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".

On Aug 15, 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?

Percolators destroy coffee. To call them primitive would be
generous. Buy a cheap Mr. Coffee, or any other decent drip maker.

--Bryan

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.

A $40 coffee maker is penny wise and pound foolish, IMHO. Even
inexpensive coffee, purchased as whole beans, makes pretty decent coffee
in a pretty decent coffee maker.

A Cuisinart Grind 'n' Brew will set you back about $120 - I saw a
refurbished one online for $90 - but you can put whole beans into it the
night before and have it make freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee
for you every morning. Freshly ground makes a difference.

Another reason to get the Grind 'n' Brew or similar is that it uses a
thermal carafe, not a heater - anything that heats your already brewed
coffee is just going to make it worse - the carafe keeps it hot for
hours. It's still a drip coffee maker, just one that grinds first and
then keeps the coffee hot in a thermal carafe.

We did the above for years using very inexpensive, supermarket bought,
whole bean coffee - we just made sure it was 100% Arabica beans, which
most are.

-S-

phaeton wrote:

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.

Making small amounts of coffee in a filter-type coffeemaker can be
touchy. I have found that one needs to add water in just the right
gradual profile. (I am using a Melitta cone.) I would not surprise
me if most automatic drip coffeemakers manage to do this suboptimally.

(By "small amounts" I mean two cups, about 14 ounces of liquid coffee
brewed from 1.2 ounces of ground coffee.)

Steve

Food Snob® wrote:

On Aug 15, 6:20*pm, phaeton wrote:

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*.

Percolators destroy coffee. To call them primitive would be
generous. Buy a cheap Mr. Coffee, or any other decent drip maker.

Hypothesis: the water at the OP's aunt's cabin is really good,
and this resulted in good coffee, not the percolator method.

Steve

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

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?

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".

I recently purchased a Farberware stovetop percolator for use in case
of power outages, works wonderfully well. A percolator requires a
little more cleaning effort but makes a great cuppa and with less
coffee. Just bring up to temp, lower to a light perc and set a timer
for seven minutes. A percolater requires a bit more fussing than an
ADC but I think it makes a better cuppa. And if you use fine ground
coffee it's simple to poke a paper basket filter over the post. The
Farberware stovetop perk is very well made and looks nice too.
http://www.target.com/Farberware-Cla.../dp/B001IAYIPO

In article
,
phaeton wrote:

electric percolator. I see them for around $40 at misc stores, such
as Sears.

Anyone here use one of these?

Not for decades. They worked OK, but they boil the coffee. The problem
with drip makers is that they need to keep the water in the filter long
enough to extract the flavor from the coffee, but not so long that they
overflow. A ten cup maker is not going to keep two or three cups of
water with the coffee long enough.

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?

A nice four cup drip maker is US$20. If it lasts five years and then
dies, that's one penny a day. When you look at what coffee costs,
that's nothing. It's been a long time, but I don't remember the
electric percolators lasting all that long.

Thanks for any help and advice.

HTH.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Dan Abel" wrote in message
...
In article
,
phaeton wrote:

electric percolator. I see them for around $40 at misc stores, such
as Sears.

Anyone here use one of these?

Not for decades. They worked OK, but they boil the coffee. The problem
with drip makers is that they need to keep the water in the filter long
enough to extract the flavor from the coffee, but not so long that they
overflow. A ten cup maker is not going to keep two or three cups of
water with the coffee long enough.

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?

A nice four cup drip maker is US$20. If it lasts five years and then
dies, that's one penny a day. When you look at what coffee costs,
that's nothing. It's been a long time, but I don't remember the
electric percolators lasting all that long.

Thanks for any help and advice.

HTH.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA




Have you tried the French Press type? I have one that I use quite a bit of
the time, makes a lovely cuppa

Peaches

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".



I have a 30-cup aluminum electric percolator that I use every once in a
while because it makes great coffee that tastes different than automatic
drip coffee. I know it shouldn't be any good, it just is. It also
holds the coffee at a slightly lower temperature than the Mr. Coffee,
and I like that.

Bob


Bob

In article ,
"Steve Freides" wrote:

phaeton wrote:

I'm considering replacing it with an
electric percolator. I see them for around $40 at misc stores, such
as Sears.

A $40 coffee maker is penny wise and pound foolish, IMHO. Even
inexpensive coffee, purchased as whole beans, makes pretty decent coffee
in a pretty decent coffee maker.

A Cuisinart Grind 'n' Brew will set you back about $120 - I saw a
refurbished one online for $90 - but you can put whole beans into it the
night before and have it make freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee
for you every morning. Freshly ground makes a difference.

Freshly ground is much better. I'm not sure I'd pay the money or deal
with it, though.

Another reason to get the Grind 'n' Brew or similar is that it uses a
thermal carafe, not a heater - anything that heats your already brewed
coffee is just going to make it worse - the carafe keeps it hot for
hours. It's still a drip coffee maker, just one that grinds first and
then keeps the coffee hot in a thermal carafe.

