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The 1970’s has witnessed the emergence of drip coffee brewer. Until then, electric percolators won high praises amongst fans. Even today, they are pretty much popular and can be bought easily from an appliance store. And this is your guide to making coffee on this device.
You can consider your grandparents to be smarter than you because they know how to make coffee on this machine. After all, ever since the 1990s, electric percolators have been a coffee maker by ‘choice’! Their strong aroma is enough to smack you upside your head and open your eyelids through force.
Now that you’ve already purchased your percolator; let’s be honest with one thing! That said, it’s the most amazing and easiest way to make coffee. And to begin with, here’s presenting an inclusive narration below. Read on and learn further.
How To Make Coffee In A Percolator Electric?
Unless you know what these devices are, how would you be able to proceed? So, here’s presenting an introduction! To give you a starting point, an electric percolator happens to be a coffee brewing device invented in the 1950s.
They are easier than traditional stovetop and French press coffee makers. And no timing skills are required to understand its functionalities. The automatic shut-off feature prevents over-brewing.
How sweet or sour your water tastes doesn’t even matter when you are using this appliance. In a nutshell, heating occurs inside the pot. Thus, you can use either fresh tap water or mineral-rich water – anything of your choice!
Now coming to the percolation process! It’s a process where a medium (steam) passes through the porous material (here, it’s the grounded coffee).
In fact, it’s similar to a drip coffee machine that features a kettle-like design. A chamber gets connected by the pump tube, thereby creating a coffee brew via the vacuum.
Working Method of An Electric Percolator
So, coffee grounds get placed at the top chamber. Then, the water gets filled in the pot’s bottom. As it starts boiling, air bubbles form in that chamber. These bubbles rise through the device’s pump tube.
As a matter of fact, they carry water up into those coffee grounds. And then, the released oils travel back inside the pot. As a result, infusion occurs, which is best called ‘perked coffee’. So, this coffee travels up and filters downwards from coffee grounds into the pot.
In this manner, it strengthens the filter each time. The procedure happens multiple times, back & forth, into the device. It might result in a bitter or burnt-tasting coffee. If you choose less time, it leaves you with a poor batch. So, be very careful!
How To Ensure Tasty Coffee Using The Electric Percolator
Using a percolator helps you get your favorite strong cup of coffee. However, you should always get your fundamentals right! On this note, let’s learn the best method to ensure the best-tasting coffee by using this device.
Step 1: Choosing Quality Coffee Beans
Unlike other coffee-brewing processes, the first rule is to use quality coffee beans. In fact, it rewards you with a fantastic cup of coffee.
Using cheaper beans ends up ruining the taste. Additionally, it might result in wastage of your effort and time behind brewing.
Step 2: Ensuring Proper & Consistent Grinding
Your grounded consistency should be medium-coarse. Factually speaking, a finer consistency poses a risk of grinds that wash down into your brewed coffee. All in all, it just makes it unpleasant for you to drink.
On the contrary, too much coarse can make it more difficult for the steam to extract aromatic oils from grounds. As a result, it renders a poor batch of coffee.
Step 3: Considering The Right Water Ratio to Coffee Grounds
After this, you must consider the coffee amount you include in your basket! Compare it to the water inside the pot. If you pack it tightly, the steam does not get extracted. So, the coffee essence is poor.
On the other hand, when you pack a smaller amount than required, it results in a weak filter or washed off grounds. So, you can take eight water ounces and one tablespoon of coffee for an ideal cup.
Step 4: Correct Water Temperature
Water at a boiling temperature of 198°F to 204.8°F will produce the most authentic taste concerning the extraction. Nonetheless, you must keep in mind that extremely hot water may render a burnt or bitter flavor.
The trickiest step is, perhaps, monitoring the temperature of the water. Thus, using the electronic percolator prevents the problem. The fact is it cuts off the heat supply to water at an ideal temperature. That’s how it allows for a gentler and smoother brew.
Step 5: Duration of Your Coffee Percolation
If you think you can leave your coffee inside the device unattended, it’s a big NO! As a result, over-circulation of coffee may give you a bitter taste. However, the modern electric percolators come with a duration feature that ensures a delicious cup of coffee.
So, it’s not rocket science to make a tasty cup of coffee using the electric percolator. However, you require experimenting with the parameters a couple of times until you meet perfection.
How to Make Coffee In An Electric Percolator?
Now, percolating the coffee may sound daunting. However, with some tips and tweaks, it becomes fairly easy. For this reason, you can follow the below-offered steps to understand how you can use the device and treat yourself to a delicious cup of coffee.
Step 1: Your Basic Requirements
Before anything else, you need to understand and gather the things required. In this case, you need:
- Quality coffee beans
- A coffee grinder
- A tablespoon to measure the amount
- An electric percolator
- Warm or cold filtered water
- A mug
- Milk and sugar (optional)
Step 2: Grinding Coffee Beans
So, the next thing that you need is to grind your coffee beans. No matter the quality, there’s no denying the importance of grinding. And unless you grind appropriately, you might not get a rewarding result. Thus, you need a good grinder and consider the right coarse grind consistency.
Step 3: Pouring Filtered Water
Now, you need to fill the filtered water in the pot. Ensure that you pour the required amount by using markings. For this reason, you can make the right use of your walls!
Step 4: Ensuring Proper Position of the Pump Base
Now, all you need to do is to place your basket atop the pump stem! After doing so, you also need to ensure that the base sits accurately into the tube of your device.
Step 5: Using a Paper Filter
After this, you may use a paper filter. To do so, you need to place it inside the basket. Afterward, rinse it with the water in order to remove that papery smell. This will prevent your coffee from tasting delicious and not ‘papery’!
Step 6: Adding Grounded Coffee
In the sixth step, you need to add the coarsely ground coffee into that basket. You can use two tablespoons. So, this will provide you a strong cup of hot coffee. After this, follow the next step.
Step 7: Closing The Pot
Now, you are required to lay the spreader cover safely over that basket. As soon as you do so, immediately close the pot.
Step 8: Plugging In
Now, you need to plug in your electric percolator. After this, you have to adjust the strength of the coffee as well as settings of brew time (if any or required).
A majority of electric percolators feature the preset brewing time. So, it keeps the coffee hot.
Step 9: Serve It Hot
Now that your coffee is ready, once brewed, serve it hot.
How Much Coffee Should You Use?
In percolators, you need a similar coffee-is-to-water ratio to the brewing methods such as drip. And a majority of people use one tablespoon for each eight water ounces.
What you can do is adjust it on the basis of your taste preferences. So, if you want a weaker brew, use less coffee. And if you want a stronger taste, use more!
How Should You Clean The Device?
As soon as you complete each brew, thoroughly clean the device. This will maintain fresh-tasting coffee. As a matter of fact, you can avoid those abrasive cleaners like dish soap and baking soda, especially when your machine is plugged in or hot. These methods may cause corrosion or discoloration!
- Rather than using these cleaners, begin in an effective way
- Empty the liquid from the chambers of the device
- Use one cloth or damp paper towel on the exterior surfaces exclusively (note: you can even soak them for half an hour)
If you see stains inside the device, what you can do is pour some vinegar (white) into the chambers with cold water. Then, you can gently scrub the interior by using a sponge (non-abrasive).
Lastly, you can rinse and then air dry before using the next time. So, these are the ways how you clean your electric percolator!