Percolator Vs. Automatic Drip

Coffee makers change the flavor of your coffee.

The sound of coffee brewing in an old-fashioned stove-top or electric coffee percolator may be a nostalgic favorite, but the coffee inside is not necessarily better than that from an automatic drip machine. In the controversy over percolator vs. automatic drip coffee, much of the debate lies in how the coffee is treated while inside each device.

Percolator Workings

Coffee percolators look like large metal or ceramic pitchers. Inside the percolator, a mesh basket holds the grounds suspended above boiling water. As the water boils, it climbs up the inside of a hollow pole attached to the bottom of the basket. The hot water passes upward through the grounds in the basket and splashes against the underside of the percolator lid. The lid usually has a glass bulb in the top that allows you to see how dark your coffee is and gauge whether or not it's done.

Percolator Results

Percolator coffee is often very dark and strong. Percolators pass boiling water through coffee grounds multiple times, two big taboos according to online resource Coffee Detective. The boiling water brings out the bitter oils in the ground coffee. The water splashing down through the grounds strengthens the brew with each splash, maximizing the bitter flavor. If you love strong, acidic coffee, a percolator may be for you.

Drip Machine Workings

Automatic drip coffee makers have a large reservoir on the back for water. Attached to the front of the reservoir is a pocket for the coffee filter and a warming plate with room for the coffee carafe between them. After you fill the reservoir with water and the filter with coffee grounds, automatic drip machines warm the water to just below the boiling point, forcing the water up a plastic tube in the reservoir. The water drips out of a showerhead-like attachment into the coffee grounds. The infused water then drips into the gently warmed carafe.

Drip Machine Results

Drip machine coffee strength depends on how much water versus how much coffee you put in your coffee maker. Unless you use a well-filled filter with just a little water in the reservoir, your drip machine will give you a fragrant, smooth cup of coffee free of bitterness. Since the water is kept below the boiling point, the oils in the coffee remain blended with the grounds and give your coffee bitter undertones rather than an overwhelming bitter flavor. The water also passes through the grounds only once, meaning old coffee doesn't mix with new.

References

• Coffee Detective; Drip or Percolated Coffee: Which is Best?; Nick Usborne
• Jitter Buzz: A Trip Inside Your Coffee Pot
• Sally Bernstein; Selecting a Coffee Brewing Method; Rosemary Furfaro