The "keep warm" feature on really cheap drip coffee makers can be bad
news. With age, they get too hot. Even new, they burn the coffee in a
few hours. My present coffee maker turns off the warmer after two
hours. Sometimes I turn it off earlier. My microwave is just across
the kitchen, and that reheats the coffee just fine. Phaeton says he
just wants one cup to drink and enough to fill his travel mug.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Yeah, the press is my baby. I find them at Goodwillall the time.

It should be mentioned that percolated (boiled) coffee is crrelated to esophogeal cancer. The press is so basic and makes such good coffee, it's the choice for me.

Dan Abel wrote:
In article ,
"Steve Freides" wrote:

phaeton wrote:

I'm considering replacing it with an
electric percolator. I see them for around $40 at misc stores, such
as Sears.

A $40 coffee maker is penny wise and pound foolish, IMHO. Even
inexpensive coffee, purchased as whole beans, makes pretty decent
coffee in a pretty decent coffee maker.

A Cuisinart Grind 'n' Brew will set you back about $120 - I saw a
refurbished one online for $90 - but you can put whole beans into it
the night before and have it make freshly ground and freshly brewed
coffee for you every morning. Freshly ground makes a difference.

Freshly ground is much better. I'm not sure I'd pay the money or deal
with it, though.

There's nothing to deal with - you put in whole beans instead of ground
the night before. Well, you do have to clean out the grinder.

Another reason to get the Grind 'n' Brew or similar is that it uses a
thermal carafe, not a heater - anything that heats your already
brewed coffee is just going to make it worse - the carafe keeps it
hot for hours. It's still a drip coffee maker, just one that grinds
first and then keeps the coffee hot in a thermal carafe.

The "keep warm" feature on really cheap drip coffee makers can be bad
news. With age, they get too hot. Even new, they burn the coffee in
a few hours. My present coffee maker turns off the warmer after two
hours. Sometimes I turn it off earlier. My microwave is just across
the kitchen, and that reheats the coffee just fine. Phaeton says he
just wants one cup to drink and enough to fill his travel mug.

The keep warm feature on _any_ coffee makeer is bad news. The microwave
will reheat coffee from a thermal carafe, too. A good friend of ours
makes only his own AM cup of coffee in a Grind 'n' Brew and has been
doing it for years.

Percolators make awful coffee.

-S-

On Aug 15, 8:45*pm, Dan Abel wrote:
In article ,
*"Steve Freides" wrote:

phaeton wrote:
* I'm considering replacing it with an
electric percolator. *I see them for around $40 at misc stores, such
as Sears.

A $40 coffee maker is penny wise and pound foolish, IMHO. *Even
inexpensive coffee, purchased as whole beans, makes pretty decent coffee
in a pretty decent coffee maker.

Cheap coffee makes crappy coffee, if you're meaning cheap like
Folger's or 8 O'Clock. The Java Delight at SuperValu stores * is
pretty good, and it's usually $4.97/12oz.

A Cuisinart Grind 'n' Brew will set you back about $120 - I saw a
refurbished one online for $90 - but you can put whole beans into it the
night before and have it make freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee
for you every morning. *Freshly ground makes a difference.

Freshly ground is much better. *I'm not sure I'd pay the money or deal
with it, though.

Another reason to get the Grind 'n' Brew or similar is that it uses a
thermal carafe, not a heater - anything that heats your already brewed
coffee is just going to make it worse - the carafe keeps it hot for
hours. *It's still a drip coffee maker, just one that grinds first and
then keeps the coffee hot in a thermal carafe.

I used to have a Cuisinart that ground the coffee. It was a hassle to
clean each time, and quite a bit of coffee got wasted each time inside
the grinding part. The grinder broke after a few years. I used the
thing for several years after that, using a separate grinder.

The "keep warm" feature on really cheap drip coffee makers can be bad
news. *With age, they get too hot. *Even new, they burn the coffee in a
few hours. *

A few hours? I turn it off as soon as the coffee is finished.

My present coffee maker turns off the warmer after two
hours. *Sometimes I turn it off earlier. *My microwave is just across
the kitchen, and that reheats the coffee just fine. *Phaeton says he
just wants one cup to drink and enough to fill his travel mug.

I wish mine didn't even have that stupid heating pad.


* ACME®
ALBERTSONS®
BRISTOL FARMS®
CUB®
FARM FRESH®
HORNBACHER'S®
JEWEL-OSCO®
LUCKY®
SAVE-A-LOT®
SHAW'S / STAR MARKET®
SHOP 'N SAVE®
SHOPPERS®

--
Dan Abel

--Bryan

On Aug 15, 7:39*pm, brooklyn1 wrote:
On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:20:12 -0700 (PDT), phaeton


*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".

Those are the same type of folks who think Bud Light is the best
beer. They aren't basing it on taste, though they think they are.
The percolator is probably what their mothers used. I loved my mother
too, but she made shitty coffee.

I recently purchased a Farberware stovetop percolator for use in case
of power outages, works wonderfully well. *A percolator requires a
little more cleaning effort but makes a great cuppa and with less
coffee. *Just bring up to temp, lower to a light perc and set a timer
for seven minutes. *A percolater requires a bit more fussing than an
ADC but I think it makes a better cuppa. *

And you accuse others of having TIAD.

--Bryan