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Introduction
There’s something deeply comforting about the aroma of coffee brewing in a percolator. For many of us, the familiar plink-plink sound and rich scent that filled the kitchen bring back warm memories of early mornings with Mom and Dad. Long before single-serve pods and fancy espresso machines took over, the coffee percolator was the heart of the home—a simple device that delivered strong, flavorful coffee every time.
Let’s take a step back and rediscover how the classic coffee percolator worked, why it made such delicious coffee, and how you can still enjoy this timeless method today.
What Is a Coffee Percolator?
A coffee percolator is a stovetop or electric coffee pot that cycles boiling water through coffee grounds using gravity and steam pressure. It was a staple in kitchens from the early 1900s through the 1970s. Unlike drip machines that pass water through once, the percolator reuses the same water multiple times, intensifying the flavor.
How It Worked: The Simple Science
A typical stovetop percolator has these parts:
A bottom chamber that holds water
A metal tube that rises from the water chamber to the top of the pot
A filter basket near the top that holds the coffee grounds
A perforated lid or glass knob to let you see when it starts to "perk"
Here’s how it brewed coffee:
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