Need a new way of making coffee... percolator, maybe?

(Brian) #1

I was listening to one of Dr. Berry’s live Sunday night sessions last night. And something struck me. Towards the end, he was talking about trying to get away from using plastic, especially for things that get heated. I’ve heard him say that a few times before but it just never clicked. Sure, we have some bottled water, especially for when we’re traveling, but that’s always kept cold.

And then I had my DUH!! moment. Our go-to for our morning pot of coffee is a Mr. Coffee drip coffeemaker. It has a glass pot. BUT… the light bulb finally went on. That thing is primarily PLASTIC!! Even the lid of the glass pot is plastic. And it’s all HOT! That’s the point, HOT coffee. YIKES!!!

And so I got to thinking about what I could do instead. We really like our coffee. I probably make 8 to 9 cups of it for us to divide between the two of us in the mornings. That’s our normal amount. Makes me wonder how much plastic exposure I’ve been giving us without even realizing. :frowning:

I’ve been looking at percolators online. They’re not all that expensive, maybe a little more than the Mr. Coffee (saw one of those on sale a few days ago for $13) but not nearly as expensive as the Keurig which I think was closer to $100. (Honestly, I have no idea what’s inside of a Keurig that would get heated. I feel pretty confident, there is plenty of plastic involved.)

With a group this size, I suspect a few of you have been around this block before. Have you found a percolator that you really like? One that you would suggest I avoid? Did you go electric? Or stovetop? If stovetop, does your work with an induction burner?

I know, lots of questions. But I’d rather ask people I trust (you) about it than rely solely on Amazon reviews, especially knowing you might have been in my exact shoes sometimes in the recent past.

Thanks very much!!

P.S. It’s been a while since I posted. My wife and I are into keto for just over 2 years now and we’re doing well! I’ve lost somewhere around 80 pounds now, not sure about my wife but she’s lost a lot. I haven’t seen “onederland” yet but was within 2 pounds one day last week. It really does fluctuate quite a bit for me. My goal was somewhere around 195 or so when I started but figured I might adjust a little when I got there and decide if that’s where I wanted to be. Still don’t quite know yet but I’m getting close. It’s almost “maintenance” at this point with the occasional day or two of fasting to try to bump things a tad lower. I think overall, we’ve maintained keto and probably lessened our plant contributions somewhat. We’ve not done full-on carnivore but occasionally have a carnivore day, mostly because that’s what we want to eat. Usually, there is a low-carb veg somewhere, even if it’s more of a “condiment”. Anyway, figured I’d share. :slight_smile: And thanks for any suggestions on the percolator if you have any! :slight_smile:

(John) #2

I use a top-of-cup pour over, from Melitta that takes a #2 cone filter. Put a paper filter in it, add ground coffee, pour hot water in. It is plastic, of course, but they also make them from porcelain, in both the #2 and #4 filter size.

Here’s the #4 size: https://shoponline.melitta.com/products/porcelain-pour-over-coffeemaker-large

You can use a wire mesh filter if you prefer instead of the paper.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

Another option is to use a glass coffee press for making coffee.

The reason percolators went out of favor was that, unlike tea, coffee tastes better if the water never quite reaches boiling temperature. If, however, you enjoy the nearly-burnt taste of percolated coffee, go for it! A dash of salt will help tone down the bitterness.

You can avoid having to buy a percolator if you remember an old camper’s trick: pour cold water over the grounds in the bottom of the pot, bring the water to nearly boiling, then settle the grounds by putting an eggshell or two into the pot. The grounds will drop to the bottom of the pot, making it easy to pour off the brewed coffee.

Or you could, of course, simply pour the coffee through a tea strainer, lol!

(Brian) #4

Thanks, Paul. Actually, my wife has wanted me to get a percolator for a long time. I don’t remember if I’ve had coffee from a percolator or not. She grew up with one so is more anxious to try it again than I had anticipated. One of her sisters swears by her percolator.

I do definitely use salt when I make coffee anyway so that’s a given. :slight_smile:

Thanks!

(Katie) #5

The Aeropress is made of polyprolene, which is more heat-resistant than other plastics.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

The smell of coffee perking in the morning can’t be beat, I’ll give you that! These coffee-makers and Keurigs and things just aren’t the same.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #7

Cold brew. Use glass containers. Your wonderful coffee never touches plastic and never gets hot until you drink it.

RE percolators: this is with one exception the worst way to make coffee ever invented. Not only does it boil the water, it then commences boiling the resulting coffee continuously. The exception that’s even worse: ‘bush coffee’.

