Percolator for coffee - coarse grind for the basket?

[johnny b]

SW....
Its like seasoning a cast iron pan....'clean' does indeed change the taste.

A Moka pot makes excellent, strong espresso-like coffee by forcing hot water thru the fine grounds under pressure. Unlike a percolator, the water goes thru only once.

A note to remember, though is don't let that safety valve get plugged or you'll end up with a grenade on the stove. :exclamation:


A percolator, once it starts boiling, is actually going to be boiling the coffee as it continues to percolate as evidenced by the coffee getting darker as you watch it doing its thing in the glass on top, as in the old commercials. So even though most of us old farts learned our first coffee lessons via mom's electric percolator, most aficionados today (aka coffee snobs) will tell you that percolating is akin to murder!

Me, personally, have 3 stainless camping percolators, a couple of plastic filter funnels for pour thru, a double wall insulating stainless french press (unbreakable and my current favorite), and will probably be buying a Moka pot soon. I've also got a portable hand held 'real espresso' maker that makes an excellent double shot using a nitrous oxide cartridge to supply the high pressure! 

Whatever you like is what you should drink.

Fine grind - Espresso and Moka pots.
Medium grind - Filter drip.
Coarse grind - French press, Cowboy and Percolators.


But I'm not a snob, really!  

 

[Ballenxj]

Need filters for your percolator? Simple.

 

[Sabatical]

This threads been dormant for a while but i thought i'd share some coffee goodness. I recently got an Aeropress after reading the article linked below
http://www.desktodirtbag.com/how-to-make-coffee-while-camping/

We had been drinking drip coffee when at home and perc coffee when travelling. I have a love hate thing going on with my percolator. I just don't have the knack for making good coffee with it. It works great so my guess is a lack of technique.

So this Aeropress thing is wicked simple to use and quick. No running the gas burner for 20 minutes. Bring 2 cups of water up to 175 degrees and pour over the grounds. Let stand for a minute. Then press the plunger. To clean you just take the screen off and push the plunger to eject the grounds and give a quick rinse if you like.

For bonus points it's way lighter than a perc pot and smaller too. Cons would include having to repeat the process for the next cup but it takes about a minute to heat the water and a couple minutes to brew.

Two thumbs up from me. YMMV.

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

 

[Wabbit]

Also, if you use just regular filters pushed thru the middle, I sprinkle cinnamon in the bottom on the filter(light dusting), then time the percing at about 2 and a half minutes. Sometimes some vanilla extract on top of the grounds beforing percing is nice cold weather treat...lol

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

Me, personally, have 3 stainless camping percolators, a couple of plastic filter funnels for pour thru, a double wall insulating stainless french press (unbreakable and my current favorite), and will probably be buying a Moka pot soon. I've also got a portable hand held 'real espresso' maker that makes an excellent double shot using a nitrous oxide cartridge to supply the high pressure! 
 
Whatever you like is what you should drink.

Fine grind - Espresso and Moka pots.
Medium grind - Filter drip.
Coarse grind - French press, Cowboy and Percolators.


But I'm not a snob, really!  

Did someone say coffee?

johnny b, I think I love you. Wanna get coffee?

I am a certified coffee snob. I am also an addict and so will drink what there is and there better damn well be something.

several notes:
ahem ... the professor is speaking 

- Perc coffee, like eggs or chicken broth should never be boiled. Once the the boil begins the heat should be reduced to a simmer. With your stove top model you should see the glass top go pop ... pop ... pop not shake rattle and role.
- Starbucks, aside from popular culture is the biggest swindle perpetrated on the world in a long time. Don't bother. Don't feel bad about it. Their coffee, as a whole is pretty bad. I know this through years of scientific taste testing of various roasts in a wide sample of locations.
- Store ground coffee in an airtight container. Keep it cool but do NOT freeze it. I would say you are better off with it on a shelf rather than in an ice-chest. 
- Ground coffee is fresh for about 3 days. After that you start to loose essential oils etc. Whole bean coffee is fresh for weeks and green beans can be fresh for months
- If grinding your own spend the money and get a burr grinder. Look for stainless steal and ceramic burrs if you can find it. Hand grinders just take a little longer and they help burn up some calories.
- Flavored coffee, Irish cream, hazelnut, mocha-mint etc, is cheap coffee that has been roasted, stripped and coated in an artificial flavor oil. Buy yourself a nice bottle of flavor in the baking isle and experiment. Pay a tad more for bottles that come with a dropper built in to the top. You can thank me later.
- Instant coffee, where it is sub-par, is a suitable substitute when there is nothing else or you are truly in a hurry. It does also come in handy for cooking, try adding it to BBQ sauce next time you grill or roast.
- Camp and RV drip pots? They work, but I don't use a drip pot at home and I'm not spending that kind of money on when when it's just me.
- I have used but do not own an aeropress and I would suggest to anyone, vanner or SB to test it out.
- I drink 1-2 cups per day. I will be taking a large french press and a funnel drip. I have considered the stovetop espresso pot as well. My tinned copper ibrik and burner will be in storage somewhere.
- A paint brush for cleaning up dry grounds and a squirt bottle filled with water and a little vinigar will make clean up a breeze.
- Find what works for you.
- Drink what you like.

