Coffee is a necessity. Most people can’t start their day without it. Many coffee drinkers search for the perfect cup of coffee and love trying the newest coffee maker on the market to see how flavorful the newest brew is. If you’re one of these coffee drinkers, consider trying an old-fashioned percolator. Even though you may not initially consider it a great option, no one can deny that the smell of coffee from a percolator in the morning is a great way to wake up.
Best Stovetop and Electric Coffee Percolators (Updated July, 2023)
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1. Bialetti Original Moka Express Stovetop Coffee Maker – Best One Cup Percolator
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Producing a rich and authentic espresso, the Original Bialetti Moka Express has a unique eight-sided shape that lets it disperse heat perfectly enhancing your coffee’s aroma. This aluminum pot makes enough for one cup a coffee in less than five minutes. The Moka is an easy to clean and take apart coffee pot that includes a patented safety valve.
Great Alternative
Made with polished, high-quality aluminum is a great alternative to the expensive and complicated espresso machines you see advertised. This single-serving brewer is an easy to use and aesthetically pleasing coffee pot that features an Italian-made finish for its sleek design. With the Moka Pot, you don’t have to feel like you need a barista to help you make a delicious cup of coffee and is perfect for those with a busy life.
- Makes incredible tasting coffee
- Great for a single person
- Perfect substitute for espresso
- Aluminum makes it feel cheap
- Plastic handle isn’t a good choice for a stovetop coffee maker
2. Farberware Classic Yosemite Coffee Maker – Best Filter Free Vintage Percolator
When you brew coffee on your stove, you get a richer and fuller flavor. The Farberware Classic Yosemite Coffee Percolator is a heavy-duty stainless-steel pot that features a mirrored finish to give it a classic look. With its tight-fitting lid, the Yosemite seals in heat and you will know when percolating starts from its clear plastic knob.
Iconic
Capable of brewing between 4 and 8 cups, the Yosemite has an iconic style with a comfortable, balanced grip. The non-reactive interior will stop water from absorbing unwanted tastes or odors. Plus, you won’t need to deal with filters thanks to the permanent filter basket.
Safety
The Yosemite is dishwasher safe and fully immersible. It also features a stay-cool synthetic handle for easy use right off the stove. The Yosemite is a great alternative to a traditional coffee maker brewing hotter and more flavorful coffee right on the stove.
- Hotter and more flavorful coffee than from a traditional coffee maker
- Doesn’t need paper filters
- Durable will last quite a few years
- Glass can break when you pull to get the lid off
3. Presto Stainless Steel Coffee Maker – Best Electric Percolator
Capable of brewing one cup a minute, the Presto Coffee Maker can make between four and twelve cups of flavorful and rich coffee. Made of stainless steel, the presto has a traditional and attractive style thats perfect for table service. Once your coffee is brewed, this coffee maker keeps it nice and hot and ready to serve.
Luxury
Featuring a hotel-style design, the Presto makes a daily pleasure more luxurious. Not only does it create a delicious aroma to your kitchen, but the inner parts of the Presto are also made of aluminum including the perk tube and filter basket. You also get a removable power cord making the machine easy to store.
Easy to Clean
With a signal light indicator, you will always know when your coffee is ready. Easy to clean, you only need to wash the Presto with sudsy warm water before completely drying it. Avoid using abrasive and harsh cleaners to help preserve the stainless-steel gloss.
- Great for making coffee at home and a good alternative to a French press
- Brews mild and smooth coffee
- Coffee is always at a perfect temperature
- Pot doesn’t maintain a hot temperature
- Doesn’t have an automatic shut-off
4. Coletti Bozeman – Most Versatile Percolator
Designed to percolate coffee like your mom did, the Coletti 9 CUP Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator is made of solid steel and uses a convection process to guarantee that you get a hot cup of coffee. You also get a classic look with the rosewood handle that also lessens the possibility of burns.
Included Filters
Filters are included with this percolator not only removes coffee grounds from your coffee but it also lowers cholesterol by lessening how much oil is getting into your coffee. The Bozeman also lets you design your own coffee and becoming your own personal barista. Plus, you can use this coffee pot when you’re camping or on a fire pit in the backyard which is a pretty awesome feature.
Durable
Built to withstand harsh condition, this is a durable percolator that will last you quite a few years. With no plastic or aluminum, the Bozeman is a high-quality percolator that’s also dishwasher safe. With its ability to extract a richer and fuller flavor, this percolator makes brewing coffee fun.
