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Found out my grandpa's old percolator used way less coffee than my drip machine
I was cleaning out my grandpa's kitchen in Ames after he moved in with us and found his old percolator from the 70s still sitting on the shelf. Out of curiosity I looked up how much coffee you actually use in one of those, and it turns out it's about 1 tablespoon per 6 ounces of water, while my drip machine wants closer to 2 tablespoons for the same cup. I tried his old pot with some basic grocery store beans and honestly it tasted smoother, just weaker, which is probably why everyone in that era drank it black with a little sugar. Now I'm wondering if I've been burning through twice the beans for a flavor I don't even like as much. Anyone here still brew with a percolator, and do you adjust the ratio at all?
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iris_ellis6h ago
The ratio thing cuts both ways though. You said it yourself, the percolator cup tasted weaker, so you are not really getting the same drink for half the coffee, you are getting a worse drink for half the coffee. If you have to use more scoops or a finer grind to make the percolator taste as strong as your drip, the savings kind of vanish. Also percolators boil the water over and over through the grounds, which honestly can make it bitter or muddy if you walk away for two minutes. Your grandpa probably drank it black with sugar because that is what he grew up with, not because the pot made some amazing cup. Drip machines use more coffee but they are way more consistent, and consistent is worth something when you are half asleep at 6am.
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