Once upon a time, everybody that loved coffee
owned a percolator. Praised for its convenience and efficiency, this
style of old fashioned coffee makers have fallen out of favor from
today's coffee lovers. However, percolator coffee makers still have
some fans and it never hurts to have a percolator as one of your
coffee makers.
Sometimes described as a type of bubbling
coffee makers, there are many different types of percolators.
Percolators vary on their source of heat, as some percolators use
fire as its heating source. This is most common when percolators are
used over a campfire. Additionally, stovetop percolators used to be
very popular. However, the most common type of percolator coffee
maker used today is electrical percolator that uses electricity as
its heating source. Electricity percolators have a built-in heating
element and one is even able to obtain a cordless electric
percolator if they so wanted.
Despite the different varieties of percolators,
percolators share a common design that is similar to a carafe in
which water is contained within to brew the coffee. At the top
of the percolator lies a perforated basket while a tube sits at the
center of the percolator.
It is ideal to use regular or fine coffee
grinds for the best type of coffee that one can brew using a
percolator. The advantages of the percolator are that it results in
a cup of coffee that has a full body and a nice aroma. The coffee
will be clear and steaming hot.
The disadvantages of percolators is that by
boiling the coffee grinds, the percolator is cooking away the
delicate flavor essence of the coffee beans thus diminishing the
intended flavor of the coffee beans. Additionally, percolator coffee
machines have a tendency to pass brewed coffee back over the coffee
grounds. This process has the effect of over extracting the coffee
grounds, thus diminishing the flavor of the final cup of coffee.
While many coffee lovers attempt to circumvent this effect of the
percolator by using a very course grind, this doesn't prevent the
fact that the coffee grounds will become abused. What results from a
percolator coffee machine is cup of coffee that is over extracted
and has a foul taste. Many feel that the percolator is an
inconvenient type of coffee maker & its take far too long to brew a
cup of coffee, about 13-18 minutes for a percolator to brew enough
coffee for six cups.
