What is Coffee Percolation?
Coffee Percolation:
Percolation is the process of filtering liquids through a porous material. In terms of coffee, the coffee grounds are filtered by using water. The soluble compounds leave the filter and become freshly brewed coffee. The compounds that leave the filter are what give the coffee its taste, color, and aroma. What remains in the filter are the particles of the coffee grounds that cannot be dissolved with water, known as the granulates of the coffee beans.
WHAT IS A COFFEE PERCOLATOR?
A coffee percolator is a specific type of pot that is used to brew coffee. In a continuous cycle the coffee beans are boiled until they reach a specific desired strength. Coffee that is brewed with a coffee percolator can be easily extracted too much since the already brewed coffee recirculates throughout the pot multiple times as the grounds reach a very high temperature when brewing.
To ensure that no parts of the coffee are extracted too much, percolator professionals prefer to carefully watch the brewing process each time. By watching the process they have complete control over the level of extraction. The percolator can be stopped at any moment to salvage the coffee as best as possible.
How does it work?
A coffee percolator consists of multiple chambers that hold the coffee grounds, water, and eventually the brewed coffee. When placed over heat (range or stove), the water at the bottom of the pot begins to boil and create bubbles. The bubbles rise through the vertical tube of the chamber and flow out onto the coffee chamber of the pot.
The boiled water is distributed over the coffee grounds through perforation. Once the water reaches the coffee grounds it begins to seep through the individual grounds as it extracts the grounds to the bottom of the coffee chamber. The freshly brewed coffee then falls into a separate chamber, waiting for the process to begin again, until each coffee ground is freshly brewed. Once the overall temperature of the brew reaches boiling point it is ready to drink.
WHAT DOES PERCOLATION DO FOR THE COFFEE?
The percolator emits a strong aroma of the coffee as it freshly brews each of the coffee grounds that are in the coffee chamber. The process of percolation removes the negative parts of the coffee beans, giving you a strong brew of pure coffee once it is done percolating. Since the entire percolation process repeats itself multiple times, the end result of the percolated coffee is a strong brew. All the coffee grounds in the percolator are brewed to their fullest, giving you a bold taste of coffee throughout the pot.
The percolation coffee method is also a very convenient for camping trips as you can make your coffee without the need of electricity, a flame will percolate the coffee just as well.
