Coffee: drip vs percolate vs...

Here's a subject right at home in the Cafe, coffee making.

Drip makers send hot water through a paper filter holding coffee grounds into a separate pitcher (carafe). Once through, the finished coffee sits in the carafe (metal or glass), which itself is sitting on a hot plate.

Percolators send hot water, through a metal basket holding coffee grounds. Once through, it reenters the heated lift system and again travels through the metal basket and again through the coffee grounds, increasing the saturation with each trip. When done cycling, the finished coffee sits in the same (metal) chamber used to heat the original water.

What do you prefer and why?

Re: Coffee: drip vs percolate

Can I raise a third alternative? I like to drink a short black coffee and use a Philips Senseo machine but instead of buying coffee pads (a round coffee bag) I use a thing called a coffee duck which allows my to use ordinary ground coffee. Makes a great short espresso
Coffee duck from member Coop :wave: thanks Coop.

Re: Coffee: drip vs percolate

Cold brewing. It takes preparation and a lot of coffee, but this is the one method that produces coffee that comes closest to tasting the same way it smells, with zero acidity. Fortunately it's also the simplest, as it doesn't require a coffeemaker at all:

- Add one cup of ground coffee (preferably coarse/auto-drip, not fine/espresso) into a container of 4.5 cups of water, stir.

- Close the container and leave it 12 hours/overnight (usually done in the refrigerator, but this is optional).

- Strain through a coffee filter into another container (just remove the filter holder from your coffeemaker with a filter in it, and pour through).

- Serve. Microwave in-cup for hot, or pour over ice for cold.

This method makes cheaper coffee taste like fresh-roast, and quality coffee taste better than you've ever had it from a coffeemaker. It's also ideal for drink recipes that call for brewed coffee, as it bumps up the quality of the finished product notably.

Re: Coffee: drip vs percolate

Up front disclaimer - I am admittedly a coffee snob.

Friends don't let friends percolate coffee. This over-extracts undesirable compounds from the coffee that increase the bitterness of the drink. :green:
Drip is definitely preferable. That said, I do not drink either. I go for espresso at home or what they call stovetop espresso at work.

A stovetop espresso maker brews under low pressure and makes a drink almost as rich as espresso, but it can be done with much cheaper equipment and the grind does not have to be as precise as with true espresso. To anyone looking into a stovetop espresso pot, I only recommend buying one in stainless steel. The aluminum ones lend an undesirable flavor to the coffee.

I could keep blabbing on about coffee for a very long time, but your question does not warrant it at this time.

Re: Coffee: drip vs percolate

mudman cj said:

The aluminium ones lend an undesirable flavor to the coffee.

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And corrode over time I've had a few of the aluminium ones but haven't tried a stainless steel one yet.
When we are away in our caravan I use a French press and always enjoy the coffee it produces.

I use a drip machine (Technivorm) with a carafe that's insulated instead of heated. The combination of that machine, filtered water, good beans and a burr grinder produces our best home-brewing results to date. We probably tried a half dozen combos prior to this one - French presses, cold brewing, all-in-one grider/brewers, etc - and this current combo is worlds better than any of the previous.

For single cups, the Aeropress does a pretty decent job as well.

I agree with the previous statements on the percolating method and should you choose to go for the drip method, procure one of the permanent gold plated (I think that they are gold plated) reusable filters. Paper filters absorb the essential oils from the coffee removing a considerable amount of flavor and complexity.

Personally, I use a french press as well and I am quite happy with the results. I have used a Krups espresso maker and it was okay but it never produced enough of the dense creme top that is characteristic of a great espresso but I would just add hot water to make an Americano coffee, espresso and hot water mixed.

Re: Coffee: drip vs percolate

Norm said:

And corrode over time I've had a few of the aluminium ones but haven't tried a stainless steel one yet.
When we are away in our caravan I use a French press and always enjoy the coffee it produces.

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I love my stainless one for at work as well as for when we go on trips. It has a removable insert that allows you to choose between about 5 oz. and 10 oz. Similar to flashlight purchasing, I only wish I had bought my stainless steel one first instead of the 6 assorted aluminum ones corroding away in my basement.

I'll add that I also brew by drip, french press, vacuum pot (stainless steel), ibrik(brass), and two espresso machines(one heavily modified). I use a Mazzer Major (modified for home use) grinder at home and a Zassenhaus at work.

