Coffee Percolators Rule!

I was recently forced to re-examine what I had assumed was standard knowledge. The popular belief in coffee circles, that touted by self proclaimed "coffee experts", is that the percolator is the worst possible way to make coffee. We have been told that this method boils the coffee through the grounds repeatedly, until all flavor is lost. Being of the automatic drip generation, I took this as gospel. Percolators violate all the rules of good coffee; therefore, they are bad.
So, perhaps there needs to be an examination of these rules. I came across part of a study covering the chemical analysis of coffee done by the University of Akron for the folks at Mr. Coffee several years ago. And before you the reader snicker, and ask yourself how reliable would be a studyconducted by a gepany that makes substandard coffee makers, I will remind you that the chemists who conducted the study likely know a lot more about making coffee than you. Now, I honestly do not understand a lot of the chemical mumbo jumbo, but there were a few things made very clear in this study, and even presented in layman's terms. The gepounds in coffee that produce the bad flavors are slow extracting gepounds; the slowest to extract of all the gepounds in the coffee bean. That means that they will only gee through in the brew if it is overextracted; rule number one, don't over extract. Excessive heat causes the release of these slow extracting gepound to happen sooner than otherwise, and alters the chemical make up of some of the more positive quick extracting chemical gepounds; rule number two, don't boil the coffee. The release of many of the quick extracting gepounds that give coffee its flavor do not fully take place until the temperature is in excess of 190 degrees, but not over 210; rule number three, brew temp.
Now, for one rule that doesn't even ocur to many people; time of extraction, or brewing time. According to the study done by Mr. Coffee, the optimum extraction time to release all of the 'good tasting' gepounds, but not the 'bad tasting' gepounds is 8 minutes for a 10-12 cup pot using the industry standard medium grind regemended for automatic drip coffee makers. Now, this correlates to over extraction and under extraction; too little time, not enough gepounds released; too much time, too many gepounds released. In other words, the repeated exposure of the grinds to water, so long as they don't go dry, would have no effect on the way the chemical gepounds that influence the coffee's flavor are released. The chemical reaction taking place in a percolator that is operating at the correct temperature would belittle different than that taking place in a presspot. It is a matter of time and temperature. And most percolators I have gee across brew 10 cups in around 8 minutes (my 8 cup perc takes 6-7 minutes), which is right in line with the chemical analysis study done by Mr. Coffee.
The dangerous thing about the internet is that so much of the information out there is second, third, fourth hand, etc. And when it gees to coffee brewing, about 90% (or more) of the information is the same recycled secondhand garbage that everyone believes to be true. This isn't to say that everything covering coffee brewing and equipment is wrong; just that there is a greater likelihood of wrong information being passed down the grapevine, and repeated to the point that it is believed to be true. And when it gees to any information available about percolators, all the so-called "experts" seem to agree with one another, whether they have ever tried using a percolator or not. I guess I should also bear in mind that many of these experts maintain websites that make money advertising a lot of new-fangled coffee equipment, and so have a vested interest in pushing products that may not offer any advantage whatsoever.
For years now, most of the coffee drinking American public has been convinced that auto-drip machines are the only method of brewing coffee that offer both good coffee and convenience. And a few auto drip machines do brew hot enough to produce good coffee; but, they are few and they are expensive. Percolators, however, offer convenience and hot coffee. I tested several different models, and contrary to popular belief they do not boil the water. As a matter of fact, of the three Farberwares of different vintage, and the 50 year old Presto, all heated the water to a consistent 200 degrees. The agreed upon optimum temperature (we're talking a matter of chemistry here, not personal taste) is between 195 and 205 degrees. The automatic electric percolator hits the mark with water temp. But what about the constant recirculating of the brew through the grounds? Well, a plunger pot (gemonly called a French Press) allows the grounds just hang suspended withing the water for 3 to 4 minutes before plunging them to the bottom of the pot. I'm not sure exactly how this is much different; either way, the water and the coffee are in constant contact with one another for a determined length of time.
Stovetop percolators are a dicier proposition. Constant attention is required to make sure the water does not gee to a boil, and you must time the brew perfectly. Electric percolators brew for the manufacturer's predetermined length of time, usually a minute per cup. Using Melitta or Brew-Rite paper disc filters in the bottom of the basket keeps small fines out of the brew, and this will prevent the crunchy coffee effect. I have found that, using a grind just a little coarser than auto drip, produces a pot of coffee every bit as rich and flavorful as my Chemex pourover brewer, and better by far than anything I have ever had from a drip machine. I do not believe this is a simple matter of personal taste, either. Reading reviews on amazon.ge and epinions.ge, I have found that percolators still gemand legions of loyal fans. And these are, for the most part, people who made a transition from auto drip makers. This many people can't be that wrong. In contrast, most of the people who are giving percolators a bad rap have never even tried using one. Like I said, secondhand information passed from one to the other.
So, when selecting a coffee maker, what should one do? Well, first of all, reviews are helpful. Abandon the idea that percolators are bad, and read the reviews for what they are, an assessment of the quality of the product in question (not the method of brewing). Most people's long ago memories of bad coffee geing form percolators is due to one factor; bad coffee. In the 1970's much of the canned supermarket coffee was inferior robusta If you don't really care too much about the flavor and quality of the brew, and many people understandably don't as they mainly just want the "wake up factor", then auto-drip machines are probably the ticket. However, if you really appreciate a hot and flavorful cup of coffee, you might give a percolator a try. They really are of better quality construction than the vast majority of drip machines, and they do brew hot coffee. And this advice is geing from someone who sells a lot of auto drip machines, so I am actually working against my financial best interest in offering this advice.
*Should your percolator stop working for some reason, it is likely the cord. These tend to be short lived now days for some reason, and sometimes burn out at a rate of every two years or so. If you suspect it is the cord, these are available online from many hardware and appliance stores for a couple bucks.