NOTE: There is a fair amount of disagreement on this article. For opposing views please take a look at the comments and make your own decision based on what you like.
Percolators violate most of the natural laws about brewing coffee.
- Don’t over extract the oils and flavor. Percolators work by taking coffee and reheating it and throwing it over the grounds over and over and over again.
- Never reheat / boil coffee. This destroys the flavor. For best flavor, boil the water, pass it over the grounds and retain the heat. Don’t reheat it.
Violating these rules may not sound like much, but these are about the only rules there are. The effect of a percolator is to keep passing boiling water/coffee over the grounds until there is no flavor left and the flavor in the coffee is so dead that it’s a worthless waste.
There seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding about the re-boiling of already brewed coffee.
About half way through this video from “Coffee brewers institute” (1961) there is a good example of the boiling and re-brewing over and over again of coffee in a percolator. At approximately the 7 minute 40 second mark they show a glass percolator.
If you look in the bottom half you will see already brewed coffee. The already brewed coffee is boiling and being pushed back over the grounds. That’s a pretty good visual demonstration of what is happening.
Coffee Guide
Electric Percolators
Most modern percolators are the electric variety – they plug into a wall outlet and are a self-contained unit.
Most electric percolators use a stainless steel basket with quite large perforations, which makes select the appropriate grind important. You do not want to use a paper filter with these, as it could prevent proper drainage and flow, and cause the coffee to spill over.
There are also stove top percolators, which are meant to be placed on a stove surface instead of plugged in, and these are different from moka pots.
Percolator vs. Vacuum pots
Reading several comments some seem to be people who are not talking about a percolator but a vacuum pot or a moka pot.
If you have a brewer that pushes water up into a second (usually upper) chamber by steam and holds the water in the upper chamber during brewing then pulls it back via vacuum into the lower changer after brewing that’s not a percolator. That is a vacuum pot which is described over here. Vacuum pot coffee also happens to be one of my favorite ways to have coffee.
Percolator vs. Moka Pot
A moka pot (unlike a vacuum pot) will push the water through the grounds and into an upper chamber that it is served from.
I realize that in a few cases manufacturers have chosen to add the word percolator to the description of their moka pots. Strictly speaking this is not any more correct than calling a moka pot an espresso maker which is another common marketing gimmick for moka pots.
How to choose a percolator
Ultimately the preference of coffee makers comes down to personal preference. I’ll go further to say most people will probably prefer whatever they are accustomed to so if you grew up on perc pots you may always prefer them even if they have inherent problems. There is nothing wrong with that.
You won’t get the “best” cup of coffee as defined by coffee snob, but it will produce a cup of coffee on par with most coffees brewed at home in a regular drip pot coffee maker. Having said that if you are looking for your first coffee pot or your first non-drip coffee pot I would encourage you to skip the perc pot.
If budget is a concern a French Press is excellent. If budget is less of a concern you can get a good manual Vacuum pot for a little more than an electric perc pot.
If you have already tried the other methods and want to try something new give a perc pot a try. They are not expensive so you won’t be out a lot of money. If you end up loving perc above all else then by all means celebrate your discovery of the way that is right for you.
Coleman Percolators
Coleman brand percolators are a line of percolators designed for outdoor use at campsites, picnics and barbecues. They’re rugged and specifically designed to be used over campfires, similar to stove-top models.
User reviews seem to indicate that while the outside is durable, the glass knob on top, and aluminum basket, can be problematic over the long run.
Be sure to follow the instructions provided when you purchase your brewer.
Hamilton Beach Percolators
Hamilton Beach manufactures a line of stainless steel electric percolators with detached electrical cords, making them portable. While initial usage indicates that these make good coffee, quickly, there are a large number of complaints that the machine stops working under a year. Make sure to get a good warranty.
West Bend Percolators
West Bend is a brand that manufactures large-scale percolators, labeled as “urns”. The distinction between a regular percolator and an urn appears to be that an urn is meant for serving large quantities of coffee, such as at events.
They come with a dispensing spout (spigot) near the bottom of the machine that makes it easy to dispense coffee without tipping the machine.
Urns and percolators operate off the same principles.