- Doesn’t have plastic parts
- Features glass components that degrade quickly
- Great coffee with a full and rich flavor
- Wood handle wears out with constant washing
- Need filters to prevent grind in your cup
5. Cuisinart PRC-12 – Best Stainless Steel Percolator
Becoming more and more popular, percolators provide consistent robust and rich coffee. In the case of the Cuisinart PRC-12 12 Cup Stainless Steel Percolator, the percolating is done quickly making up to twelve cups of coffee in just under a minute a cup. The heater keeps the coffee warm to maintain the temperature of the coffee so it keeps its fresh taste.
Tabletop Service
You also get the fun of watching the glass knob as it percolates and the ready to serve light lets you know when your coffee is ready. With a detachable cord, this percolator can also be used for tabletop serving. And, it comes with marks in the interior for easy filling along with a permanent filter basket made of stainless steel that reduces the number of grounds in your coffee.
- Brews coffee quickly and easily
- Filters are not necessary
- Easy to clean percolator
- The cord is too short
- Doesn’t have an automatic turn off
6. nCamp Portable Coffee Maker for Picnic Hiking and Camping – Best Camping Percolator
Making espresso-style coffee, the nCamp Café works similarly to a MokaPot but was created to take along on camping trips. This compact coffee maker is the same size as a water bottle and features a nesting cup and folding handles that are rubber-coated. Plus, the Café comes with a silicone wrap for insulation and good gripping.
Compatibility
Created to be compatible with the nCamp Stove, the Café also work with other model camping stove as well as most gas camping stoves. Constructed of stainless steel, the Café will make a twelve-ounce cup of coffee or four demitasse cups.
Versatility
The Café is capable of brewing up delicious coffee in just minutes. This versatile coffee maker can go with you to the woods, the beach, or a family picnic. Durable and lightweight, its easy to carry and pack with your gear.
- Nice compact design with handles that fold
- Durable design thats well-made
- Makes strong coffee with little sediment
- Rubber cap sleeve gives off an odor
- The lid is difficult to open
Buyer’s Guide
What Should You Think About When Choosing a Percolator?
Capacity
Depending on how many people you have in your home, you will want to make sure you get a percolator that has the capacity to make that much coffee. Some percolators can brew anywhere from a two to four cups at a time while others can brew up to twelve. For those that just want one cup, always look for the smaller percolators but if you have a big coffee drinker in your home you may need a larger percolator.
Heat Source
You also need to decide what heat source you will be using so you know if you need an electric percolator or a stove top percolator. Stovetop percolators work well on a grill, wood stove, and your regular kitchen stove. Electric percolators are better for those that just want to be able to plug in a percolator and let it do its thing. Just remember that electric percolators cannot be used during power outages or in off-grid situations.
Price
Price is the last thing to consider when choosing a percolator. Most are not too expensive in comparison to a regular coffee maker, and they even get less expensive when you get the most basic percolator.
What is a Percolator?
Most people are familiar with the common coffee maker or drip coffee maker. Many aren’t aware that there are other methods to brew that wonderful liquid we need to get going in the morning. One other method is called a percolator that more discerning coffee drinkers and campers know about.
A simple but effective way to brew coffee, percolators work great over a campfire or plugged into a wall. Using a vertical tube inside the coffee pot, a percolator lets boiling water travel up to where the coffee grounds are passing through them before the water drips back down to the part to go through the entire process again. Since the water goes through this cycle, it will percolate and extract as much rich aroma and flavor as it can.
Why Should You Buy a Percolator?
A percolator is easy to set up coffee pot that is able to use any type of heat to brew coffee. Places like restaurants may prefer to use the standard coffee maker since they need to constantly brew new pots of coffee with the least amount of effort. Percolators are not as efficient when you need to remove used grounds and replace them with new grounds.
Even though at one time there were some advances in percolator designs, these days one must clean out the filter basket manually and refill it between pots of coffee. There is no quick and easy method to do this as there aren’t any filters available that will fit a percolator basket. You must rinse the filter basket and dump out the grounds which isn’t usually an issue at home where speed isn’t that important when making a second pot.
What are the Differences Between a Standard Coffee Maker versus Percolator?
Standard coffee makers, or drip coffee makers, hit the scene with a vengeance taking the claim of the best home coffee maker. Surging in popularity, many people went along with the new trend buying millions of them. During the 1970s, the sales of percolators plummeted as a result. It was perceived that the advantage of a standard coffee maker was their ability to quickly brew coffee and keep it warm due to their built-in heating plate. As people began to long for quality instead of convenience, percolators started to have a comeback slowly regaining some of their market shares although standard coffee makers remain hugely popular. Percolators will probably never regain their previous popularity but they are still around today for people to enjoy the aroma and flavor of their fresh brewed coffee.
What are the Types of Percolators?
Gravity Percolator
The gravity percolator is the traditional types of coffee percolator that boils water and then lets it trickle out over the filter baskets lid where there are a ton of holes. Water is then allowed to enter the grounds chamber evenly instead of just in one place. As you have more water enters the grounds basket, the other water will trickle through the chamber’s bottom to more small holes releasing the water while the grounds remain inside.