Steps down, picks up soapbox and walks away whistling ...

 

[29chico]

This threads been dormant for a while but i thought i'd share some coffee goodness. I recently got an Aeropress after reading the article linked below
http://www.desktodirtbag.com/how-to-make-coffee-while-camping/

We had been drinking drip coffee when at home and perc coffee when travelling. I have a love hate thing going on with my percolator. I just don't have the knack for making good coffee with it. It works great so my guess is a lack of technique.

So this Aeropress thing is wicked simple to use and quick. No running the gas burner for 20 minutes. Bring 2 cups of water up to 175 degrees and pour over the grounds. Let stand for a minute. Then press the plunger. To clean you just take the screen off and push the plunger to eject the grounds and give a quick rinse if you like.

For bonus points it's way lighter than a perc pot and smaller too. Cons would include having to repeat the process for the next cup but it takes about a minute to heat the water and a couple minutes to brew.  

Two thumbs up from me. YMMV.

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

The aeropress makes the best coffee ever.  Tons of flavor w/o any bitterness.

The upside down method allows longer brewing times w/o some of the coffee running out thru the filter before it's time. 

You Tube link to the upside down method:  

 

[jimindenver]

I've heard you need to drop the heat on a perk once it gets going. I've done drip most my life with a auto drip at home and a cone filter in the camper. When I couldn't fine the #6 filters for the cone I switched to a old Bunn basket that sits perfectly on the pot. I do enjoy my Moka pots though. I have a upright like SW's and a camping version that makes it in your cup for less clean up. I set one up the night before and set it on the burner to be lit first thing in the morning. Within minutes I have a cup of wide eyed and bushy tail going and little clean up.

 

[eDJ_]

I met this guy when he was in Columbus, Ohio.  He's moved to California since.  He was a entrepreneur eCommerce businessman. He was also a world traveler for Coffee.  His website offers materials, equipment, supplies, and education about Coffee.   I used to buy green coffee beans from him when I wanted to learn about the lore of Coffee and home roasting.  

https://www.sweetmarias.com/


I carry a percolator in my Kitchenette and a Stanley Thermos to put the coffee in once it's perked.  As many others I cut down ADC filters to fit in the bottom of the basket.  I heat my percolator on a medium heat and shoot to keep it right at the boiling point.  And I clean it after I use it.  It's a stainless steel unit that has served me well.

But I also carry Instant coffee, envelopes of hot chocolate, and tea bags and use the percolator as a kettle for hot water.

 

[Sabatical]

Aint it funny how easy it is to get folks talking about coffee? Thanks for all the input.

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[Ballenxj]

Aint it funny how easy it is to get folks talking about coffee? Thanks for all the input.

Coffee? Somebody say coffee?  Bout time this thread got a wake up call!

 

[TMG51]

Since starting this thread I've figured out what works for me and my coffee.

1. I let my percolator boil until my coffee is burn and thick and dark. I'm aware boiling with a percolator is a no-no as per any coffee snob, but I'm not a coffee snob; I like it strong and palpable. I use a paper filter in the percolator just by poking a hole in it to slide over the tube. Grounds don't escape into the brew. To clean, I plop the used filter out into the trash and give 3-4 spray bottle squirts into the basket to get any few used grounds that didn't come out. Done.

2. Found a Moka Pot at a thrift store for a couple bucks. I use this when I want only one cup of coffee instead of a pot of coffee. It works faster and it does produce a better cup - dark, and I prefer the taste to my burnt percolator pot. But more often than not I want more than one cup and I use the percolator.

 

[Sabatical]

I think the aeropress appeals to my minimalistic tendencies. I want to travel light and use as few resources as possible. I'm not talking about being green per se, but less $$. Runnng a burner for 20-30 for a marginal cup of coffee just aint worth it for me.
I like a strong cup too, so i just let it sit another minute before pressing. I'm still waiting for DW's oppinion but if it's a good one the perc will probably get donated.

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[steamjam1]

Although I have a traditional stainless steel peculator, I'm far too lazy to use it. I use a 4-cup Mr. Coffee 550 watt coffee maker every morning. I can run that coffee maker for hours a day using my batteries and solar panels for free, rather then using the propane in my tank, which costs me $. I wake up, flip the switch. wait 5 minutes or so. pour. sip. done. It's why I go months between propane fills.