stovetop percolator makes crappy coffee?

Question

why? are there tricks? it is metal.

Answer 1

I love coffee from those old stove top perculators, they do make filters for that kind of coffee maker.
but if you are not happy with your coffee maker then go buy a drip maker. like Mr. Coffee

Answer 2

perculators are the best way to make good coffee but there is good and bad perculators. A cheap one will make crappy coffee. That's why drip coffee makers are so popular. A good perculator costs about $65. It isn't an on top stove item! A good perculator has the right pressures and a good sealer to prevent grains from fall into the coffee. I once had a glass perculator and the grain thing was on the side it worked on the vacuum principle unfortunately it slipped off the counter onto a hard cement floor and broke. It was a gift from my Aunt Margie.. It sure made great coffee! Also with perculators you use less coffee than with drip coffee makers. If you need to make do with your cheap perculator put a bit of salt and a drop of oil in the grains and put an extra sealer on the top of the perculator.. Some tinfoil can work for that! make a few pinholes in the foil so the water can pass through!

Answer 3

My grandparents still use an old Revereware stove top percolator from when they got married (1950s), and I LOVE going to their house. Sometimes I go just for coffee, LOL. If yours is making crappy coffee, it's probably because you're percolating it too long. It's very easy to burn coffee this way. You should let it perc. for just a few minutes (2 or 3 tops) and don't set it on high and let it boil...you should just *barely* see the coffee coming up into the little "window" on the top. Once it gets to be the color (strength) you like, immediately remove it from the heat.

You should also buy coffee that is coarsely ground. Regular canned coffee (Maxwell House, Folgers, etc.) is perfectly fine, but you might get a *few* grounds in your coffee. If you buy coffee that's very finely ground (espresso grind, for example), much of the coffee will leak through the holes in the basket and your coffee will be gritty.

My (non-professional) opinion: You're letting to percolate too long and it's burning the coffee/making it too strong.

Answer 4

Crappy coffee is usually the result of crappy thinking. The trick is to find the proper grind, add a measured amount in the basket for each cup you want to brew, percolate it for a set amount of time depending on your taste, add just a pinch of salt to the grounds before perking and you will have a cup of brew that Mr. Coffee couldn't produce in its lifetime. This can be done with a brand like Chase & Sanborn, no need for fancy gormet stuff.

Answer 5

I love a stove top percolator. Go buy the filters that are made for percolators. If your problem is just taste, maybe you don't have your measurement right. Plus you only perc it for a short time them you need to remove the basket with the grinds in it from the pot. Then just keep the pot on warm.

Answer 6

Perked coffee = Crappy coffee if you ask me.Get a Kitchen Aid (Pro)