I thought you all should know--Ruhlman has committed an act of (coffee) heresy.

[Shakespeare]

He likes.....Percolator coffee!!

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2008/02/percolator-love.html

Some of the comments are hilarious--nothing, apparently, brings out the snob in a person like a discussion about how to properly brew coffee. :rofl:

edited to add: Did I recoil in horror? NO. My first thought was "gee, maybe I should try that." (as if I need another gadget in my tiny kitchen)

[The empressof all]

1. Gasp....

I do too. I remember a few years ago when COFFEE was god here in the PNW --I had to search for a perculator.

It does give a very rich cup of coffee but I do drip on a daily basis just because SO makes the coffee in the AM and it's an easier do with our grind and brew Capresso.

[NMDemDist2]

3. don't you LOVE that Capresso??

I wouldn't have given it up for anything except my auto espresso machine.

[The empressof all]

4. I can't tell you how much I love it!

We got ours through a rewards program as I would have a hard time justifying the price. But now that I have one I can't imagine doing without it. I had one of the other grind and brews (Blocking out the major brand due to meno-memory) and there was no comparison. The other brand was great but the Capresso is just fabulous! I keep a look out for them on sale so I can get a spare.

[NMDemDist2]

2. I'm a coffee snob but if I could find a decent corning ware perc pot

I'd be all over it

I may have to start watching for one.....

just the memory of it living on Grammy's counter is worth having it

edit to add, guess I won't, they were all recalled because the handle would fall off

:cry:

[eleny]

13. A white one with the blue flower on it?

My brother and sis in law had one like that and used it for decades. I don't think they ever used anything else.

Tell me what it looks like and I'll keep an eye out at the thrift. It's always nice to have a holy grail to look for!

[NMDemDist2]

14. yes, white with blue cornflowers, plugged into the bottom of the handle

at the curve

she had it for years, I remember her drinking coffee from it, then as I got older, me joining her for a cup

it looked like this except with blue flowers, but if you find one cheap, we'll sell it on ebay, they're going for $50-$75 !!!! :wow:



here's the design but the stove pot model

[eleny]

15. That stovetop model is the one I remember

I'll keep a lookout for the electric one in blue.

[NMDemDist2]

16. I'llkeep you posted, I just put in a bid for a percolator on ebay

I'll know tomorrow

I need to send in my espresso machine for service and the french press is a PITA :hide:

[eleny]

18. Good luck!

I checked out a bunch of them on ebay last night to get a idea of what a complete GE looks like. There are a number of them, so I got a good look at them.

Good luck with your auction bid.

I've got to say that when we go camping and hubby makes a perc pot of coffee on the stove, that fragrance gets me right out of bed. And it takes me back to when my folks would make coffee in the aluminum pot. They always got one that sort of flared at the bottom. Lotsa coffee since we all loved the stuff. I think that's why this thread has me considering an electric perk.

I wonder how long you can keep the coffee in the pot and having it taste decent. I've been getting up several hours earlier than my night owl husband. So lately I've been making only a few cups in the drip pot. That way he can enjoy fresh later on. Another reason I'm leaning towards the electric perk.

[NMDemDist2]

21. i wouldn't keep it more than an hour

but then I'm a coffee snob .....

:yoiks:

[NMDemDist2]

17. actually here's a complete on (including the base/trivet) for a decent price in another pattern

http://cgi.ebay.com/Spice-of-Life-Electric-Percolator-EXCELLENT-HTF-L-K_W0QQitemZ160208571981QQihZ006QQcategoryZ2759QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[eleny]

19. Thanks - so it sits on a heater base

It's been a while since I've gotten out to thrift. I'm itching to do it but seems like when I can find a couple of hours, something is jumping with the primaries and I'm glued to the tv. I really miss it!

[NMDemDist2]

20. the trivet will probably be hard to find, it's not attached at all, it just protects the counter

the heating unit hooks into a hole in the handle where you plug it in....

[housewolf]

5. Isn't it funny how "everything old becomes new again"????

Who would have thought it re: coffee percolators???

I'm a fresh-ground 1 cup at a time dripped through a little Melita 2-cup filter kind of person myself. Never found an automatic coffee maker that could compare to the flavor.

[grasswire]

8. I used to use the Melita one cupper

But then I went over to the french press and haven't used anything else since then. It's just perfect.

[eleny]

6. Hubby always talks about how his folks made coffee in one like that

Getting a hot cup of coffee is always the holy grail around here. I'll have to keep a lookout for one at the thrift shop and try it out.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. I have one and it makes better coffee than...

anything else I've tried but the French press or the Cuisinart drip pot.

The only reason I don't use it is that it's PITA to use when I'm half asleep in the morning and the little round or square filters are impossible to find, making it even more PITA to clean. And it doesn't have a a switch, so you have to plug and unplug it.

But, it's got a very small footprint, doesn't drip, and makes great coffee, even though it's a "modern" one with a stubby spout.

[Phentex]

9. I have vague memories of a percolator...

and I seem to recall washing the inner pieces of one. I'll have to ask my mom.

[displacedtexan]

10. I have a single pot Bunn.

Ruhlman is correct: drip coffee isn't hot enough for cream, and it does
start to burn before you empty the pot.

The Bunn is incredibly fast, but the percolator really is better for my taste.

I used to prep the percolator at night and set one of those Sears timers
for automatic morning percolating. I can't do that with the Bunn.

I use Chock Full-O-Nuts at home, but I still like Folgers.

Hm. Maybe I'll search the thrift stores for a percolator this weekend.

[Warpy]

11. My granny's coffee was infamous

She'd say, "Lemme fry ya a cuppa coffee," and mean it. She always roasted the grounds in a dry skillet before she'd brew them in an old fashioned percolator.

I often wonder if her coffee was ever tested to see if an anvil would float.

She was the best cook in the world in all other ways. She just preferred French roast coffee, something she couldn't get in the midwest.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. At home I use an automatic drip coffeemaker that brews one cup

at a time. I find it to make very good coffee and it's very convenient for me.

However, I have an old enamel percolator that we take camping and that is the best coffee in the world, although that's probably due to the location more than the coffee maker.

[Hand]

22. Cafe boillu, cafe foutu.

And that settles that. :puke:

[GoneOffShore]

23. Will the coffee war be as acrimonious as the fried chicken war?

Being a fan of café filtré or really good espresso, made in a stove top pot


I've tried the "product" from Nespresso machines and found it to be pretty close to diner coffee - not to mention being an environmental disaster.

Edited to remove snarky comment about Capresso machine because I made it before I knew what I was talking about and am hence classified an idiot.

[eleny]

24. This model is now very pricey on ebay

I've been checking out of curiosity and it's going in the $30 - $40 range. Time to wait out the rush for those interested or look for at the thrifts for sure! There's one that just went up for auction with a starting price of $29.99. A hot item.

It's funny because another GE that's very similar is only going for around $10. It has a rounder handle. Surely, the coffee couldn't taste that different. But it's not the model made famous by Ruhlman.

Maybe GE ought to start making them again. Bring it out again "by popular demand" like how Martha started selling green kitchen stuff.