02811 Stainless Steel 12-Cup Electric Coffee Percolator

My family has owned this percolator for 6 years now, purchased right here on Amazon in 2010, and I'm about to buy another one for work. This pot has consistently delivered the best tasting coffee - better than all restaurants we frequent, better than friends and family's coffee... just awesomely, amazingly good. I've had a couple of minor maintenance issues over the years (see below) but they were super easily overcome, and in general this has been a super-reliable and very inexpensive appliance. Honestly, this has to have been one of my most favorite appliance purchases ever. And all for less than $40. Take THAT, you overpriced, overly featured drip machines that make lousy coffee!! ;-) *TIPS* With this, and any other stainless percolator, there are some basic guidelines to follow that aren't necessarily in the manual: 1. DO NOT use a paper filter. Ever. Use the metal basket ONLY. The holes are tiny enough to allow the coffee through, but to keep 99.9% of the gains in. Using the metal basket without a paper filter allows the flavor oils that naturally exist in the coffee bean to STAY in the coffee and contribute to its amazing and full flavor. If you use a paper filter, you'll lose the oils and get an "over-extracted" flavor that's more bitter than bold... so don't use a paper filter, follow the instructions, and you're GOLDEN - perfect coffee every time. Yes, you'll get a couple of grains in the last cup without a paper filter... whoop-de-do, just don't drink the very last few drops of the very last cup - problem solved. ;) 2. Cleaning the pot: Make sure it's clear of any build-up, but don't scrub the interior... allow the percolator to become seasoned. It's hot enough to prevent any bacterial issues, just like a wok or a cookie sheet. So let that puppy get seasoned, it's perfectly safe AND more delicious over time! The key place for build up is the receiving "hole" at the bottom of the pot for the metal tube. That can build up coffee debris pretty quick, and if you don't clear it, it will keep the metal tube from seating properly and you won't be able to brew properly, if at all. You only need to scrape away the excess with a fingernail, and you're good to go. The outside of the pot, however, feel free to scrub and make super shiny. It's really a nice looking piece when cleaned! 3. Cleaning the basket: The basket's tiny holes can get plugged up over a month or so of daily use. There's two ways to deal with this: chemically (cleaners) or with a wire brush. I prefer the wire brush route and just tap the bottom of the basket, which instantly clears the holes and allows you to keep the years of perfect seasoning intact. Wire brush FTW. 4. When assembling the pot in order to brew coffee, if you don't get the metal tube lined up with the receiving hole in the bottom of the pot, you'll get a misfire where you'll get a weak pot of coffee (at best), if not a mere pot of hot water. To ensure this doesn't happen, once the metal tube is aligned with the receiving hole, twist it left and right like you're trying to gently screw it in. It doesn't actually screw in... the twisting movement simply forces it to pop into the hole if it isn't in the hole already. Best. Trick. Ever. 5. Don't overfill the basket with coffee - the closer you are to the top of the tube, the more likely to get grains in the bottom of the pot. However, don't underfill or you'll get weak coffee. Follow the instructions, and you should be fine. 6. It's OK to let the coffee sit plugged in and ready to go for a long time as a FULL pot. If you're going to be leaving less than half a pot for more than an hour, UNPLUG IT, the coffee can burn if it sits long enough, just like ANY coffee pot. However, I've let a full pot sit for 4 or 5 hours, plugged in, and it's still not bad at all. Obviously, the fresher the better - just don't let it sit plugged in with very little coffee left, or your coffee will be understandably less delicious than you were expecting. 7. MAINTENANCE: I've had to replace the wire/plug once because using it thousands of times caused it to develop a minor short. Any plug/wire off the shelf that fits will do... it's just a straight up, no frills, 2 prong AC cable. Easy-peasy. I've also seen the screws holding on the bottom decay over time as they're not made of rust-resistant metal, sadly. However, a quick trip to your local hardware store will get you brand new ones; just bring the old ones with and ask the hardware guy for help. I replaced the bottom screws about 2 years ago when they got too rusty, so I got 4 years out of mine. You might be able to forestall the rusty screws issue by covering the holes with hot glue to prevent water from getting up in there when you wash the outside. That'd probably work perfectly, but I haven't actually tried it. Finally, stop reading reviews, buy this pot, and enjoy your awesome coffee!!!

