Q&A for How to Perk Coffee

There are many brands or rather roasts that do. You want a light breakfast roast, not a dark roast. The darker the roast, the more bitter. There are also many coffees that are pre-flavored, such as hazelnut or Irish cream. You can find most of the different flavors at specialty stores. You can, of course, always add milk and sweetener to reduce bitterness, or reduce the bitterness of the coffee by using less grounds for drip or perked coffee makers and/or not letting it steep as long in a French press. The longer coffee steeps and/or the higher the ratio of grounds to water, the richer and, for some, more bitter it will taste.

No. It'll keep perking as long as it's on the heat. That's why you have to time it to your taste preference.

If you don't have a see-through top, then you'll have to listen for the perk. You should hear the coffee "jumping" up and down. If you're using a stovetop percolator, start on medium to medium-high heat. Once you hear the water start to bubble up, reduce the heat to where you hear it "perk" every 2 - 3 seconds. Leave it like this for 5 - 10 minutes and your coffee should be ready.

No. It is only for espresso so don't use it for anything else.

As you like it! Tastes vary, but that might be right up your alley.

Pour the desired amount of water into the chamber at the bottom of the percolator pot. Add about one tablespoon of coarse-ground coffee in the top chamber of the pot per every one cup of water. Choosing a coffee with low acidity is recommended as the percolator brings out the bitterness in your brew.

You'll be able to see the coffee bubble up through the glass dome to see the bold or still unemboldened color of the brew. With each flash of liquid into the dome, you'll notice the coffee darkening. Brewing should take about 5 minutes for a stove top percolator and about 7-10 minutes for an electrical percolator.

You should first filter your water well before using it for coffee. Less likely is that the coffee is acidic,and if your percolator body or coffee basket are aluminum, there could be some minor leaching into your coffee. Wash new aluminum with vinegar a couple times to season it, then never scrub those parts harshly thereafter. The aluminum builds a very hard surface barrier once seasoned. Rough, abrasive cleaning pads or wire brush scrubbing will remove that barrier (or damage it).

No, but if you get sediment in your coffee because the grounds are too fine, then they can help. The filters also absorb some of the coffee oils, which some studies say may make the coffee healthier for you if you drink a lot of coffee.