FarberwareClassic Yosemite Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator - 8 Cup, Silver

[UPDATE: After two years of daily use, it continues to flawlessly percolate incredibly delicious, hot coffee. But the little screw-in rings around the plastic top finally began to break down, so I ordered a couple glass replacement tops (they come in a two-pack): 2 pack Fitz-All Replacement Percolator Top, Small (2) Works great. Looks a little different as the top is a little bigger and you can't use the black ring around the base (it won't fit under the glass), but I don't have to worry about plastic in the brew.]I've had this pot for close to a year now (purchased Feb 2014), and just have to write a review. After my last drip coffee maker broke after only two years (because they're all made in China now out of cheap junk), I decided to try once again to find a better, more affordable way to brew an excellent, smooth, delicious and HOT cup of coffee. I've tried them all, drip, press, pour over (including the popular Japanese Hario), Italian stovetop Bialetti, none of them make it the way I like it, and most of them deliver lukewarm coffee by the time you get it to your lips - and I hate microwaved coffee, tastes awful. The only thing I haven't tried is a Keurig type single-serve machine, as they're expensive and will just break in time, same problem as drip.And then I came across this little wonder on Amazon, read the astonishingly good reviews and decided to risk giving it a try. I mean, $20 isn't a lot to risk. And WOW. I remember my folks percolating coffee when I was growing up, they used an electric percolator at home and a stovetop percolator for camping, but I assumed that was an inferior way to make coffee given all the fancy gadgets on the market now. Was I ever wrong!It not only makes good, hot, smooth coffee, the smoothest coffee any maker can make. It brings out flavor nuances I didn't even know coffee had, makes cheap grocery store coffee taste wonderful - and for the first time in my life, I'm experimenting with all kinds of coffee beans from all over the world, and finding out why everyone raves about rainforest shade-grown coffee so much, especially organic. I mean, I've tried it before, I just didn't think it tasted that much better for the price. But it turns out that percolating coffee at a low temperature (simmering, percolating is NOT boiling) for just the right amount of time (5-7 minutes, once it starts percing) keeps the water just hot enough, and saturates the grinds so thoroughly, that every bit of flavor is extracted along with the coffee sugars that shade-grown coffee produces, with not a hint of bitterness (cheap coffee is grown fast in the sun, and doesn't have time to develop the full flavors or sugars). It gives the coffee not only flavor and depth, but subtle sweetness. And talk about flavor! Depending on what you're drinking, where it was grown and how it was roasted, you'll taste earthy notes, sweet notes, smoky notes, chocolate notes, fruit notes, caramel notes, nutty notes - it's every bit as fun as tasting different wines or handcrafted beers!But like I said, it makes even cheap coffee taste really good, and it even tastes delicious black - I've always loaded up my coffee with cream or milk, because black coffee has always tasted horrible to me. Not anymore! I enjoy it both ways now.I've gotten into it so much, I've even started measuring grounds by the gram on a digital food scale, instead of just scooping it out - the difference in grams really affects the flavor, and you can fine-tune the amount to get it just how you like it. And I've found that different beans and roasts need different amounts to taste the best, some more, some less.And the coffee is HOT. I make a full pot, and pour it into a good-quality Thermos carafe (I use a Thermos Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Carafe, 51-Ounce), keeps it hot and fresh-tasting for hours. No more lukewarm coffee, or burned coffee from sitting on the drip machine plate. And if the power goes out, I can make coffee outside on the gas grill, or take it camping with me.The great thing about a stovetop brewer instead of electric (I considered both) is you can experiment with temperature, length of percing and amount of grounds to get the coffee to taste just how YOU want it to. I've really had fun experimenting, and find that rainforest coffee can be perced longer (because more sugars and less acids), whereas cheap coffee in a can (sun-grown, full of acids and few sugars) should be perced less, or the acids start to come out.A few practical notes: first, read the instructions. It comes with great instructions for brewing different amounts and strengths and other helpful tips.It takes longer to brew a pot than drip machines, about 20 minutes for a full pot, 15 to bring it to perc temperature (enough to grab a quick shower) and 5-7 percing. And you can't set it on a timer so it's ready when you wake up. It also takes a little extra washing up each day, between the pot itself and the thermos carafe, and it needs to be hand-dried on the outside to keep up the nice shine (or you get dried water spots on it). For coffee this good, it's worth it! And it's nice to know you have CLEAN parts each day (instead of mold or bacteria that can build up in drip machines).But very busy people might not like that part of it so much, and sometimes I use a press or something else for a quick cup on super busy days when I have to get up and out really early and don't have time to wait for the pot to brew or wash it up after. Or I just get up a little earlier, I hate to miss my percolated coffee...Experiment to find out how long it takes to reach a good steady, percolating for the amount you want to brew - and then USE A TIMER. If you forget to turn it down once it starts percing, it will overheat and boil and produce a horrible, nasty tasting brew. NEVER boil the grounds! Heat on medium-high heat, not high, to avoid boiling, and turn it down low or medium-low for percing.It works great on gas or electric stoves. I have a ceramic top electric, set it right on the burner (no trivet needed), heat it on 8 (out of 10) and perc it on 2.8. You can perc it hotter, up to 4 or 5 maybe, it just depends on how you like it to taste. I find that the lowest temperature to keep it percolating regularly brings out the smoothest, sweetest, mellowest flavor, which is how I like it. People who like a stronger, punchier cup can use more grounds at hotter temps. Experiment!Some have complained about the clear plastic top deforming with the heat. I keep mine a little loose as plastic expands with heat, and have had no problems. But you can also buy glass replacement tops through Amazon. You don't have to use a filter, but I do (just a regular drip basket filter, which I poke down over the stem in the basket), as I use a lot of pre-ground coffee which is made for drip machines and finer than percolator grind, hard to find and a little coarser, a little of which can get into the brew, though not much. The paper also helps filter out the oils which can contribute to heart disease. I just dump it all into my composter each day (coffee grounds are great for the garden, btw). If the spring that supports the basket on the stem ever wears out, you can buy a replacement for that, too.Someone complained in an older review that the handle broke off because glued. Either the manufacturer changed it or the reviewer was talking about a different percolator, because this handle appears to be screwed and riveted on. In fact the whole unit appears well made and solid.Over time, coffee oils will build up on the inside, including inside the stem and inside a couple of curled narrow lips inside the pot (one at the top and one at the bottom, due to how the pot is constructed), staining it and which can affect flavor. The way to get rid of them is to perc a pot using dishwasher powder instead of grounds - scours it clean, and leaves it looking like new. I've done this twice now in the nine months I've had it, and it works great.In all, I'm amazed this humble little pot can produce such a fantastic brew. Turns out they really knew what they were doing in the "old days," and they did it better! No more newfangled coffee gadgets for me, filling up landfills as they break, just delicious, smooth, incredibly tasty HOT coffee from a pot that should last a lifetime.

