The word "percolator" has come to mean that special
coffee pot that used to sit on Grandma's stove and
bubble away like mad all morning long.
Typically they consist of a heat proof pot that holds
the water, a long tube (like a straw) that holds a
filter basket at the top.
This filter is normally made of metal and holds the
coffee grounds apart from the water in the main pot.
Usually fairly coarsely ground coffee is used and a
perforated lid is placed over the filter in order to
distribute the water evenly over the grounds.
 Coffee percolators once enjoyed great popularity, but were
supplanted in the early 1970s by automatic drip coffee
makers, and more recently by the French press, as well
as a renewed interest in espresso coffee.
Percolators
still have a following, since the coffee has a
distinctive quality that some particularly appreciate.
As the water in the pot reached the boil, it is forced
up the tube and repeatedly spilled over the grounds in
the filter basket. In this way both water and the
freshly brewed coffee drips back down into the hot water
and over the grounds.
Gradually the coffee becomes stronger as the
water/coffee continues to drip over the grounds. This
process continues as long as the pot is kept at the
boiling point.
Even though we may hold special memories of percolators,
they are not a particularly good way to make a great cup
of coffee.
In fact many people rank percolator coffee right down
there beside coffee boiled directly in the water!
When it is made in a percolator a number of things
happen that produce a less than perfect cup of coffee.
For starters, the water is overheated. Boiling water
simply extracts too many of the unwanted bitter flavors
in the coffee and should be avoided if possible (which
isn't possible with a percolator).
Also the coffee grounds become over extracted by repeatedly passing
already brewed coffee back over the grounds.
Finally the boiling/percolating action of the liquid
tends to release many of the desirable flavors and
compounds into the air.
While this does produce a wonderful aroma of fresh
coffee in the house, it can often lead to flat tasting
coffee.
In the end, it is often best to avoid percolators if you
can. There are other affordable ways of brewing great
coffee, even if it may mean turning your back on
wonderful aromatic memories.
Coffee Machines
available at the Coffee Shop,
and mugs, gifts, grinders, gourmet coffee beans, too.
Follow the advice in this website and you'll have your friends and family
eagerly responding to your next call of
"Anyone for Coffee?"
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