I’ve run the gamut on all sorts of coffee makers and know how to make a good cup of coffee. Pour over using a kettle and kalita wave, v60, or Chemex will get you the most nuanced coffee as long as you know how to pour it. It takes practice and I used to have the time and patience for it, but now I reserve those moments for when I’m truly in the mood. There are good drip brewers out there that make good coffee and I recommend using, especially the ones that brew at the right temps and speed, and I never thought old fashioned percolators can make good coffee. I always thought they “burn” coffee and brewing with recirculated coffee ruins the taste. I was wrong. I recently learned through experience that Percs and can make great coffee. I purchased this coffee maker mostly out of curiosity. I wanted my coffee to stay hotter in my mug for longer, and drip coffee just seemed to cool down too fast, even from the SCAA recommended machines. Preheating the mug is a workaround, but requires an extra step that you really don’t want in the morning. Knowing that percs are known for making hotter coffee, I purchased this one. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This thing makes great tasting, hot coffee. There is a learning curve though. Here is what works for me: I put a scoop of ice in the pot along with my water to make it very cold before brewing. These electric percs need very cold water to start to get the best results. Do not use a filter. I tried using the sample filters that came with the pot but the few times I tried I got very weak coffee. I think these filters allow water to bypass the coffee grounds in the basket, and don’t allow the full and even saturation needed. The benefit you get of easier clean up is not worth getting a horrible tasteless pot of coffee. Use freshly ground beans. If the beans are freshly roasted, even better. But at a minimum, to get the best tasting coffee from any brew method the beans need to be ground right before brewing. Burr grinders give the best results. However if you don’t have a grinder that’s ok. I buy pre-ground coffee too. I make sure to buy only small containers so the grounds don’t get too stale before they are used. Grind the beans to a coarseness level slightly above drip. However, regular drip grind works just fine. Experiment with coffee to water ratios to get the results you want. In this perc I prefer a 20:1 ratio (20 parts of water to 1 part of coffee grounds, by weight). Unplug the perc shortly after brewing. Doing this will preserve the best flavors of the coffee. Lastly, after it’s cooled, if there is still unused coffee that you want drink, you can “freshen” it up easily. First take out the basket and tube. Put the lid back on and plug it in again. The pot will start heating the coffee. In about 2 min the light will go on and the coffee will be at the same hot temp again. Unplug the pot and enjoy your cup. (Won’t be a good as first cup but close enough for me). Using these guidelines for myself, I always get a delicious, full bodied, piping hot coffee that is better than any cheap drip machine, just as good as high quality drip machines, and the coffee stays hot in my mug longer. I was surprised that these vintage style percs made good coffee, but I guess they knew what they were doing 50+ years ago when these were popular. The convenience of drip took over, but I’ve found that percs have a certain charm to them. While not as “convenient” its still very easy to use. I enjoy the sounds it makes, and I like that they are so simple to clean. It’s all metal, no plastic, which also means hot water is not touching any plastic during brewing, which you can’t say for most drip machines. Plus it has a small blueprint so takes up a lot less space. The only thing I wish it had was auto-shut-off. The only way to turn it off is pulling the plug out of the pot. Auto-shut off after 1-2 hours should be a standard feature. I can’t see how leaving the pot on all day would be desirable at all. Overall I really like this pot. It’s nostalgic and makes great coffee!