Eric
Perco Fection
While stovetop percolators must be carefully monitored to make sure they don’t come to a boil, this is not so with electric percolators. A typical electric percolator will brew coffee at the optimum 200 degrees. The greater the wattage, the quicker it gets to this temperature, and the better the coffee will be. The recirculating of water through the grinds apparently does not have a detrimental effect. A French press allows the grinds to simply steep while floating freely in the water, so I don’t see how this makes any difference. Bascially, the faster a percolator brews, the better. I have a Farberware 8 cup perc, and it brews at cup a minute speed. I use a grind only slightly more coarse than auto drip, and it makes coffee identical in body and overall tone as my Chemex pourover brewer. Auto drip machines just cannot compare. I refurbish and resell a lot of coffee makers, and can tell you that the vast majority of coffee makers aren’t even designed to get hot enough to brew properly. They are pour substitutes for a proper method of brewing coffee. If you’re not going to use a manual method of brewing, then get a percolator.
Anonymous7585
i have a drip, percolator,
i have a drip, percolator, and french press. sorry but the percolator makes the best coffee in my opinion – the flavor is a lot better – now i usually drink darker coffee – french roast & colombian so i dont know if that matters – i think it depends on the drinker.
R Phillips
Works for me…
I recently bought a Presto stainless steel percolator. I’ve had no problem adjusting the grind for a perfectly balanced taste, neither over nor under extracted. The coffee is very rich and tastes more like coffee from a press than from a drip machine to me. The coffee is hotter and seems to last longer in the pot without burning… no filters… no paper or plastics to leech chemicals into your coffee… I highly recommend the Presto perc if you enjoy a great cup of coffee.
I’ve also found by using a finer grind suitable for drip coffee, you can make “super” coffee with a caffeine kick that will knock your socks off.. lol
mich
Percs rule!
No doubt, percolators make the tastiest coffee! Not the quickest, but certainly the tastiest. We’ve got three children and lots of committees to juggle. Meetings usually end up here because everyone enjoys the percolated coffee so much. I guess, in their quest for speed, they bailed on taste. We own three percolators and I am very sad to say I broke my 4 cup pot yesterday. I am going CRAZY looking for a new one. Anyone know where I can find a 4 cup glass percolator?
Vanessa
replacement 4 cup perc:
JCPenney.com
I am myself in the market for a new type altogether of a coffee maker. My regular dripper just gave out the other day after many years of diligent service, but never the tastiest coffee. For a good hit of true coffee taste and aroma I would have to buy commercially by the cup to tide me over, or make some cappuccino. I am between a French Press style and a percolator. I am in the process of learning about how these work, and am trying to at best guess which one will produce the tastiest home brewed coffee. I saw the 4 cup perc on Penney’s www. Good luck! Let me know how it works, would you?
Anonymous
Sorry for you, but the
Sorry for you, but the coffee does steam upwards through a shaft where which the coffee is effectively caught in another chamber. In this chamber, as you have worded it, the coffee sits and is never re-boiled. I’m not sure where you got the information you have stated but I believe it to be horribly mistaken. Seriously, just observe the design of the pot.
Daniel
RE:Sorry for you, but the
If you would be kind enough to read the article you will see a link to a video. At approximately the 7 minute 40 second mark they show a glass percolator. If you look in the bottom half you will see already brewed coffee. The already brewed coffee is boiling and being pushed back over the grounds. Say it’s not true if you like but that’s a pretty good visual demonstration of what is happening. Now on the other hand if you want your coffee to be pushed up into a second chamber by steam and held safely away from boiling that’s not a percolator. That is a vacuum pot which is described over there.
Anonymous
I watched the video of a
I watched the video of a 60’s style percolator, who uses one of those percolators? Maybe campers or grandparents. If you want to get an idea of the kinds of percolators coffee enthusiasts use take a look at http://www.bialetti.com/
Yeah, the kind of percolator in the video does make the worst coffee ever. I would never use such a dumb concoction. I use a percolator at home for great coffee and a french press in my studio for decent coffee. I’m not sure if you knew there were two types… Although, if you are commenting on this forum and you don’t know the differences between this percolator in the video narrated by William Shatner and the Italian stove top percolator well, then maybe you’re hurting worse than I. Who has a paper due on Monday but can’t seem to stop watching percolator videos.
Daniel
RE: I watched the video of a
The site you point to sells Moka Pots which are covered separately in the FAQ
over here.
