Modern coffee drinkers often snub coffee percolators with the exception of dire emergencies.

The problem that most people have with percolators is the fact that the water is boiled, which often burns the beans, the grind of the bean is very coarse, and the flavor is enough to put some hair on your chest. Some people joke that you really need to give up your taste buds in order to enjoy percolator coffee while others swear that this is the only way to drink coffee and anything else is simply week and bland. I know that my grandparent drank percolator coffee till the very end despite our purchasing them all manner of new and improved coffee makers. The avocado green percolator maintained a position of honor in their kitchen and I still see that percolator every time I think of my grandmother.

So how does one go about making coffee with a percolator?

When making coffee in a percolator, the first step is pouring water into the bottom chamber. You must be certain that the total amount of water in the chamber is below the top chamber when the percolator is fully assembled. Next, you should place the chamber and the tube assembly inside the percolator. Then you should add your coffee at the rate of two teaspoons per cup. Remember that you will use a much coarser grain for percolators than you would for a regular drip coffee maker. Next, you expose your percolator to heat (this can be stove top, a barbecue grill, or an open flame).

The heat causes the water temperature to rise until the water in the chamber comes to a boil, it will boil up and over through the tube and splash down around the coffee grounds inside the chamber. The coffee then seeps through the coffee grounds then back into the water in the bottom of the pot. This process will repeat itself until the liquid reaches a certain temperature and the coffee ceases the percolation process. You should either remove the percolator from the heat source; pour the coffee into another container (such as a carafe), or both.

Now it's time to add your cream or sugar and enjoy your cup of coffee. Keep in mind that this is not the preferred method of brewing coffee for those who drink for the flavor and enjoy the delicate undertones of certain coffees. I would make sure not to use your best beans for this particular process but rather choose coffees that are very low in acidity. While percolator coffee might not be the brew of choice, in a pinch I find it infinitely preferable to instant coffee.