Last Updated on February 6, 2022
If you are an avid coffee lover, then your day won’t start without a tasty cup of joe. An enormous number of us love freshly brewed coffee to kick start our day. We love it so much that we can’t avoid drinking it in the evening and night.
Despite the fact, there do come times when we need to try out different ways to reinvent our cup of joe. So, if you ever see yourself in a hard place where you require some new brewing methods, the old techniques are ways to go about it, and preparing a cup of coffee with the Electric Percolator is one of those traditional techniques.
It’s better to remember that before the astronomical rise of drip coffee brewers in the 1970s, the Electric Percolator way was the favored method to brew a delicious cup of coffee.
Fast forward to 2021; there are still people who are using this unique and classic technique of brewing coffees in their houses or small diners. However, brewing an aromatic and delicious cup of coffee in these easy-going times can be a bit tough; hence proper guidelines are necessary, and our article will provide you with precisely that! And instantly brew a magnificent cup of coffee using an Electric Percolator.
What is an Electric Percolator?
An electric percolator was invented a bit more than half a decade ago in the 1950s. It’s a type of brewing device that helped us kick start the revolutionary pathway and the rise of coffee in general. In addition, an electric percolator is straightforward to operate.
In an electric percolator, the coffee ground gets exposed to a higher temperature than other brewing methods and may recirculate already brewed coffee through the beans. Thus, making them vulnerable to the possibility of over-extraction.
Furthermore, a coffee made from an electric percolator tastes more similar to a french press, stovetop espresso, and Aeropress than a drip coffee as the brewing is far more robust.
Compared to the traditional stovetop or Aeropress or french press coffee makers, we don’t have to deal with the time adjustment and are capable of shutting down automatically if the brewed coffee is in danger of burning off.
Another benefit of the electric percolator is that the water quality and taste don’t matter as all the heating occurs inside a pot. So even if it’s tap water from a filter jug or aqua water or mineral-rich spring water coming straight from a mountain stream, the overall impact is insufficient as the sole existence of heat means the electric percolator will work.
What is Percolation?
Percolation touches on the aspect of the brewing method in which liquid extracts coffee beans by passing through the enormous amount of grounds.
This doesn’t refer to those rusty old “percolators” you may remember in your younger days when your family will use them for large parties and gatherings. However, those had more memorable aromas than backed-in, awful robusta oils from a dirty percolator in the late 1900s.
In a proper percolation process like batch brew, fresh, clean water is combined to the slurry throughout most of the brewing cycle while solids-packed fluid leaves the slurry. That is the prime reason for the discretion of slurry’s solids concentration during the brew.
Hence, it is clear that the strength of the slurry of a French press is always rising while the strength of a slurry during percolation is always fading.
Ultimately, making percolation several times faster in extraction than immersion.
How Do Electric Percolators Work?
A percolator is actually a coffee pot with a chamber at the bottom. A vertical tube operates from the section to the top of the electric percolator and a perforated container close to the tube’s top. Thus, there’s a significant, consistent heat source at the bottom, either internal or external.
The main function of a percolator is the natural increase of the bubbles created during the water’s boiling process. This process moves along through cycles; as the stream drains the coffee grounds, the brewed coffee soaks back to the bottom of the percolator. This way plays a crucial role in enhancing the flavor and texture each time it’s reheated and re-steeped.
How to Make Coffee in an Electric Percolator
When you read the title for the first time of “How to Make Coffee in an Electric Percolator,” one might wonder the ordeal might be a far more complicated task which in reality isn’t actually true at all. However, in hindsight, it’s straightforward to make an intense cup of coffee if you are using an electric percolator.
By following our said steps, you will be able to create a sparkling hot aromatic coffee in a matter of 10-17 minutes.
Required Ingredients and Equipments:
- Refined Coffee Beans
- Blade/ Burr/ Conical Burr/ Hand Grinder
- Tablespoon/ Kitchen Scale
- Electric Percolator
- Filtered Cold Water
- Hot Mug/ Cup
Instructions of How to Make Coffee in an Electric Percolator:
- Step - 01: Well, carefully grind the coffee beans in the coffee grinder, which you have in the hope to coarse the grind consistently.
- Step - 02: Fill the filtered water in the percolator pot to the needed level using the pre markings in the wall.
- Step - 03: Pour the warm water into the container, push in the filter and insert your ground coffee.
- Step - 04: Carefully plug the percolator and turn on the power switch. The heating process will instantly get activated, start to boil the water, and initiate the brewing process within minutes.
- Step - 05: It will take approximately 4-7 minutes (depending on the model and size) for the brew cycle to be done.
- Step - 06: Observe if your electric percolator's light is on, as it will tell you the coffee is ready.
- Step - 07: Serve the coffee.
Electric Percolator vs Stove top Percolator
Usually, percolators placed on the stovetop require heat from the fuel burner during the percolation process. In contrast, numerous modern choices are electric models with their very own heating element at the bottom of the equipment.
Besides, stovetop coffee percolators do need extra attention than electric options, which automatically shut down when they’re finished. Furthermore, they are cheap and can also be used on hiking, camping trips, and so on. In contrast, electric coffee percolators are the complete package and extremely convenient, which a fair amount of customers are willing to hand down some extra cash.
Read another article about How to Make Coffee While Camping
Stovetop percolators, on average, take around five minutes to brew coffee, whereas electric models are usually a bit slower, taking around an average of 7-10 minutes in total. However, some electric percolators are rapid, especially when making 1-2 cups of individual coffee.
