Coffee made in a percolator is strong, rich, and the best tasting coffee you can get. The aroma and flavour evoke memories of old times with Gran. In fact, because of this, many people will not make coffee with anything other than a percolator. Even many who have used drip machines or French Presses have gone back to the old way.
Percolators have been given a bit of a bad name recently with the advent of all the fancy automatic coffee machines on the market, and people complain that the coffee gets burnt. This is certainly possible, especially with stove top models, but happens mainly because people are impatient. However, with the right technique, and not too much heat, you can make a perfect brew every time. Here's how:
Use Filtered water in a clean pot with fresh, good quality coffee.
These three factors are fundamental to a good brew. Keep your pot clean of any coffee residue which contains coffee oils that may have gone rancid. Use good quality, freshly ground coffee. Use clean, filtered water. As the percolation process adds plenty of oxygen, you do not need to oxygenate the water, and so bottled water is fine to use.
Make sure that you use enough coffee.
You should use one heaped spoon of coffee for each cup of water in the pot. Because of the size of the percolator (several models are quite large), it is easy to underestimate the quantity of coffee required for a good brew. Some people prefer to use filter paper in the filter basket, and you can easily buy 3.5"? filter disks for the purpose. This prevents the finer grounds from escaping the basket into the coffee. Make sure that you use good quality filter paper that is acid free and will not affect the flavor of the coffee.
Start the brew!
Add water to the pot before placing the stem and filter basket inside. The water level should not reach the filter basket. If you have an electric model, then simply turn it on and wait for the magic to happen. If you have a stove top percolator, put it on a low to medium heat. This is now the critical part, because a wrong turn here can spoil your brew. As soon as the first burble hits the glass bubble, turn the heat down. You should aim to have no more than 1 "perc" every three to five seconds. Any more than this will boil the coffee, and result in a burnt flavour. You need to keep the water in the pot at about 95 deg Cel or 200 deg F, and allow the steam pressure to build up in the stem and bubble over gently. Keep this going for about four minutes, or one minute per cup of water.
Watch out for that heat!
When you have finished the brew, remove the pot from the heat. Open the pot and take out the filter basket and stem (do not scald yourself!). This is so that the steam does not condense inside the pot lid and continue dripping through the used coffee. If you have an electric model, resist the temptation to use the "keep warm" feature - it is far better to decant the coffee into a clean, pre-warmed thermos flask. The "keep warm" option on any coffee maker always has an effect on the flavour.
This process requires a bit more patience and attention than with other processes, but when you are done you will be able to sit back and enjoy a good, rich, strong brew!
