 Best Coffee Perc out there......... |
| Review Date: February 1, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Paul Cochran, |
This enamel coffee percolator is a really well thought out and built item. The pot and lid is constructed of enameled steel and the stem and basket is aluminium. The perc knob is clear glass, sealed with a gasket in the lid allowing one to easily see the color of the coffee as it percs to determine when your perference of coffee strength is reached. I have used mine for years with only one very minor problem. The aluminium stem that holds the coffee grind basket got slightly bent, but I successfully bent it back into place without damage. As noted by another reviewer... these aluminium items are weak. However, what are these items designed to do, and what strength holding a basket of perking coffee grinds might be required? I bent the stem trying to stuff a small bag of coffee grinds and the bag of filters into the pot with the stem in place, for storage. That was 100% my fault, not that of the product. I quickly learned that the coffee pot is NOT for storage, but for percolating coffee. Go figure, uh?
Aside from me slightly bending the perc stem, the coffee percolator has performed flawlessly and has produced quality tasting coffee. The coffee easily loads into the coffee grind basket for perc-ing. Being a 14 cup perc, it out produces other 12 cup percs. The handle is large enough for a gloved hand or a pot holder to easily fit into so as to hold/pour the coffee. The item is very easy to clean, including removing and reinstalling the glass knob and seal. Have not had a problem with chipping the enamel under normal use, which chipping can easily happen via abuse. Nor has the glass knob cracked or chipped, or any damage to the knob seal. Both the knob and seal are readily available at sporting goods stores should they need replacement.
Should you be searching for a coffee percolator that produces quality coffee, ease in use (large pot handle, clear glass knob, ease in loading coffee basket), ease in clean up, ease in storage, and manufactured of quality materials that will be around for years to come... then the Coleman 14-Cup Coffee Enamelware Perolator is the unit you're looking for.
A few tips: Do not fill the pot with water high enough to touch the coffee grind basket. If you do, grinds will float out of the basket and you will end up with coffee full of coffee grinds. Be sure that the water level is below the bottom of the coffee grind basket before you start to perc. For a faster made and better tasting coffee, before placing the loaded coffee basket/stem into the pot turn your stove on full bore and rapidly bring the water in the pot to a rolling boil. THEN... turn off the stove, place the loaded coffee basket/stem into the pot and turn on the stove to LOW for the perc process. Doing this quickly heats the water but will not boil over into the coffee basket getting coffee grinds in the coffee. Secondly, slightly dampen the bottom of the basket with water prior to putting in the filter paper. That way when the filter paper is placed in the basket it will immediatly stick/seal to the basket's bottom. This way the filter paper can not slip or pull up allowing grinds to get inbetween the filter paper and the basket. Should that happen, those coffee grinds will escape into the coffee. |
LOVE IT!
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| Review Date: January 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Chicken Lady, Dallas, Texas USA |
| I bought this coffee pot for home use in utter disgust with drip coffee makers. Having had three different drip coffee makers stop working in one year, I decided to go with something tried and true. And while you can't set it up to turn on by itself, I will never have to replace it again. The color is beautiful. It is a snap to clean up (just throw it in the dishwasher). And, the coffee tastes so much better. I now use less than half the amount of coffee grounds needed by a drip maker and am getting more flavorful, robust coffee and no bitterness. I guess this is one thing that modern technology can't top. I will never go back to and electric coffee maker. |
Great Perc ... but cheaper elsewhere
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| Review Date: April 23, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Wardlow, Beaver Island, MI |
| Makes great coffee! We just ordered a second one from Coleman's on-line website for $24.00. Odd that amazon says the list price is $34.99, eh? |
Awesome Coffee!
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| Review Date: August 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Campione, West Virginia USA |
After going through 4 drip coffee makers in 5 years, I was fed up with cheap machines that couldn't handle normal use. So I read a bunch of reviews and finally settled on this old school percolator from Coleman. I love this thing. It makes the most delicious coffee. I had read that percolator coffee was good, but I had no idea. I will never go back to drip coffee, which is bitter, flavorless and not very hot.
A lot of people swear by the french press too, but it seems like it's too easy to break the carafes which are expensive to replace. This has no moving parts, and with regular care is easy to use, clean, and keep in perfect order.
Pros: Piping hot. Rich, deep, yet smooth coffee. With the manual stove kind which this is, you control how strong you brew it based on how much coffee you put in and how long you perk; no moving parts to break; easy to take care of and clean; did I mention delicious coffee?
Cons: It takes more steps to make than drip coffee, but trust me, it's a labor of love. Totally worth it. Grind your own beans for the best flavor as well as a coarse grind which you'll need (to avoid getting fine grinds in the brew). The internal bits may seem a bit flimsy, but they really are fine just as they are. To clean the tube bit, I use 2 pipe cleaners twisted together. It works really well. The only other drawback is how long it takes to perk 14 cups of coffee, mainly because you have to heat all of that water. That's about it. It's really worth it when you taste the coffee though.
I recommend this percolator highly. It is pretty sturdy, makes delicious coffee, has no plastic parts to break or impart a strange taste to your brew, and you get to control how long you brew so you control the strength of your coffee. It's pretty much flawless.
Oh, when I got it, there were no directions and I had to figure it out for myself. I use roughly 1/4 cup of beans, coarsely ground in my Krups grinder (which I also got at Amazon.. it's the black, oval shaped one), then fill the pot up to just under the basket, heat the water till it starts to perk, then turn the heat down till it's a steady perk but not boiling (which is really low on my gas stove), then let it go for about 12 to 15 minutes. Delicious every time!
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Ideal for camping!
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| Review Date: June 1, 2008 |
| Reviewer: RetroGurl, CA |
| Took this with on our last camping trip and we love it! Made excellent coffee every time. Cleans up easily if you rub a bar of soap around the bottom and the bottom edge before you cook over the fire. |
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