I’ve used this every day for over a week and so far I love it. Easy to use (just follow the instructions included) and coffee tastes great!! I use Folgers but bet any coffee would taste just fine. It takes longer to use than a Keurig of course but the trade off is so worth it to me. If you’re in a hurry a percolator is not for you. It helps to have a thermos or thermal carafe to keep coffee fresh and hot after brewing. The percolator doesn’t do that although I suppose you could keep it warm on a stove burner. I also bought percolator basket filters that have a hole in the middle. They are cheap and well worth it to keep out any stray grounds. Easy to find on Amazon. I bought the larger size percolator to make anywhere from 4 to 10 cups and it comes with the glass knob lid. Replacements for the glass knob and plastic piece can also be found on Amazon if needed. I would be careful taking the lid off using only the glass knob. I carefully pry the top off using a small sharp knife being careful not to scratch the pot. I think the knob and plastic piece will last much longer that way.

I seen this pot on a blog and decided to check it out. I had a percolator style pot years ago, but I could not remember how it performed nor tasted. I am currently using an old Mr. Coffee drip machine. I have used Keurig and a coffee Ninja. The Keurig while very convenient, I could never find a coffee I liked. Also so many of the pods had a funny taste to me. The Ninja came up with the clean me now light problem. A real PITA and also a POS machine for the price. Clean me now please only to return in a week or two again. It is a known problem and if you doubt me, Google it. I gave both to the local Goodwill.So I decided to read some of the reviews here and then decide. Well after reading so many positive reviews, I decided I had to have one. Now all I needed to do was decide which one to order; the 8 cup or the 12 cup. The majority of the time, I am brewing a pot for just me. However on the weekends, I tend to make a bigger pot as my son will join me in drinking coffee. Reading through the description here I found where it states a cup is 4 oz. My Mr. Coffee manual has a cup as 5 oz. and I normally make 8 cups. So I did the math: 5 oz. x 8 = 40 oz. So 4 oz. x 10 = 40 oz. So I thought it best to order the 12 cup for a bit of room for the weekends. After using this pot a couple of times, I realized that I have a lot more coffee than my Mr. Coffee. So I decided to use an actual measuring cup to find out the truth. What I concluded is the Farberware cup is a 6 oz. cup and when I fill it to the 6 cup marking on the wall I have about 36 oz. for 6 cups. On the first few days I was making a bit more coffee than I normally do, and making it a bit too weak for me also. I measured the amount my favorite mug holds and it came to 12 oz. This pot when I make 6 cups will give me 3 good mugs of coffee. That is my intake for a normal morning of coffee.I now fill to the 6 cup mark and add 6 good scoops (tablespoons) of my coffee. I have been adding a scant amount of salt to the basket as one reviewer suggested. She claims it helps to offset the acidity. I can't swear to that, but I can swear that after using this pot for a week now, I will not be going back. The coffee is the best tasting I have made in my house. The smell in the morning is oh so delightful. I will say the coffee I use never tasted this good in my Mr. Coffee. I have a couple of brands and all taste better in the Farberware. The only drawback is the time needed to make a pot. I am retired so it doesn't bother me. If you are a worker bee, you will probably not want to spend the extra time. My 6 cup brew takes about 9-10 minutes to start the perk (boil) cycle. I then turn the dial to 3 and set the timer for 7 minutes. I turn it to the lowest setting when the timer goes off. I normally wait a few minutes before I pour the first cup too. I leave my burner on warm.I know this is getting lengthy but I also must say this; If you are like me, trying to decide between the 8 cup or the 12 cup, then here is a tip. If you read closely, you will notice the 8 cup comes with a plastic knob and the 12 cup comes with glass. I can attest to the 12 cup being glass. I can not attest to the 8 cup being plastic, however the descriptions validate my findings too. So if you decide to purchase the 8 cup and then buy the glass knob, you will be at the cost for the 12 cup pot anyway. Add to that if you compare the dimensions of the two closely, you will not find much of a size difference in the two pots. I would have chose the 8 cup if it had the glass knob.I hope this reviews helps to clarify these points for others out there. I will close by saying that I am very happy with my Farberware 12 cup percolator. I have put a cover over the Mr. Coffee for now. I will not be going back to the weak and lukewarm drip coffee any time soon.Signed; Spoiled in PA