolator coffee pot. I am still happily using it 365 days a year and it, like the Energizer Bunny, simply keeps on making excellent coffee. I use a good brand of coffee and feel that is one important thing to consider. No drip makers or one-cup wonders for me. I'm staying with my reliable electric percolator.

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Percolators get a bad rap

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Percolators get a bad rap