To perk or not to perk, That is the coffeesque question

Greetings good people, this is the Angry Systems Administrator. I’ve been keeping a low profile of late, slaving away in the Anger Central Data Center. Recently, as I was pouring my 5^th cup of coffee for the morning, I had a thought. Would coffee from an old school percolator be better then the usual system I’ve been using since I started drinking coffee?

I then recalled how the ancient peoples of America made coffee as they trekked across the plains. (Yes, I happened to be watching a western, why do you ask?) I saw the old style coffee pots and started doing some research. In short, I rediscovered the Percolator.

I went on YouTube, of course, and watched a few videos. I then went shopping on Amazon and looked at the different types of percolators. Right off the bat I ignored all the electric ones. They are fine if you are going to be using this style of coffee maker as your primary source, but for exploratory coffee brewing, they are way to expensive. I also ignored all the aluminum ones per the YouTube videos I watched. I finally settled on the Primula Stovetop Coffee Percolator. It’s a basic 8 cup percolator.

From watching the YouTube videos, I knew that it was quite common for coffee grounds to pass through the basket and into the main section holding the coffee. A number of solutions were offered, and the one I used was to take a standard filter from the Anger Central Standard Coffee Manufacturing Device, a Mr. Coffee machine, punch a hole in it and put the coffee into that. It worked quite well.

Now for the brewing. My first pot of coffee was a complete disaster. I wasn’t at all surprised of course, I expected to make a few mistakes. Apparently, I should have turned the temperature. When I check, the coffee had blown out all over the stove from the boiling. It was also burned.

The next pot wasn’t burned and didn’t blow all over the stove, however I let it perk a bit to long. It was a bit stronger then I prefer. The third pot was just the opposite. I didn’t let it perk long enough and it was to weak. The fourth pot was, as Goldilocks once said, Just right.

Now the other issue came up. Normally I use Dunkins coffee. It’s quite good from the usual coffeemaker. However, it didn’t taste the same coming from the percolator. This was a bit surprising. However, I started looking for different coffee blends. I’m trying one that was a dark roast and cheap. It’s better then the Dunkin’s coffee, but not quite to my tastes. I’m reviewing other coffees now.

However, what does matter is the actual mechanism, the percolator. It is slower to use and requires a bit more preparation, and you have to wait for the water to start boiling and “Perking.” Once it started, I turned the temperature down and waited for about 8 minutes. At that point, I turned off the burner and let the pot sit for a few minutes. There is a reason for this. It allows any grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot.

Cleaning up was actually a bit easier then it is with the Mr. Coffee. The internal mechanism comes apart easily. The basket with the grounds is simple to clean. You just dump it all in the trash and then rinse out the grounds. This assumes you are using a filter of some sort of course. If you just lay in the coffee, it’s going to be a bit messier. As for the main coffee pot, I can easily get a hand into it with a sponge and just wash it right out, then drain and let dry. The same for everything else.

I’ve decided that when I am working, I’ll just use the old Mr. Coffee machine since it’s a lot easier to set up, and all I need to do is turn on the power and come back a few minutes later. However, on weekends or days when I’m not working, I’ll probably use the percolator. I’m going to continue looking for just the right coffee. I’ve tried dark and medium and I think the next blend will be light. I doubt I’ll bother grinding my own beans. I think the next blend will be Green Mountain.

If you have ever considered using an old style percolator, be sure to do your research. They do have advantages, such as being able to use them over a fire. In fact, that was how they were used when they were invented over 200 years ago. Another coffee maker I’ve been looking at is called a Moka pot. It’s the same principle, but set up in a different manner and more for those who like espresso style coffee. I’m not particularly partial to espresso coffee so I don’t know that I’ll actually buy one.

Another advantage to the percolator is that it’s all metal and glass. No plastics. I’ve been looking since I started this post, and if you want an automatic drip coffee machine with no plastic parts, expect to pay through the nose. Another thing you are going to want is filters. They do a couple of things. They help filter some of the oils from the coffee and they make it a lot easier to clean up. There are several different types. One is similar to the ones for any drip coffee maker and the other style is a disk that sits at the bottom of the basket. I’ve decided to use both. Well look at the time. I think it’s time to make another pot of coffee.

Thank you.

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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~The Angry Systems Administrator~