The look similar but that is where the similarities end. Finally maybe I have
an answer for why so many people say they love percolator
coffee.
Once again a Percolator is not a Moka Pot or a Vacuum Pot.
A percolator is that thing in the video and yes people still use them.
Kurtis Kroon
Turkish coffee, was: Perc is the best
You said: Let me ask you this… if boiling coffee is so bad, then why does Turkish coffee exist?
My response (as someone who owns an ibrik and enjoys Turkish coffee): you don’t actually boil coffee in the ibrik (cezve, Turkish coffee pot, whatever). The shape of the pot and the sugar that’s usually added before brewing causes the coffee to foam up at about 70 – 85 C, which is much lower than true boiling. The low temperature is also why you can do the traditional “foam and settle” three times without getting a cup of bitter, astringent brew.
Finally, if you do actually try to boil coffee in an ibrik (i.e. at 100 C), you end up with a huge mess on your stovetop. That’s what happened to me the first time I wasn’t paying attention.
Marylandsquare
I love all the coffee
I love all the coffee specials, for example today I tried banana flavoured frappe, and yesterday chocolate flavoured:D . But I don’t know if I’d know to do things like that by myself, I prefer going to nice coffee shops and trying them.
Anonymous
For some people the stronger
For some people the stronger the flavour of the coffee the more they will like it and perculating gives the strongest flavour. Saying this is better than that is a matter of taste and reminds me of the fact most people including wine snobs cannot tell the difference between a good English wine by Nyetimber and Champagne. The difference is we can easily tell the difference in brewing methods during a blind coffee tasting test, but the similarity is the wine “experts” (snobs) clearly talk a lot of rubbish when they cannot blindly tell the difference between quality English wine and Champagne.
So coffee snobs can moronically sit there and say their method is the best because it preserves the subtle flavour, etc, etc until their faces turn blue but the truth is bluntly that they like their method best because either they prefer the taste, or someone they admired (often due to simple arrogance in both admirer and admired) said it was better.
Something that is very important and should be considered is that coffee contains cafestol, a hydrocarbon which is one of the most potent dietary (if not THE most potent) cholesterol raising agent known to man. It works by disrupting genes in the liver that regulate cholesterol. The ONLY common brewing method which remove the cafestol (and removing it is a good thing) is to use filter PAPERS (not a permanent filter, it is too course) which removes the oils and therefore the cafestol.
So perhaps we should stop being so snobby about drip filtered coffee since it’s the healthy way to go?
Personally I brew most of my coffee Scandanavian style (I know, it’s an acquiried taste :P), which contains the most cafestol along with French press coffee. Oops. But then again I also had fried bread, eggs and sausages for breakfast and if you would never dream of eating something so artery clogging you should only drink paper filtered coffee.
Google cafestol if you don’t take my word for it (and you should not take any random commenters word for anything). And you thought that decaf with all the natural oils was healthy! Incidently there is a fair amount of evidence people who drink decaf have a higher heart disease risk than those who don’t. Isn’t science ironic 😉
Phil
percolator debate
I have heard from “Coffee Experts” for years, “Do not percolate coffee”. Well there is alot of “science” that is wrong!
I have one thing to say about this debate. Taste! My mother has probably sold more perolaters than any one person I have ever heard of. People visit, and comment on how good her coffee is, not knowing anything about method, brand, ect. She begans telling about measuring coffee, brand, and so on. They return after followiing all instructions saying, their coffee is still inferior to hers. She says, there’s only one thing left the percolator! They purchase one and “Olay” great coffee!
Everyone in my family, and countless friends have switched to percolators. The reason the market has “beat these down” for so long is that coffee is one of the largest traded comodities in the world today and pecolators use “one half” the coffee of other methods! Trust me I have tried dozens of drip makers and there aren’t any that compare to a good pecolator!
Bev
Cafestol removed?
If cafestol can be removed by coffee filters, could it be removed from percolated coffee if it was poured through a paper filter into the cup after it it brewed?
Anonymous
Percolators
I agree. I find the flavor of percolator coffee to be smoother and just better. We visited a coffee farmer in Hawaii once and he asked us how we brewed our daily coffee. When told we were using a brand name maker, he insisted we switch to a percolator. He said he wouldn’t drink coffee made any other way. We have tried it and agree, it is better. No filters to throw away either.
chelle
perk papers
There are paper filters for percolators. As far as I know there are 2 types: disks and paper packets.
