On Aug 17, 7:24*pm, dsi1 > wrote:
> On 8/17/2010 12:17 PM, Food Snob® wrote:
>
> > On Aug 17, 6:09 am, > *wrote:
>
> >> Percolators have fallen out of fashion but foul, bitter, coffee is all
> >> the rage. Why worry about boiling the coffee when the beans are
> >> typically getting all burnt to hell during roasting? The truth is that
> >> if the brew you get out of your coffeemaker is bitter, not smooth, it's
> >> because of the roast, not because of overcooking.
>
> > It's not that the overcooking makes it "bitter." *It's that it makes
> > it taste shitty.
>
> You might say that bitter, burnt coffee tastes shitty but I'll bet that
> you'd smack your lips at a $5 cup of Starbucks and proclaim it to be
> "tasty." Sort of irrational behavior, don't you think?
>
I don't buy darker roasts, and I haven't bought coffee at a Starbucks
in many years. I'm cheap. I buy SuperValu's Sumatra, and brew it
with a Mr. Coffee at home, a Cuisinart drip maker at work. I only use
a French press when camping. Anyway, overly roasted beans are not the
same as overcooked liquid coffee.
>
> > --Bryan

--Bryan

On 8/17/2010 7:24 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> On 8/17/2010 12:17 PM, Food Snob® wrote:
>> On Aug 17, 6:09 am, > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Percolators have fallen out of fashion but foul, bitter, coffee is all
>>> the rage. Why worry about boiling the coffee when the beans are
>>> typically getting all burnt to hell during roasting? The truth is that
>>> if the brew you get out of your coffeemaker is bitter, not smooth, it's
>>> because of the roast, not because of overcooking.
>>
>> It's not that the overcooking makes it "bitter." It's that it makes
>> it taste shitty.
>
> You might say that bitter, burnt coffee tastes shitty but I'll bet that
> you'd smack your lips at a $5 cup of Starbucks and proclaim it to be
> "tasty." Sort of irrational behavior, don't you think?
>
>>>
>>> I have a Corning cornflour percolator that works just dandy. I use it
>>> occasionally because it's a neat way to make a cup of Joe. The drip
>>> maker that I use most mornings is fast but the process holds little
>>> fascination.
>>>
>> Be careful. The older Cornflower percolators are subject to recall.
>> http://www.corellecorner.com/company...1976-1979.html
>>
>>
>> They are very pretty, but ALL percolators make shitty coffee.
>
> Shitty and dangerous! :-)
>
>>
>> --Bryan
>


My 30 cup aluminum percolator makes very good coffee, but only if you
make at least 20 cups (otherwise it stops perking too soon.) I never
scrub it; the oxidation and hard water stains and coffee stains all
contribute to passivating the aluminum so it doesn't react with the
coffee. Someday I should try making 10 cups, but putting ice in it to
see if that helps.

Those old Corningware percolators did make good coffee as long as you
didn't try to rush them.

Jeßus wrote:

> 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!

I use a percolator just to heat the water, then i put the coffee
directly in the hot watrer (no percolator basket) and let it sit for 2
- 5 minutes off the heat.

Produces an excellant cup of coffee. And after about 5 minutes all the
grounds have sunk to the bottom and i decant into a glass coffee pot.
--

Mr. Joseph Paul Littleshoes Esq.

Domine, dirige nos.

Let the games begin!
http://fredeeky.typepad.com/fredeeky.../sf_anthem.mp3

On Aug 17, 12:22*pm, JL > wrote:
> Jeßus wrote:
> > 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!
>
> I use a percolator just to heat the water, then i put the coffee
> directly in the hot watrer (no percolator basket) *and let it sit for 2
> - 5 minutes off the heat.
>
> Produces an excellant cup of coffee. *And after about 5 minutes all the
> grounds have sunk to the bottom and i decant into a glass coffee pot.
> --

All you need is the cowboy coffee setup.

On Aug 15, 4:20*pm, phaeton > wrote:

nobody mentioned Toddy.....

with a coffee toddy maker you can use as much or as little coffee
'syrup' as you like for strength and NO bitterness.

On Aug 17, 11:17 am, ImStillMags > wrote:
> On Aug 15, 4:20 pm, phaeton > wrote:
>
> nobody mentioned Toddy.....
>
> with a coffee toddy maker you can use as much or as little coffee
> 'syrup' as you like for strength and NO bitterness.

I take it that Toddy is cold brewed coffee....

" It seems to live up to its billing. Advocates generally claim lower
acid, lower caffeine, and a liquid concentrate that keeps well for
more
than a week.

"We had a friend who prepared cold brewed coffee exclusively and we
drank it often when we visited. Until they moved away.

" Pretty much for all the reasons listed as advantages, we didn't much
like it. It didn't have enough caffeeine for us, the taste lacked
something, probably acid, and the idea of adding water and zapping it
just didn't seem "fresh" to us."

....that's what we posted about it some five years ago. Another poster
in that thread pointed out that cold-brewed coffee had been around for
many years and never gained much popularity, which probably meant
something.

Just as here with percolators--their usage declined, drip makers
grew. The magical mystery of competition doesn't always point to
inherent value but it's something to take note of...... -aem

On 8/17/2010 8:49 AM, aem wrote:
> On Aug 17, 11:17 am, > wrote:
>> On Aug 15, 4:20 pm, > wrote:
>>
>> nobody mentioned Toddy.....
>>
>> with a coffee toddy maker you can use as much or as little coffee
>> 'syrup' as you like for strength and NO bitterness.
>
> I take it that Toddy is cold brewed coffee....
>
> " It seems to live up to its billing. Advocates generally claim lower
> acid, lower caffeine, and a liquid concentrate that keeps well for
> more
> than a week.
>
> "We had a friend who prepared cold brewed coffee exclusively and we
> drank it often when we visited. Until they moved away.
>
> " Pretty much for all the reasons listed as advantages, we didn't much
> like it. It didn't have enough caffeeine for us, the taste lacked
> something, probably acid, and the idea of adding water and zapping it
> just didn't seem "fresh" to us."
>
> ...that's what we posted about it some five years ago. Another poster
> in that thread pointed out that cold-brewed coffee had been around for
> many years and never gained much popularity, which probably meant
> something.
>
> Just as here with percolators--their usage declined, drip makers
> grew. The magical mystery of competition doesn't always point to
> inherent value but it's something to take note of...... -aem

Drip coffee makers are popular because they're fast, they make getting
rid of the grounds easy and you don't get grounds in your cup. Mostly
it's because they're fast - time is our most valuable resource. :-)

On 8/15/2010 7:20 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.

For what you want to do, consider a different approach. Most
authorities agree that for optimal coffee you want three things--freshly
ground beans, 195-205 degree water, and in a drip machine an extraction
time of about 5 minutes.

There's only one consumer-level machine currently on the market that
hits the temperature and time targets (Technivorm--tests of the others
that claim they do show that they don't) and it's around 300 bucks.

The Melitta pourover drip devices (there's a 1-cup, a 6-cup, and a
10-cup) are very highly regarded and dirt-cheap (under 20 bucks), but
you need to heat water for them. You can do this in a kettle on the
stove, or you can use a Japanese style automatic boiler for 90 bucks or
so (Zojirushi CD-WBC30 for example although there are many others). Add
a whirligig grinder (Krups fast touch for example) for 20 bucks and a
bag of Dunkin' Donuts whole bean coffee (don't laugh--Dunkin Donuts does
a good job both on selection and roasting) and you should see a
significant improvement in coffee quality over what you've been drinking.

> 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".