Primula Today Aluminum Stove Top Percolator Maker Durable, Brew Coffee On Stovetop, 9 Cup, Silver

I just got it and used it today. I have a induction stove and forgot that I have to make sure what I buy is magnetic to use on my stove top. I luckily own one of those Stainless Steel Induction Diffuse Adapter Plate so I was able to make my first pot of percolator coffee as I have always loved the taste of Percolator coffee since 2005 when I friends sister in law gave me my first cup and I don’t know what took me so long to taste the best cup of coffee taste but today’s the day and it’s just as good as i remember it. So worth it!

I’ve only been using this a couple of weeks and already the basket is deformed and the inside of the pot is very stained. It works very well and makes good coffee but I don’t think it will last years like I had hoped.

Love it

It works but I wish it was durable enough to use on campfire

Arrived on time with no damage. Nicely buffed. Your basic all-aluminum coffee pot. Plastic perk indicator at the top. Some scoff at plastic rather than glass, but that plastic doesn’t get as hot nor is it as likely to break if you drop it on a hard surface. Reading the reviews on here was entertaining, so I’ll try to put my two cents worth into the discussion.

To begin with, a measured cup is 8 oz. That’s a normal sized “mug” of coffee. A regular coffee cup, like mammaw has in her china cabinet, is only about 6 oz. IN THE MANUAL it says “do NOT fill above the lowest row of 3 holes in the spout”. Using this as a guide, I measured water into the pot just touching the lowest row of 3 holes. It held 5 1/4 “mugs” or 42 oz to reach that level. They advertise this as a 9 cup model. Adding enough water to reach the top of the lowest row of three holes required just one more ounce of water so it took 43 oz to reach the upper limit. So bottom line is you can only brew just over five 8oz mugs of coffee or you can brew just over seven 6 oz grammaw size cups of coffee. Or you can brew 9 tiny little 4.7 ounce cups of coffee.

Now that we know how much the thing holds lets talk a little about how to use it. Old style regular grind (or coarser) works best in a percolator. The finer grinds are meant for drip coffee makers and espresso. I use Maxwell House original, same as my mom and her mom did in their percolators 50 years ago, mainly because I don’t want to have to pack a coffee grinder when I go camping, it’s available everywhere, and it’s not too expensive. But I’m not brand loyal so anytime I see a coarser grind available, I try them all. You’re always going to get some sediment in perked coffee. You can buy and use paper filters inside the basket to eliminate them, but doing so changes the flavor and kind of defeats the purpose. So I don’t use them at all.

Using a percolator:

Measure your water and add your ground coffee to the basket. You’ll have to decide how many “mugs” you want, and then you’ll have to experiment over several days to learn how much coffee to use to get it as strong as you like, according to your taste.

Put it on the burner but be mindful, if you start it out on high to speed the process up, you have to be ready to turn the heat way down as soon as it starts percolating. You don’t want to boil the water in the pot, just apply enough heat to keep the bubbling going with as little “steam” as possible coming out of the spout. Too much heat will make it taste burnt. On my gas range or Coleman stove, I have to turn the flame almost all the way down to get a slow perk.

Once it starts perking slow and regular, start watching your clock or set a timer for three, no more than 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for another 3-5 minutes to allow whatever sediment is in the coffee to settle out. Now you’re ready to serve. I pour the entire pot into a thermos to keep it hot, but if you take the lid off and remove the basket and stem you can put the pot back on the stove on the lowest heat setting to keep it hot.

The above advice applies to all percolators. This Primula Today model is economical, and does exactly what it’s supposed to do, aside from brewing 9 cups of coffee.

Looks nice but not very heavy aluminum. Would dent easy.

For all of you “give me caffeine or give me death!” individuals. I can’t think of a better backup plan if you have a gas stove or an outside gas grill and you got to have your coffee regardless of the situation LOL! Used the percolator for the first time in probably 30 years and it was a nostalgic moment hearing and seeing the percolator in action! However, I highly recommend that you modify a disposable coffee filter that you use in your drip machine in that metal basket to eliminate the little bit of coffee ground sediment that will slip through.