On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:20:12 -0700 (PDT), 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?

Unlikely... I've not heard of anyone wanting to use a percolator for
years. They 'overcook' the coffee, producing a foul, bitter hot
liquid. But then, you say you *like* that flavour, so each to their
own!

>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.

Another great way to overcook the coffee...

>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.

That has been my experience with drip machines as well.

> 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?

Not sure about that one.

>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.

Perhaps get an espresso machine, or a combo espresso/drip machine. I
know Russell Hobbs used to make one some years ago, not sure about
nowadays though.

>*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.

That sounds like percolator coffee to me

> 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".

Because they're ignorant