I’ve never tried the packet type but I can say that those little paper disks do a good job of keeping grounds out of my coffee. I imagine they would help reduce the cafestol content as well.
Anonymous
Cafestol and vacuum brewing
Will vacuum brewing reduce cafestol in coffee? When I make coffee in my vacuum brewer, it tastes less oily than coffee made in my percolator, so I’m wondering if it’s effectively reducing the amount of cafestol. (fwiw, I have a Yama vacuum brewer)…
Daniel
RE:Cafestol and vacuum brewing
If you are using the Yama’s cloth filters you are esentially filtering the coffee. My understanding is that cafestol is removed in filtered coffee so this would make sense. If you have replaced the cloth filter with a glass rod filter that may be another story.
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Von Magnum
If Percolators brew below boiling but around 200F, THEN…. 🙂
I have not tried percolated coffee (yet) and so I cannot comment on the flavor (I’ve got a French Press, a drip maker, a pump espresso machine and a turkish coffee pot). But I do find several faults with the premise of the article and have at least one point to offer in favor of the percolator. First of all, if what I’ve been reading is true, the percolator does NOT boil the coffee and IF that is true, then the basic premise of what is wrong with percolated coffee is just plain wrong.
Secondly, IF the coffee really is being brewed around 200 degrees Fahrenheit give or take a few degrees, then the percolator has a MAJOR selling point over ALL drip makers (I have yet to see drip maker that operates much above 165 degrees Fahrenheit). As anyone who knows anything about the French Press, the reason most people believe the coffee it produces tastes better than a drip maker is that it is brewing it at the correct temperature and drip makers do NOT do this. So IF the percolator is brewing at the correct temperature then that would explain why it tastes better. The fact that already brewed coffee is being recirculated through the grounds is MEANINGLESS. Yes, meaningless because the SAME THING can be technically said of a French Press through convection currents and you don’t see any coffee snobs ‘dissing’ the French Press. The key in both cases (and of Turkish coffee as well) that the water remains JUST BELOW the boiling point. You will only get ‘burnt’ or ‘scorched’ coffee if actual boiling water is coming into contact with the coffee grounds.
Given all of what I’ve read, I must admit my interest in TRYING percolated coffee has been sufficiently piqued that I’m planning on buying a Presto Percolator just to try it out for myself. In the end, TASTE is what actually matters and I couldn’t care less what others think. An opinion is just an opinion and all tastes fall into that category in the end. If you prefer percolated or turkish or espresso, who cares so long as YOU enjoy it? I hate snobbery even though I love quality food and drink. What tastes best with cream and sugar isn’t neccessarily the same as what tastes best with flavored creamers and what tastes best black. Sometimes you can be in the mood for a certain taste as well. For example, I like steak, but I like hamburgers too. They are not mutually exclusive despite both being different cuts of beef.
Daniel
RE: If Percolators brew below boiling but around 200F, THEN….
Most of your comments are correct of vacuum coffee makers but not necessarily percolators. Perc pots warm the water in the bottom area and then push warm (but not boiling) coffee into the top area. This is similar to a vacuum pot or a Moka pot. The difference with a perc pot comes in next. A perc pot allows the water to flow back down into the bottom reservoir. As it falls through it goes threw the grounds much like a drip pot. Once the brewed coffee falls down it starts to boil. That is where the boiling comes in. If you don’t believe me watch the video of a perc pot in action. It is mentioned in paragraph five of the main article. The boiling of brewed coffee is the real problem here.
You are correct about the correct temperature making all the difference in the world. I upgraded to a Technivorm and the coffee is not just convenient but has great taste to rival vacuum which is my preferred prep method.
I will agree that ultimately it comes down to personal preference. I’ll go further to say most people will probably prefer whatever they are accustomed to. Give a perc pot a try. They are not expensive so you won’t be out a lot of money. At the same time you get your perc pick up a vacuum pot. That will give you a package that looks similar to a perc pot without all the inherent engineering problems. If you end up loving perc above all else then by all means celebrate your discovery of the way that is right for you.