You do want to keep an eye on a gravity percolator making sure that it doesn’t over-brew which can result in a bad taste. When the coffee isn’t over-brewed, you get an amazing smell and taste of percolated coffee. Also, you need to remember to remove the filter basket before you pour so you won’t get loose grounds in your cup when you pour.
Pressure Percolator
The name is a little misleading since this isn’t a pure pressure percolator. This coffee pot is usually referred to as a Moka, however many in Europe are unfamiliar with this name so they often place it in the same category as percolators. With inner workings similar to a gravity percolator, the Moka brews differently. It has a wider area of the central tube where the filter with the grounds is placed. Water is forced through the filter and the ground before it goes up the tube to fill the area where the coffee is held away from the source of heat and remains until you pour your morning coffee.
What are the Benefits of Using A Coffee Percolator?
Percolators are one of the simpler coffee machines available and have been used way back to when the Cowboys were out on the range brewing up coffee with the first morning light. Cast iron percolators only need beans and fresh water and is then left to percolate on the fire.
Percolators today are a little more complicated but retain the same basic concept. In the bottom, water is held while the middle area contains the ground beans and the upper area is where the coffee goes to percolate. As the water boils in the bottom, steam rises up through the beans until hot and fresh coffee is deposited into the top of your percolator. Even though coffee machines have evolved, many people still prefer doing things the old way while others like the hands-on approach to coffee as well as the smell and taste that you get from percolated coffee.
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Taste. Drip machine often burns coffee due to the heating coils overheating the water as its poured onto the ground giving you a burnt and acidic taste to your coffee. Many people feel that percolators give their coffee a more robust and richer flavor than that brewed in an electric coffee maker. Percolators use steam giving the coffee the brew less of an opportunity to have a burnt taste. Instead, they give you coffee the way it was meant to taste with a developed warm, fruit, and nutty flavor.
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Smell. One of the many benefits of brewing coffee at home is that great smell that wakes you up in the morning. If you use a percolator, you get a lot more of that aroma, especially with the percolator’s great flavor, to fill your kitchen each morning.
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Space. Saving space is a great benefit to a percolator. It doesn’t take up the counter space that a typical coffee maker takes up since it won’t need a wall outlet or even the stove top. You can use any heat source with a traditional coffee percolator.
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Flexibility. Perfect for barbecues or anywhere you don’t want to run back and forth to get more coffee, you can easily use whatever heat source you have outside to brew coffee. This is also a great addition to your camping gear since the coffee pots are made to use on an open flame, plus they are very inexpensive. These are also perfect coffee makers for those that live in a tiny home movement or an efficiency where you need some space-saving appliances.
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Strength. If you want to extract the most caffeine and flavor from your coffee grounds, steam is the way to go. You will get a stronger cup of coffee with steam than with a regular drip machine where the coffee often drops into the pot before it has had enough time to sit. With stronger coffee, you not only get coffee that tastes more robust, but it also helps to wake you up more while giving you the most benefit with each cup. You get twice the amount of caffeine in one percolated cup of coffee than you do in a typical cup helping you to waste less since you also use fewer coffee grounds.
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Easy to Clean. If you notice, you rarely clean your drip coffee machine since it’s hard to clean. You may also notice a musty smell over time or see mold growing in areas that you can’t reach. With a percolator, you have few main parts and they are super easy to take apart and to clean. This guarantees that the water you’re using will be clean giving you the best cup of coffee you can drink.
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Easy Service. If you entertain often, you will find that the percolator can be brought out to your guests for coffee to accompany your dessert. Typical coffee pots are not capable of staying hot where you will be seated but have to return to the burner. Using a percolator will allow you to have more time with your guests instead of wasting time walking back and forth for refills.
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Compact. If you don’t have a lot of counter space, having a regular coffee maker can use up some of that valuable area. You can’t even store them when you aren’t using them as they take up a lot of cabinet space as well. Percolators are easy to store and plug in when you need them so you don’t have to worry about limited counter space when using a percolator.
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Simplicity. Operating on a very simple system, percolators can be used without a lot of complications. Simply fill with water and coffee grounds and you’re ready to go. They can be used at any time anywhere, plus they easily fit in with your camping gear, your office, or even your suitcase.
Conclusion
The simple technology behind percolators allow you to brew a full-flavored and robust cup of coffee. Compact, easy to use, and versatile, percolators can be used pretty much anywhere including at the beach or on your next camping trip. If you’re looking for a change from your regular coffee pot, a percolator can be a great choice for your first cup in the morning not only for its great taste but also the aroma that will fill your kitchen.
