Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Coffe grind and variety for percolator

Just obtained a new 12 cup stainless steel percolator from Cabela's using earned points. Appears to be well made and sturdy, Followed directions for first pot..1 tablespoon coffee for each two cups of water. Used Folger's ground Colombian coffee. I thought the outcome was okay, but my wife thought it was "gacky". I've drank all kinds off campfire coffee from boilers, drip, percolators etc.. and never had a real problem. Any suggestions? No...I'm keeping my wife!

Thanks in advance.

ROUNDUP

You'll want a relatively coarse grind.

If you want to increase the strength of the coffee, use more grounds, not more perc time.

Both of these things help avoid over extraction which is too easy to have happen given the high temperature of the liquid being recirculated.

Colombian coffee is relatively heavy on the palate. I don't know if that's gacky. Kenyan or Ethiopian coffees have a brighter taste and lighter mouth feel.

and watch the little rivet that holds the lid on at the hinge. They have a tendency to work out.

Coarse grind.

Don't buy things that say Folgers on the can.

Don't leave it percolating too long.



Travis

I don't drink fancy coffee but, I buy whole bean and grind my own. Makes a huge difference in the taste on how much I grind it. Good advice on course grind.

If you can't grind your own, or even if you do, (Kings Sooper, City Market, Kroeger) carries filters for perculators. They are square, with a hole in each corner that folds over to the center of the basket pipe after the grounds are put in and then a hole in the center to go over the same pipe before you add and grounds.

I usually use one heaping teaspoon per cup of water, perc for 15 minutes.

Of course the first reply to this is that paper filters make the coffee taste bad.

If you are a Folgers drinker like me, you won't notice it. If you pay $20 a pound for your coffee, you might.

Only thing I use coffee for is my rubs ... taste great on chicken and pork!

If you want outstanding coffee try City Market, You have to learn how to use but a rich smooth coffee. Krogers has it

good old fashioned 8 o'clock coffee. bring it to a boil over high heat then back it off to a simmer once it starts to perk. let it perk 10 minutes and your good to go.

If your buying a regular grind for a drip maker get the paper filters.

Thanks to all for your great replies.

I believe my major error was in letting the perk go on for too long plus at too high of a temperature.

Probably explore getting a lighter blend of coffee. Years ago i gave my father a 2 lb. can of Kenyan coffee I ordered from the old Herter's catalog. It made excellent camp coffee. Probably look into a coarser grind. Used to use it for an old coffee boiler.

Grind my own? Maybe. Local super markets have grinding facilities in their coffee sections.

Just for drill I have an old drip coffee maker handy.

Somehow coffee tastes better in camp especially at altitude. Partnered with a good bourbon or my yearly cigar it makes for a great evening.

HAPPY TRAILS!

I haven't made any at altitude, so this is purely conjecture. But maybe it's better because at high altitude the water boils at a lower temperature.

That may well be true. I was thinking more about the surroundings at timberline during elk season, the cool evenings, the freshness of the air, the company of good friends, the glow of the campfire, etc.

I picked up the ambiance angle, but the "especially at altitude" phrase caught my eye.

National Coffee Assoc. agrees with you.


http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

To get more flavor I use the wire mesh basket that came with a B&D coffee maker. The old grounds do have to be dumped out and it must be washed out. This would be too much work for camping.

I have large 5L cabelas stainless that works best with a paper towel as filter and 8 o'clock out of the bag. Turn it to simmer for 8 minutes or so, as soon as it boils. Then let it sit for a couple minutes to settle. Some take the grounds out right away.

The large bulk folgers is not my first pick. By accident I tried a large can of South American (yellow and red) brand from the Asian / international market on a last minute only place I could get to stop by last season. It's a stronger espresso labeled coffee that everyone at camp actually asked what brand it was because it tasted much better than usual. Same water, same perc, just different coffee.

Cafe Bustelo?

Dry pinto beans take forever to cook at 5200 feet.

That's definitely because the water boils at a lower temperature.

Mathman
That is the coffee brand.
Really good flavor.