Von Magnum
I tried a Presto Percolator And…
I went out today and purchased a Presto 12-cup Percolator (highest rated model on Amazon) at Sears. It cost around $50. And yes by Percolator, I mean the “bad” coffee maker, not a Moka pot, which I already have and have had for several years (forgot to mention it in my list above).
In general, the basic premise is that Percolators are ‘bad’ because they both “boil” coffee and “recirculate” (brew coffee again that was already brewed). The 2nd premise is BS in my opinion because French Press Pots do the same thing via convection (Percolators simply do it a little more forcefully) and no one bad mouths the French Press. In essence, brewed coffee contains micro molecules and sending them through the filter basket again would only increase the quantity, not necessarily change their nature. So I don’t buy that a viable explanation or reason why percolators “suck”.
The 1st premise is a little harder to test with my stainless steel model because I cannot actually measure the temperature of the water (later coffee) at the bottom of the pot. The assertion here is that it IS boiling and therefore scorches the coffee and the evidence presented is a stove-based model that is literally brought to a boil. My problem with that as evidence is that the “boiling” is the USER’S FAULT. As with Turkish coffee, boiling is a no-no and should be avoided. If the user ‘boiled’ their coffee, then they had the heat setting TOO HIGH when percolating. The solution is to use less heat and not let the water/coffee boil. Percolating should not require boiling water, only HOT water (200 degrees is more or less optimal for brewing). The Presto model I purchased is an electric plug-in model. It is quite possible that the temperature is regulated. In fact, I have read (even in this very thread) that ELECTRIC PERCOLATORS do NOT boil the water, but in fact brew at about 200 degrees.
Thus, if that is indeed correct, then ALL this bad-mouthing of percolators is pretty much 100% BS. Not only does it not matter if coffee is recirculated (French Presses do the same thing through convection), but *electric* percolators do NOT *BOIL* coffee (and neither will a stove top one if you regulate the temperature properly). Thus, I must conclude on a technical level that the case against percolators is comprised of half-truths and just plain ignorance and that it does not deserve its bad reputation and only got it because of stove top percolators run by people that don’t know the definition of medium heat.
Now on a personal taste test level, I just tried the Presto percolator using Dunkin Donuts original whole bean coffee which was run through my burr grinder at a medium coarse level and then put into the filter basket with a home-made paper filter (poked a hole through a regular drip filter). After about 10 minutes (I made a lot of coffee), it was done and PIPING HOT (much hotter than any espresso or drip coffee and tantamount to French Press, but with a built-in warming coil like a drip maker–although you can unplug it if you don’t like it being warmed). I first tried the coffee black (after I let it cool a bit since it was burning my tongue) and my first impression was WOW. This coffee wasn’t even SLIGHTLY bitter. It is in fact, the BEST “black” coffee I’ve tasted since I had coffee one time at a catered event. I neglected to ask them what kind of coffee they were using and I now realize it is far more likely that it was the METHOD they used that produced the drinkable ‘black’ coffee (I do not normally like black coffee and I’ve tried ALL basic other coffee brewing methods except the Bodum vacuum pot and the Chemex Drip Pot). Espresso is about the only thing I like black and ONLY if it’s made well. Next, I tried adding milk and sugar to the coffee and once again, it exceeded my wildest expectations. It tasted better than a drip maker (by FAR) and rivaled if not surpassed my Bonjour French Press (same coffee, same roast). I’d imagine this could be do the fact the French Press quickly drops below 200 degrees as it cools whereas the Electric Percolator maintains it during the brew cycle.
So as far as I’m concerned, the main article needs editing. It’s both COMPLETELY FALSE (for electric percolators and regulated stove-top ones) but the coffee tastes GREAT. And you cannot say I’m biased towards percolator coffee because I never had it before (knowingly at least). I started with drip, moved to French Press (big improvment), tried moka pots (acceptable to make pseudo cappuccino, IMO, but terrible for a pseudo-espresso) and still make espresso, cappuccino and turkish coffee on a regular basis (this is no substitute for them because their flavors are DIFFERENT from regular coffee). But as far as I’m concerned, this test has proven to me the best method for making normal coffee is a regulated temperature (electric) percolator. It brews it at the correct (200 degree) temperature. French Presses also do this but quickly cool. Drip makers don’t even come close.