The capacity of a coffee percolator is measured in cups that tend to be somewhere between 4-12 cups.
A regular cup of coffee contains 8 ounces, whereas, in the case of a mug, it gets cut down to half, depending on its size. Plus, some manufacturers also utilize even smaller cup measurements, so a 12-cup percolator may not even serve a dozen people.
A common stovetop percolator comes around $10 – $20. In contrast, high-end electric models can be pretty expensive, starting at around $80 or more. However, you shouldn’t require to spend more than $55 to get a balanced model.
How to Make Percolator Coffee on a Campfire
Manual percolators take a bit more attention than an electric percolator counterpart. Furthermore, they also take far longer in the brewing process – roughly around 9-15 minutes, whereas an electric percolator needs 5-7 minutes, much faster.
The standout advantage of the manual percolator is its adjustability. If you follow the following guidelines, you make a superb cup of coffee using a stovetop percolator in the campfire.
Let the Campfire Begin
If you had been a scout previously in your life, then you know exactly how to ignite a fire. Now, you can utilize the fire pit grate to the place of the percolator on top; you are all set. If not, carefully put in over a large chunk of coals.
Fill The Percolator
In this step, we measure the water. In general, you require six fl oz filtered water per cup. You should keep an eye on the line of water if it doesn’t go over the bottom of the spout in any case.
Basket Assemble
A percolator operates by forcing the red-hot boiling water straight through the stem and into the brew basket (where the coffee grounds are generally put in). To start the brew going, we connect the basket to the stem; then, we throw the coffee grounds in. For a cup of coffee, we put in 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds. If the basket comes with an additional filter, we put it in place to keep the coffee grounds from tangling with the brew.
Percolator Assemble
We immediately close the lid tightly after carefully putting the stem with the coffee basket residing inside the percolator pot.
Initiate the Boiling Sequence
Now, we have entered the closing stage, where we put the pot over the fire and wait for the water to begin boiling. Once the water starts to boil, we take the percolator slightly away from the centerfire to lower the heat. We let it sit there for 5-10 minutes. Please keep a close observation on the brew as it will gradually darken and pull it out when it reaches the desired color or in short strength.
How to Clean Your Electric Percolator
Just as making a sublime tasting coffee is essential, cleaning your electric percolator is similarly significant after the delightful experience of a fresh-tasting coffee.
Firstly, we begin the cleaning process by emptying the liquid from both chambers of your percolator and cleaning the outside surface with a damp paper towel or cloth.
You can also soak them without water for 30-45 minutes, followed by a blow dryer or air dry if you have enough time before brewing the next time again.
Now, if you see some strain on the surface developing over time, pour some white vinegar into each section half full with cold water before scrubbing gently using a non-abrasive sponge. Furthermore, definitely rinse and air dry it before using it.
While cleaning, it would be best to keep in mind to neglect abrasive cleaners such as baking soda or dish soap, specifically when the vessel is still hot or plugged in, as they can produce discoloration and corrosion that may be tough to remove.
How to Guarantee Best-tasting Coffee Using Electric Percolator
Serving an intoxicating strong coffee, which is done just right, is achievable with the use of a percolator, as long as you nail the basics. Here are the required components of a magnificent cup of perked coffee:
Top Graded Coffee Beans
Just like any other coffee brewing method, the quintessential rule is to handpick some excellent refined coffee beans. The quality of the coffee beans makes the difference for a fantastic cup of joe. Furthermore, a cheaper coffee bean affects the equipment, significantly delays the brewing process, and is not worth the effort.
Adequate Grind Consistency
Coffee beans, in general, should be ground to light coarse consistency for a magnificent brew. The problem with a finer grind consistency is that it might be washing down into the brewed coffee, making it a hindrance to drink.
In hindsight, too much coarse in the grind will make it challenging for the steam to extract the delicious aromatic oils from the grounds in the hand downtime, thus resulting in a weak batch of coffee.
Equitable Coffee Grounds to Water Ratio
It’s crucial to keep in mind the amount of coffee packed into the container compared to the water-filled in the percolator pot. If we fill the container with too much coffee ground, the steam may not extract the coffee elements efficiently.
Similarly, if we pack the container in a smaller amount of coffee ground than needed, we may end up with a weak filter or non-existent coffee grounds. In general, for 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds, we use 8 ounces of water in every cup.
Correct Water Temperature
In the hopes of extracting coffee from an electric percolator, it’s perfect for the water to reach a specific temperature while boiling, which is about between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. If you brew your coffee in hot and boiling water, then chances are you will end up with a supremely bitter and burnt coffee flavored brew.
Monitoring the water temperature may be the hardest part of the brewing process in this electric percolator method. Nevertheless, using an electric percolator over a stovetop can aid you in solving this problem, as it decreases the heat supply of the eater at the correct temperature, providing a gentler brew.
Exact Duration of Coffee Percolation
If you leave the over-circulation of perked coffee in the percolator for a longer period, the result will be a bitter and heavily acidic cup of coffee.
However, in the case of an electric percolator, you don’t need to worry about it. There is an additional feature where we can set an exact duration for percolation of steam through coffee grounds, thus ensuring a delicious cup of coffee.
Preparing an excellent cup of joe isn’t a torturous task as there are a few experiments here and there, and you are ready to brew a tasty cup of coffee in the electric percolator.