For years, I've used drip coffee makers; i.e., Mr. Coffee, Black & Decker, and Mainstays. They served their purpose but I started to worry about the plastic corrosion in these models. I've always ground my coffee beans with a Capresso. Last week, I decided to upgrade to the Presto 02811 and what a noticeable difference!! The coffee pours out several degrees hotter which is a plus for me. I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but the coffee has a much smoother taste to it. I didn't even have to experiment with adjusting the coarseness setting on the bean grinder. Same setting as before. Every day, I make four 6oz. cups of coffee and it takes about 8 minutes to finish brewing. The product came with a few paper filters but I don't think they're necessary. Only a very small amount of grinds end up in the bottoms of our cups but that to me means we just drank a good cup of percolated coffee. Watching the coffee as I pour it from the old fashioned looking spout feels like I'm back in a diner in the 60's. i was surprised it doesn't have an on/off switch or a "keep warm" setting. As soon as you plug it in, the brewing begins and keeps the coffee hot until you unplug it. I was disappointed the pot can't be disconnected from the electrical part and so it's not immersible for a thorough cleaning. I've already mastered the art of how to clean it with hot soapy water and rinsing it without getting water in the area where the electrical prongs are. And to be extra cautious, I put a small piece of wadded up paper towel in that little area to be sure no water hits it. I think $79.99 was a bit pricey for such a basic model with no bells or whistles but I guess that's how it goes these days. Nevertheless, It makes a great cup of hot coffee, no plastic, no glass carafe to break, and no more Melita paper coffee filters to buy. I'm pleased with my purchase and recommend it.

Nice percolator. Not overly bulky and makes hot coffee! I do recommend using a filter as you get quite a few grounds in your coffee without it. Also I wish it had a percolation setting for stronger coffee. Have to use a lot of coffee to avoid a weak brew due to short percolating time. Can’t even unplug and replug to percolate again. Won’t percolate until unit cools down.

In the first years of my life, I grew up with a coffee percolator. Its in my humble opinion, a percolator is the best way to make coffee. Back in the 1990's, companies started marketing drip style coffee makers. They would classically show somebody getting coffee grounds all over their percolators, and using that as a reason to switch to drip. Well, it must have worked, because our family switched to drip style coffee makers, and we went through many of them, as they never lasted more then 3 to 5-years! I gotta be honest, when you've tasted drip brewed coffee, it just isn't as good. When you've tasted percolator brewed coffee, its like a night and day difference. After a power outage spike took out our old coffee maker, it was time to finally go back to the percolator, and we chose the Presto. How does it measure up? Well, let me install a new surge protector first, plug the percolator into it, and then I'll tell ya. The coffee maker comes packaged fairly well, nice box, cardboard separation inserts. Comes with an included 2-prong power cord, the same kind waffle irons, rice makers, and crock pots use. It comes with a instruction manual, and all the parts that make up the percolator, all packaged in plastic bags, which you must take out, and install properly to get ready for use. With the lid removed, filter basket and tube, fill the unit with the amount of water you require for the needed cups you want. For example, if you want to make 12-cups of coffee, fill to the 12-cup mark. I grind my own coffee beans with a portable B&D electric coffee grinder. I like my coffee strong, so I fill the grinder to its max level, and I just do a medium grind, that way you don't get a lot of grounds getting past the filter basket into your coffee. Yes, I am well aware of the age old discussion, to paper filter, or not paper filter, that is the question. To be perfectly honest, using paper filters will indeed alter the taste of the coffee to be less desirable, all to have no grounds at the bottom of the pot. If you do a medium grind, you won't get that many grounds at the bottom of the pot anyway, so I recommend to not use a paper filter for best flavor results. Once you have filed the filter basket, just place the percolator pickup tube into it, then center the bottom half of the tube, with the bowl shaped recessed notch at the bottom of the coffee pot. Then just hold it in place while you install the lid. The lid literally snaps into place, so there is no way that lid is ever coming off on its own, without human intervention, so you can trust it, which is a plus. Then all you have to do is plug the cord into the wall, and the coffee maker begins percolating after just a few seconds. When the coffee pot is fully filled, it is surprisingly heavy, so much so, I decided to weigh it. The