Vintage Coffee Makers

[luvthatlulu]

Here's a tip before you get started...

Be sure to run a vinegar wash thru the entire works first. It will remove and neutralize the contaminents that cause an acidic, bitter taste in old urns, percs, etc. Afterwards, an occasional citric acid (or lemon juice concentrate) wash works just as well.

I have an old Manning-Bowman "Harmony" Art Deco set myself, and doing so dramatically improved the end results.

 

[Lee Lynch]

I agree with the prevailing wisdom that coffee should never be boiled or left on a hot plate after coffee meets hot water. This destroys the oils in the coffee, and scorches it.

I would never percolate coffee, as it pretty much destroys what is good about it. I realize this was once the way to go, but I am pleased that coffee making methods have matured byond it.

The french press, in my own view, is the supreme brewing method, and preserves all the properties of coffee.

We have a Quisinart self-grinding coffee maker that grinds the beans and brews, and we turn the burner late off.

Yes, I go to Starbucks...

 

[olive bleu]

The funny thing about percolators is that they really haven't changed that much.

My dad has an old aluminum one that he now uses for camping, but was the staple of weekend breakfast for many years before the drip maker came along.

Even REI carrys these classic styled ones:

Hmmmm that was some kinda taste... burned, boiled over goodness!

yeah, that's pretty much what i get with mine, but to be quite frank, you would never catch me throwing a pot of ANY coffee down the sink.:coffee:

 

[dhermann1]

Silex coffee pots

We had friends in the 50's who used a Silex coffee pot. It was an early drip system. Since you couldn't get paper filters, you used a washable cheesecloth one. It was heavy glass, and shaped like an hour glass. It made a great cup of coffee. There's a classic scene in a Hepburn/Tracy movie, I think it's "Woman of the Year", where she tries to be domestic and make breakfast. Edith Head gave her a costume with shoulder straps that kept flopping down. Great slapstick performance by Kate as she tries to fry eggs, make toast and make coffee with her Silex coffee maker.
Here's a couple of interesting links with coffee maker history:
http://baharris.org/coffee/History.htm .
http://www.jitterbuzz.com/coftrip.html
I agree about the quality of percolated coffee. I think that the water is a boiling point when it pops up through the little tube. The ideal temperature for makng coffee is closer to 190. Boiling water damages the coffee, and actually boiling coffee makes it unhealthy for you. Back in the Civil War they used to roast the beans in the fire, smash them with their musket butts, toss the into the pot and boil the hell out of it. War is hell!
P.S. Actually, after perusing the above links, it must have been a Chemex pot they had. Anyway, it was cool.

 

[Helen Troy]

I have always wanted a percolator after I read the word for the first time, (it`s not common in Norwegian,) in a Raymond Chandler novel. (I can't remember which one right now.) There is this amazingly detailed description of the percolator making the coffee, how it slowly rises in the upper part, the smell, how long it takes..... and the point of the whole description is of course to avoid describing , (or in the case of the observer, Phillip Marlow, not to look at) the murdered body of the percolators owner.

If I remember correctly, and understood the description, the percolator making the dead man's coffee must have looked something like this:

This is described as a vacuum pot, and if I understand the principles correctly, it differs from the normal percolator, (Bialetti-type,) in some ways. In the vacuum pot, the grounded coffee circulates in the water for a longer time. In a percolator, the grounded coffee is kept in a separate container and the water is pressed through it. I can imagine that coffee made in a vacuum pot easily tastes bad, because of the long time the grounded coffee is in contact with the water. But a normal percolator makes great, gourmet approved espresso-type coffee, right?

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Oddly enough.....

I agree with the prevailing wisdom that coffee should never be boiled or left on a hot plate after coffee meets hot water. This destroys the oils in the coffee, and scorches it.

I would never percolate coffee, as it pretty much destroys what is good about it. I realize this was once the way to go, but I am pleased that coffee making methods have matured byond it.

The french press, in my own view, is the supreme brewing method, and preserves all the properties of coffee.

We have a Quisinart self-grinding coffee maker that grinds the beans and brews, and we turn the burner late off.

Yes, I go to Starbucks...

I just saw a great program on one of those cable documentary channels (Modern Marvels, or some such thing) about the history of coffee. I always believed that percolated coffee was the best way to make a pot. The show comfirmed what you are saying here; that percolation ruins the coffee taste and is, perhaps, the worst coffee brewing method. The French Press came out on top.

Now me, I'm an instant coffee man, myself! Turns out, that is the most popular method of coffee in Europe and is regaining popularity here in the States. I grew up on it!

I too love the Starbucks though!
-dixon cannon

 

[Elaina]

I grew up with a dad who loves percolated coffee, and to me, there's nothing like it in the world as far as taste and nostalgia go.

But because I also enjoy a good cup of coffee and not everyone likes the idea of them, I also have several different coffee pots lying around, from automatic drip, French press, espresso machine and a stove top vacuum espresso pot.

I'm the only one that drinks it here, so generally I can have it anyway I choose, but I was taught to be the consummate hostess and have a variety of options available (which explains why the woman who hasn't drank tea in 20 years has a teapot and a drip tea maker).

 

[staggerwing]

http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/10...field-keywords=percolator&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Thank you! And I thought they only sold books...What'll they think of next?

 

[staggerwing]

Check the local five and dime style store in your area. There is no need to pay Williams-Sonoma prices for an aluminum can.

Feraud,

I'd agree - then again I just paid $250 for a toaster at Williams-Sonoma. What does it do? Toasts bread. That's it. But, I was willing to pay the big bucks because it was the only one I could find that wasn't made in China. Just another of my quirks, I guess.

