Do You Make Percolated Coffee And Why?

Do You Make Percolated Coffee and Why?

A coffee percolator is a pot used for brewing coffee, in most cases made from aluminum. But, it’s not just a regular pot for brewing, percolating coffee is a complex process during which water is boiled (or nearly boiled) and water is soaked over grounds repeatedly.

Do you make percolated coffee?

Make Percolated Coffee: 10 Step Guide

In order to make percolated coffee just right, it is highly suggested to go through all of the following 10 steps:

1
Always wash all instruments of the system before you begin the process. Skipping this part may lead to coffee tasting bad, not to mention hygiene.
2
Set the stand and stem assembly into the pot. Plain and simple preparation step.
3
Pour fresh water (filtered is recommended) into the percolator up to the base of a spring.
4
Measure coffee. One tablespoon is a perfectly good amount for a cup. Place coffee grounds in the stem.
5
Place grounds basket on the stem and firmly put the cover in its place.
6
Place the lid on the pot. Make sure it’s tight and secure, and then put the pot on a cold burner.
7
Heat coffee slowly and wait until you notice perking.
8
Perk for 7 to 10 min. The right amount of time depends mostly on your taste. If you’re percolating coffee for the first time you’ll probably have to go through the process at least a couple of times until you find the perfect amount of time. Keep in mind that the longer you perk coffee the stronger it gets.
9
Let it sit. Allowing your coffee to stand still for a couple of minutes will give time for all grounds to sink to the bottom.
10
Pour and enjoy. You’ve made yourself a percolated coffee.

For many coffee lovers, this method of preparing coffee comes quite controversial and many tend to speak up against it.

Many say that percolators break almost every coffee brewing law.

Before you decide if making percolated coffee is for you, let’s go through all pros and cons.

Let's start with the cons...

The Cons

Here are the biggest cons when making percolated coffee:

When using a percolator, many people over-extract, which makes coffee bitter. Some will claim that this is unavoidable while others will say that good old “practice makes perfect”.
Heating the water to a very specific temperature is essential. If the water boils, the percolator will make the coffee taste bitter by over-extraction.
When the water is passing over the grounds it can cause coffee to be pushed up the tube and again back over the grounds, which will also cause over-extraction. The temperature must be observed closely during the whole process.
Speed. Compared to other methods, percolators are simply slower. This is crucial for many coffee addicts, not everyone likes to wait too long for their morning cup of joe.
Practice is required. This method takes a lot of time to master and requires numerous practice sessions.
Many find cleaning the system to be very tiring. Most parts of the system need to be removed and washed.
Mistakes are common. Even for those more experienced, percolating coffee may produce a horrible coffee if those who are preparing it are not careful.

Here are the pros...

The Pros

Here are the biggest pros when making percolated coffee:

High temperature. Percolator works at a very high (nearly boiling) temperature which is important for all coffee drinkers. Automatic drip, for example, produces coffee at much lower temperatures.
Stronger taste with better flavor. After tasting percolated coffee, a large number of consumers will say that the coffee from other machines or prepared by other methods is just not as strong as percolated coffee is.
Control. With non-automatic models, you have a complete control of the brewing process.
Outdoor use. Percolators are amazing using during camping, picnics or any other occasion when you’re outside.
Vintage. The design reminds people of older, much simpler times.
Durability. A percolator is a very sturdy device. Transportation and its usage in different environments are pretty easy.

Is Percolate Coffee bad for your Health?

Whether percolated coffee is harmful or not has been a subject of a debate for a long time. The strongest argument for this is cafestol which is released by pouring water on coffee grounds.

Percolators don't use paper filters so you drink coffee with cafestol which is considered harmful for your liver.

The Best Choice

The answer to what device is the best for you often varies. Whether you’re looking for a camping percolator coffee pot or something like an electric percolator coffee pot, reviews of other users is always a helpful method of narrowing down your choice.

Like almost everything else with coffee, this also depends on your taste, preference, and, of course, the depth of your pocket.

You can find a cheap percolator, but you usually get what you pay for. On the other hand, expensive devices do not necessarily mean better coffee; it all comes down to how skilled you are.

The Great Debate

The coffee lovers’ society is full of people that will cringe at the very mention of percolated coffee. The others, however, will defend it as the best possible choice. It’s debatable and the great debate over whether percolators ruin coffee and are bad for your health will probably never be over.

Maybe, one day, when we discover a completely new method of preparing coffee and forget about the old ones, we will be able to look back with our new favorite cup of coffee in our hands and think about how silly these discussions were.

We would love to hear your thoughts, tips or advice on percolated coffee. Join in on the debate and leave a comment below. Tell us... do you make percolated coffee and why?