PS: yes, I know from experience.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #8

Lots of non plastic coffee systems available. I use an espresso machine (no plastic in contact with the coffee) a Bialetti, and French Press. There’s also cold brew, aero press, Chemex pour over and Melita porcelain as @JohnH mentioned and coffee socks. I would investigate cold brew if I were looking for a new method. I don’t like percolator coffee, bitter and burnt tasting. I stayed in Indonesia for 7 months. They have a simple system. Basically they use fine ground coffee and put it in a heavy glass tumbler with a lid. You pour in the hot water, stir and put the lid on top. The coffee will float to the top and start to sink to the bottom of the glass in the following 4 minutes or so. They just drink it and leave the sludge at the bottom, same system as Cowboy coffee with a glass instead of a saucepan and lid. You might find this interesting as it’s also a Ken Berry video on the same subject probably expanded.

:cowboy_hat_face:

(Brian) #9

This is an interesting thread! Thanks for the thoughts, all!

One thing about it… A percolator will probably cost about $40. I figure if we absolutely hate it, it’s not a whole lot lost. So we’ll see. :slight_smile:

(Julie) #10

We use a stainless steel french press from Williams Sonoma.

(Brian) #11

The French Press may be one that I’ll give a go at one of these days. Gonna see how the percolator goes, first. Ordered the one my dear wife picked out. :wink:

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #12

I use either a french press of an aero press. I’m a tad worried about the plastic in the aero press, but it’s a fairly new one so I think it is a lesser evil than older ones. I do like the idea of cold brewed.

When I lived in Guyana, I did the coffee in a pot on the stovetop method. (The first time I heard of cold brew was in Guyana, but it was at a friend who worked for the American embassy’s house, so his house had a fridge, fancy like.) I rigged a system where I sacrificed one of my ever so important in tropical weather handkerchiefs and sewed it onto a nylon rope ring to fit over the pot. Coffee in the hankercheif, heat the water sufficiently, pull out the handkerchief that the rope ring prevented from falling in entirely and we’re good to go. Now, being a tropical South American country I assumed the coffee was so good because it was local. But it was also a Caribbean country, so it turns out the grounds were sold with a bit of sugar already mixed in.

It is said that rum is made with the waste products of sugar manufacturing. I’d like to suggest that the inverse is true.

Guyanese rum is niiiiiice. You can drink it straight happily. A friend didn’t believe me until I brought her back a bottle. The Guyanese people wisely keep this to themselves.

(Anne Brodie) #13

I love my aeropress. It doesn’t make a lot at once though, and for that reason I have been looking online at glass carafes for pour-over coffee. This is one hanging out in my shopping cart right now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F173G0W/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=A3GFNB8O5JJQGP&psc=1 Many do not have handles and the fact that this one does makes it the most attractive to me.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #14

Yeah, my aero press is for when I need to chug my coffee and get out the door. Say, before 9 or 10 am. On sane night-time oriented leisurely days I use the French press while drinking a pot of coffee and preparing for civilization.

(Bob M) #15

I really liked the aeropress, but have gone to cold brew. The aeropress was too much work, and the cold brew is simpler. But I also drink cold coffee most of the time, to which cold brew lends itself.

(Anne Brodie) #16

I use the aeropress to make cold brew also. Although usually I use warm water but not up to boiling temps. Oh, and I use it with the upside-down method so I can steep as long as desired. What do you use for your cold brew? I have some of those on my interest list too, but it seems like the pour-over carafe is very similar.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #17

Cold brew means exactly what it says: the coffee flavour is extracted in cold/room temp water. It does not refer to extraction with hot water and then chilling it. Cold brewing can take from 12-24 hours depending on preference. Cold brewed coffee can be imbibed hot or cold. I heat mine in a Chemex carafe via water bath.

(Robert C) #18

Have you looked into Chemex?

All glass and multiple sizes.

It makes “regular” coffee - if you want the oily thick stuff you’d have to go with a French press I guess.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #19

Speaking of which. Chemex also has a fabric filter if you prefer that to paper. You can also make your own fabric filters with different density of weave if you want to experiment with letting more of the coffee oils through to the final result. It will never let as much through as a conventional French press, but way more than standard paper filters.

(Anne Brodie) #20

I didn’t communicate as well as I thought. I knew cold brew was brewed with cold water. I made up my own hybrid method that uses warm water instead of cold. It allows a compromise of time (less than cold brew) and smooth taste (more than hot brew).

When I use the aeropress upside down the water doesn’t run through immediately but rather sits there to make either the traditional cold brew or my hybrid version. The classic chemex carafe is a pour-over carafe like the one in the link I sent. Do you use that also to initially make your cold brew (before heating if you desire)?