 

[Viola]

I have a Corningware percolater, white withe blue daisies on it, you know. Sometimes I just boil the water in it and then run it through a handheld Mylita filter, its a bit faster that way.

It icks my mom out that I sometimes boil eggs in it at the same time. Coffee and eggs all in one pot while my toast toasts, what could be bad? Beats the hell out of a Pop-Tart and doesn't take any longer!

-Viola

 

[dhermann1]

Helen Troy: That's not a percolator. It's a Silex, an early drip system. The percolator has a little glass knob in the lid, and as the water in the bottom boils, it erupts into the glass top and spreads over the basket, dripping down through the coffee grounds. The great thing about the percolator is that because of the way it works, it causes the aroma of coffee to spread out all over the house. You can be upstairs in bed, and the aroma from the percolator will wake you up, dress you, shave you, and carry you right downstairs to the breakfast table, with no effort required on your part. Ahhhhhh . . . . .

 

[dhermann1]

Instant coffee

The problem with instant (unless they've changed how they make it) is that it's loaded with nitrates, which are BAD for you. However, I once had a sensational brand of instant that a frend brought back from Ecuador. It was called Cafe Instanteo. Not freeze dried, just regular instant. Boy was that good! It must have been extraordinarily good to begin with, before it was dehydrated, or whatever they do to it. MMMM good!

 

[Pilgrim]

I grew up with a dad who loves percolated coffee, and to me, there's nothing like it in the world as far as taste and nostalgia go.

Indeed! The aroma of percolating coffee is great. But then, so is the smell of flavored coffee through a drip machine.

I'll admit that I've been a drip coffee drinker for years. I like the flavor. However, whenever there's a hot cup o'joe around and I'm in the mood, I'm not ABOUT to worry whether it was made in a percolator, drip maker or whatever.

The one place I draw the line is weak coffee. Unfortunately I run into that in some restaurants, and it's always a big disappointment.

Here I will quote the immortal words of Robert A. Heinlein, whose hero in Glory Road, Oskar Gordon, quoth:

"Coffee comes in five descending stages: Coffee, Java, Jamoke, Joe and Carbon Remover."

 

[Helen Troy]

Helen Troy: That's not a percolator. It's a Silex, (...)

Thanks for the clearing up! (I was writing my post when you posted this information the first time, so I missed it. )Well, Chandler called it a percolator too i think, so I'm in good company!

But then I guess a Bialetti coffee put is really not a percolator either, since it the water passes through the coffee on the way up, not raining down? Please forgive me if I am to much of a geek here, (or make a fool of myself misunderstanding,) I just really like to know things!

 

[Helen Troy]

It icks my mom out that I sometimes boil eggs in it at the same time. Coffee and eggs all in one pot while my toast toasts, what could be bad? Beats the hell out of a Pop-Tart and doesn't take any longer!
l
-Viola

In "Travels with Charlie" that I just finished, Steinbeck describes how he puts the white and the shells of one egg in the coffeepot while making coffee. Claims it makes it better. I am a bit reluctant to try it, but maybe it's a good argument towards your mom?

 

[Kimberly]

I love coffee and love it strong. I usually use a regular coffee maker during the week and then on the weekend I used my percolator. I love the way it makes the house smell and the sound of the coffee percolating reminds me of my grandmothers house which I love. I have never tried a French Press before, but everyone who has used one raves about it.

 

[panamag8or]

I have a Corningware percolater, white with blue daisies on it, you know. Sometimes I just boil the water in it and then run it through a handheld Mylita filter, its a bit faster that way.
-Viola

Daisy will be soooo jealous!

If anybody knows where I can get a new metal one like we had when I was a kid, I'd buy one. I'm not really interested in a used one from a thrift store or ebay, so vintage is out. Just my personal hang-up.

I saw one at Wal-Mart the other day. I would guess it costs less than amazon.

 

[nulty]

I do like the percolator but you have only a split second window to get the pot of the heat before the grounds are destroyed by the heat.

French press is the bomb

I do use an old 1930's-40's sunbeam model c-30 vacuum pot. You can find these on auction all the time. The coffee is actually very good. Yoy do have to take ealrier advice and clean them out good with vinegar. Those old metal jobs make the coffee a little tangy if not cleaned out.
The sunbeam mixes the wather with the grounds for a very short period so the coffee doesn't burn but it does get it too hot in the pot so you have to drink it pretty fast..

 

[Mike in Seattle]

In "Travels with Charlie" that I just finished, Steinbeck describes how he puts the white and the shells of one egg in the coffeepot while making coffee. Claims it makes it better. I am a bit reluctant to try it, but maybe it's a good argument towards your mom?

My understanding is what supposedly happens...the white latches onto the grounds about the time they're done brewing and stops the more bitter oils from getting into the coffee...but like you, I don't know. I've never had the guts to try it. Part of me says I'm going to end up with a big mess to clean up - both the coffee pot AND the wall or floor where I spit out the ungodly swill.

I do know my grandmother tossed shells from the eggs she was frying or scrambling into the pot. I was only a little kid at the time - I got some of the eggs and none of the coffee. I've heard some of the calcium leeches out of the shells or it does a little neutralizing of the acids in the coffee or softens the water some...I dunno...[huh]

 

[TaxiGirl]

I have a Corningware percolater, white withe blue daisies on it, you know. Sometimes I just boil the water in it and then run it through a handheld Mylita filter, its a bit faster that way.

I think my parents have the same one! We aren't really a coffee-drinking family (tea people) so it would only get used when we had company, and I was absolutely fascinated by it as a kid. Especially the sound. A pot of tea never sounded like it might be coming to life.