Nothing like a perfectly pulled shot from my Nuova Simonelli at my ice cream shop.

I love when fresh roasted beans show up the next day after roasting, the smell is intoxicating.

Re: Coffee: drip vs percolate

mudman cj said:

I'll add that I also brew by drip, french press, vacuum pot (stainless steel), ibrik(brass), and two espresso machines(one heavily modified). I use a Mazzer Major (modified for home use) grinder at home and a Zassenhaus at work.

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Oh boy! Coffee mods can be just as expensive as flashlights! Bottomless portafilter, scace device, and the list just goes on....

Coffee is where I draw the line. I will put up with my drip pot, at least for now. I try to keep it clean and use a mesh filter.

gswitter said:

I use a drip machine (Technivorm) with a carafe that's insulated instead of heated. The combination of that machine, filtered water, good beans and a burr grinder produces our best home-brewing results to date. We probably tried a half dozen combos prior to this one - French presses, cold brewing, all-in-one grider/brewers, etc - and this current combo is worlds better than any of the previous.

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Totally agree. On occasion with some coffees I will use the Bodum French Press. Never got into expresso. Use iRoast-2 to roast green beans from sweetmarias.com

For me; I'm using a french press with fresh ground beans. My wife does not drink coffee so there's no need for a large drip machine.

Here in Italy the national way of making coffee is with the moka. They say it's the best way of doing it, but if that's the truth then mokas hate me, because whenever I try to make some the end result is hopelessly disgusting. I don't mind, because I drink coffee rarely and only for utilitaristic reasons (to keep myself awake), but it'd be nice if I could do decent coffee for friends when they came to visit...

(Moderator note: ALL hotlinked pics removed IAW CPF Image Rules.)

I have been a flashaholic for maybe 10 years, but I've been a coffeeholic for well over 25 years.

I generally only drink one cup a day, but it's coffee my way. I started roasting my own green coffee beans back in 1976.

My current roaster stable:



Retired, but still usable:


Burned out in the lline of duty:



In my experience, the best regular cup of coffee can only be made one way. One cup at a time. The best coffee starts with the best green beans, freshly roasted. The beans must rest for 12-36 hours after roasting, depending upon the variety, and a few other environmental factors.

A good burr grinder should be used to grind those beans.



A simple single cup filter cone can be used as the brewing vehicle, but I've had even better luck with AeroPress (see below) for making the perfect cup of coffee.


Filter cone:

After reading this.. I'm off to Dunkin Donuts for a Larger Turbo Ice with Milk and 3 Splenda

Manzerick said:

After reading this.. I'm off to Dunkin Donuts for a Larger Turbo Ice with Milk and 3 Splenda

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LOL! :twothumbs

Manzerick said:

After reading this.. I'm off to Dunkin Donuts for a Larger Turbo Ice with Milk and 3 Splenda

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Now that's funny!:hahaha:

Fallingwater said:

Here in Italy the national way of making coffee is with the moka. They say it's the best way of doing it, but if that's the truth then mokas hate me, because whenever I try to make some the end result is hopelessly disgusting. I don't mind, because I drink coffee rarely and only for utilitaristic reasons (to keep myself awake), but it'd be nice if I could do decent coffee for friends when they came to visit...

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This is what I was calling the stovetop espresso maker. After making literally thousands of pots this way I can tell you that it takes some practice to make good coffee with one. Here are some tips.
I suggest only using beans that have been roasted to a medium/dark level, often called a Vienna roast or a full city roast. If you try to make moka pot coffee with a light roast you will have poor results. You need to set the grind a bit finer than typical drip but coarser than espresso grind.
Fill the basket with coffee, tamping it down lightly as you fill, and add a bit more that makes a mound over the top and lightly tamp that down too. The right amount of grounds is one of the most important things, and the last tamping step tells you if you have not added enough or have added too much.
Then, use just below medium heat on a stove to heat it gradually - I use a setting of about 40% of maximum heat. It should take about 15 minutes give or take depending on the size of the moka pot for the coffee to brew. If you are using an aluminum moka pot then be careful not to leave it on the heat too long or it will boil. Once the coffee in the top of the moka pot boils it is ruined - just dump it out and don't even bother tasting it - trust me.

kwkarth said:

My current roaster stable:

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In all the years I've been impressed by and enjoyed "Show Your Flashlight Collection" threads, I never thought about a "Show Your Coffee/Espresso Hardware" thread..