On 8/15/2010 6:20 PM, phaeton wrote:
> My some-years-old Black N Decker drip coffeemaker sprang a leak while
> I was vinegaring it out yesterday, thus destroying the delicate
> ecosystem of my countertop. I'm considering replacing it with an
> electric percolator. I see them for around $40 at misc stores, such
> as Sears.
>
> What made me think of this was last weekend, when at my girlfriend's
> aunt's cabin, she made us all coffee in an oldish electric
> percolator. She used just regular unspecial Folgers ground coffee and
> it was the most lovely cup I'd had in quite some time. Bold tasting,
> well bodied, had some octane to it but wasn't too strong or acidic
> tasting*.
>
> Anyone here use one of these?
>
> 1) I assume that the new modern ones will automatically switch from
> "brew mode" to "keep warm mode" when it's done (hence the indicator
> light). This is important because I don't want something I have to
> keep an eye on. I want to be able to load it, flip it on and ignore it
> completely until after i've come out of the shower. Also, I tend to
> brew small amounts most mornings (just enough for a cup to drink and
> fill my travel mug). My B&D Drip model could begrudgingly brew small
> amounts but for some reason it never tasted as good as the times when
> I make a whole pot. IIRC most drip makers recommend making at least a
> half a pot. The box that percolators are in say they'll make 2-12
> cups and it's all the same. I don't want a "one cup" drip model.
>
> 2) I seem to remember seeing different grinds for percolators. Is
> that still necessary?
>
> 3) I know I can get another crappy drip model (like a 5-cup one) for
> about $10 and it'll make coffee for a few years just fine before
> blowing up. The percolators I'm looking at are 4 times as much.
> However, it looks like the way percolators are made that they'll last
> decades. Am I wrong?
>
> Thanks for any help and advice.
>
>
> *When I first moved out on my own I had a stovetop percolator that
> made the worst coffee ever. Maybe the water was bad or at 17 years
> old I just didn't know how to make coffee, but it was always weak,
> burnt tasting and acidic like i brewed it with vinegar instead of
> water. Yet every time anyone saw it on my stove or heard that I had
> one they'd say "those make the BEST coffee you'll ever have".

The best coffee is made using an old fashioned drip pot, ie one of those
aluminum jobs with the built in filter, put the grounds in it, put the
upper section on, pour boiling water into the pot, put the lid on and
let it drip away. Get out of the shower, drink two or three cups, black
of course, to get your eyes wide open, then drink the rest. My folks had
two of the things and one was pouring coffee for whomever was there
while the other was ready to drip another ten-cup pot.

Here's a seven-cup version on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/369k4jt