For those “coffee snobs” that think percolators are garbage, I wonder how many actually TRIED them (a good regulated one made with a good grinder) before dismissing them based on other snob opinions, many of which are clearly based on watching someone boil coffee in one instead of keeping the temperature regulated at 200 degrees where it belongs.
Ail
RE Coffee tastes
I absolutely love the taste of coffee from my Percolator, As do my husband and a lot of my friends. People have different tastes and it is complete snobbery to tell people they should only make coffee a certain way. The same as the way people have their Tea, Food etc. It is more important for everyone to enjoy their coffee than to make it a different way because so called experts say we should. I know what i like and thats good enough for me.
Rob
In theory, Percoloators might not be the best way to make coffee
But, in reality those who use them are the most happy with the taste of their coffee.
I love a good, hot strong cup of coffee, and with the right beans, percolators will never make a bad tasting cup. There may be better ways to make coffee, but not for the price of a percolator. All you need to do is look at reviews of drip coffee systems to see how many of them make lousy, underheated coffee.
CHARLES
A percolator making its
A percolator making its bubbling music and the wonderful aroma of percolating coffee is unbeatable. No other coffee maker creates such a pleasing ambience. Throw away the coffee and drink from another pot jif you wish, but the nostalgic aroma dn music spells “Good morning!” and at other meal times it says,”Welcome to the table!”.
Anonymous
coffee percolators
There was a time when one could purchase a small (1-2 cups) coffee percolator which was ideal for someone living alone. I have an old one which has seen better days, but now all the percolators on the market are made for four cups and up. Sure, they say you can make two cups of coffee, but one still has to use a large percolator just to make one or two cups of coffee.
Anonymous
The author of this article
The author of this article must like thin tasteless coffee. Percolators make far better tasting coffee than drip. Dirp coffee makes are for people who don’t know what coffee should taste like or that don’t like the taste of coffee.
Daniel
RE: The author of this article
You are certainly welcome to your opinion. Just remember that you are disagreeing with almost every specialty coffee professional. Drip coffee isn’t perfect by any means. Vacuum or press pot are by far better but drip does not boil the coffee so it’s the lesser of evils.
Anonymous
Bunn
I am trying to give the best first-hand experience, non bias comment around..
First, I drink my coffee black. I am not a fan of drip or percolators. I totally agree that with the comments that people that own drip machines are generally dissatisfied and I was one of them but I much prefer a drip over a percolator. However, I now have a Bunn that I use every day and I love it. It brews the coffee very strong and with lots of body. That’s because it shoots the water out in 5 streams to mix up all the grinds rather than a slow drip. And apparently people keep their Bunns for 15 years! I realize I sound like I work for Bunn, but you could easily spend $100 on a Krups drip machine that is no better than the $25 Mr. Coffee. It’s Bunn or french press for me.
Now my first-hand experience. I always roast my own coffee and this Christmas I gave some to my uncle who has a percolator. After consuming the coffee I gave my uncle brewed in his new automatic perc, I was sad to realize that the taste I love from my home roasted coffee was gone and it tasted just like it was the same Folgers coffee that my uncle and my grandparents use. Further more, both my uncle and grandparents drink their coffee with heavy cream so I am assuming they can’t taste the difference anyway.
In conclusion, I would say that coffee brewed in a percolator has a certain taste, which I do not like. But if you are going to argue that dripers are better, you do not have much ground (pun intended) to stand on if the machine you are using is a proctor silex.
If you want great flavor extraction and spend $30, use a french press. But again, that is how I feel and other people may not like really good, strong coffee. There is always manual pour, but I have never tried that.
Anonymous
Percolator
I agree with this pro perc opinion and never thought of the bureaucracy angle. Now my taste buds are justified. I have a very keen palette and can distinguish differences in flavor and my 2 favorite methods are french press and percolator. I had an old McCormic ceramic one and would often roast it over a campfire. Neighbors would come faithfully every evening to get what they called the best coffee ever. They even liked it better thiers when i used their brand.
Anonymous
I agree perc coffee rocks
I agree perc coffee rocks over drip coffee. You can call me tasteless, and my coffee too, but you’ll have to pry my PollyPerk percolator out of cold dead hands to get it away from me.