Make sure you're using enough coffee grounds (one tablespoon for each cup of water is standard, and 40 cup percolators typically need up to 2 ½ cups of ground coffee) and that you're opting for coarse grounds.
Coffee beans are available in a light roast, dark roast and varying degrees in between. For percolator coffee, a medium roast is best. A dark roast may be too bitter or have a burnt flavor, while a light roast's subtleties are lost in the percolating process.
You should hear the coffee "jumping" up and down. If you're using a stovetop percolator, start on medium to medium-high heat. Once you hear the water start to bubble up, reduce the heat to where you hear it "perk" every 2 - 3 seconds. Leave it like this for 5 - 10 minutes and your coffee should be ready.
FOLD THE FILTER OUTSIDE THE TOP OF THE BASKET, then press it down the sides. Put the basket lid in place, and you'll notice it locks the filter in place. The water has no place to go but down through the coffee.
Fill with three to four cups of ground coffee for 60 cups of coffee. The user manual of your percolator may offer specific recommendations for amounts. If grinding your own coffee beans, choose the “percolator” or a “medium coarse grind” setting on the grinder for best results.
Coffee Percolator Instructions
- Remove cover, inside stem and basket.
- Fill unit with cold water to desired level.
- Replace percolator stem assembly and insert coffee basket over stem.
- Wet bottom of coffee basket and add regular or percolator grind coffee according to the following chart.
- Plug in with 3 to 2 prong adapter or grounded outlet.
Fill the percolator coffee pot with 1 cup of white vinegar and warm water. Permit the vinegar option to sit in the pot, with the pump-tube and basket within, for a minimum of 30 minutes. Vinegar naturally raises and loosens mineral deposits left by difficult water. Empty the vinegar option from the pot.
AMOUNTS OF COFFEE TO USE:1 cup of brewed coffee = 5 fluid ounces. Brew time is approximately 60 minutes for full batches.
dry measure) 12-15 3⁄4 cup 20-25 1 1⁄2 cups 30-36 2 cups 40-45 2 1⁄2 cups 50-55 3 1⁄4 cups 60-65 3 3⁄4 cups 80-85 5 1⁄2 cups 95-100 6 1⁄4 cups 1lb. of coffee equals 5 cups. Allow approximately 1 minute per cup brewing time. Voltage changes or variations in water temperature will affect brewing time.
You can use pre-ground coffee in a percolator, but be prepared for the dreaded sludge at the bottom of your mug. Most pre-ground coffee by default is prepped for automatic drip use so is far too finely ground to work well in a percolator.
Measuring the grounds and brewing time
| Cups of coffee | Volume of water | Brewing time |
|---|
| 30 | 20 1/2 to 21 cups | 25-30 minutes |
| 50 | 34 to 34 1/2 cups | 40-45 minutes |
| 75 | 51 1/2 to 52 cups | 60-65 minutes |
| 100 | 68 to 69 cups | 80-85 minutes |
There are some coffees that state they can be used for both drip and perk coffee makers, however through our testing it was found that this is ground too fine and can cause flooding of the percolator style coffee makers. As a guideline, I generally recommend 1 heaping tablespoon per cup of coffee you make.
For 36 six-ounce cups of coffee add two cups of perk-ground coffee to the basket. You can make up to 36 cups; however, the West Bend manual suggests that you brew no less than 12 cups.
Percolated Coffee
| Number of People | Roast & Ground Coffe | Amount of Water Required |
|---|
| 10 | 1/2 cup | 6-1/2 cups |
| 20 | 1 cup | 6-1/2 cups to brew double strength, then add an equal amount of boiling water to serve |
| 30 | 2 cups (about 1/2 pkg.) | 24 cups (added to a percolator)* |
1 pound of coffee will make approx 55 cups (2.1 gallons) of brewed coffee. No filter is required but we recommend using the largest grind coffee available (percolator grind). It's recommended you have one beverage station per 60-75 guests.
Before you brew, it's important to note that a cup of water is 8 ounces, however, a coffee pot cup is 5 ounces. So a 12-cup capacity coffee maker is actually 60-ounces of liquid, or roughly 7 cups of coffee. If you only want to make 10 cups of coffee, for example, then use about 50 ounces of water.
Use 8 ounces water + 2 tablespoons ground coffeeIt makes the best, strong cup of coffee. If you don't like your coffee too strong, you can use 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoon coffee per cup if you prefer.
Many coffee bars and the Specialty Coffee Association of America recommend adding 2 rounded tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of water. Some coffee manufacturers recommend using one tablespoon per cup. We recommend 1 to 11⁄2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup, but use more or less to suit your taste.
A general guideline is called the "Golden Ratio" - one to two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water.
For making 6 cups, we recommend 10 Tablespoons or ~ 60 grams of coffee. For making 8 cups, we think 14 Tablespoons or ~80 grams of coffee is a good starting point. You may need to use more or less coffee, depending on your preferred coffee strength.