coffee maker weighs in 6-pounds and 10.7-ounces, that is almost 7-pounds! It is in my opinion, that seniors who are suffering from arthritis, will have quite a bit of difficulty managing this coffee pot. I remember my mother had a lot of trouble, just trying to lift a 12-cup drip style pot. So you might want to use a second hand with a pot holder, to help you support the pot as you pore. The good news however, is that this pot has an excellent handle, that remains cool to the touch, so you never have to worry about getting burned, as what would happen with a stove top percolator! Additionally, the percolator has a beautiful spout, and it functions as good as it looks, pores beautifully. I recommend that you use filtered water, I use a Britta filter, which is better for your health, and helps to reduce calcium deposits in the coffee pot. The company claims that the percolator takes 1-minute per cup, so 12-cups = 12-minutes. I am always wary of company claims when it comes to marketing, so I decided to test that. The water sat long enough in the pot to reach room temperature before I plugged it in. As my video clearly shows, the Presto 12-cup percolator took a total of 12-minutes and 55-seconds to finish brewing. So while that is nearly a whole minute longer then company claims, its well within the norm, so they get a pass.....This time. By now your wondering, all this is well and good, but how does the coffee taste? I am happy to report, that the coffee that this percolator makes, tastes phenomenal! Literally, every time I took a sip, I was in heaven. Its like one of those things that makes you ask yourself, "what have I been doing with all of my life?" The answer is, you've been doing it wrong for years, but now you own a percolator, so you've redeemed yourself. I can't recommend the flavor that this machine produces enough! Please note that, unlike drip style coffee makers that never get the coffee that hot, this percolator makes coffee piping hot, 195-degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful with your first sips, unless you cool it down a bit with some liquid creamer or milk. Now as far as cleanup is concerned, its not the huge ordeal that companies made it out to be, when they suggested that you switch to drip style coffee makers. Simply, remove the lid, run it under hot water, set aside. Remove the filter basket, knock it against the inside of your trash can, most of the grounds fall in, or use a piece of paper towel to assist. Run the filter basket under hot water to rinse out any remaining grounds. Run some water through the pickup tube, just make sure its clear, set aside to dry. A quick rinse of the pot as well, not even soap is required, Its literally that simple, and now your percolator will be ready for the next pot you make. I recommend only plugging and unplugging the cord from the male end that goes into the wall, there is really no need to detach it from the coffee maker itself. But when the coffee percolator finishes brewing, it will automatically turn off and switch to warming mode. I don't recommend leaving the pot in warming mode for longer then 30-minutes though, that way the coffee stays fresh and doesn't turn bitter on ya. I would have preferred that this coffee maker had an on/off switch, but that doesn't appear to be a feature, that is found on percolators in general, not just from this brand. Other then that, I literally have nothing else negative to say about it. The percolator is both beautiful in design, as it is, in its function to make excellent tasting coffee, what more could you want? I really love this coffee maker and I can't recommend it enough. If you've been using a drip style coffee maker, please do yourself a favor, and get a percolator. I rate this coffee maker a solid 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

In a nutshell: this is a FABULOUS percolator. More specifically: the body and parts are all steel, no plastics, and function flawlessly and are easy to clean. It makes the most delicious cups of coffee and I like that its size is big enough to make a lot of coffee and easy to store, though I proudly keep mine displayed on the counter so the rest of my appliances can bow down to its superiority. The coffee is hot and stays hot, never tastes burnt. The lid stays secure and there is no glass/plastic inside of the lid to worry about. The percolating process is quick and I can honestly say I'll never go back to pot/drip coffee. A good percolator will change you, and this is just the one to do it. Some tips/advice for anyone new to percolator coffee: 1. You need less coffee in the basket than the booklet says or you think you need; water continously moves over the grounds, creating a really strong brew, as opposed to passing over it once and dripping down. 2. It makes *really* strong coffee; do not take that lightly. Because it passes through the grounds so many times, the caffeine (and flavor) is amplified. You've been warned. I dilute my caffeinated coffee with decaf, a hard lesson I learned after using this a few times. 3. Once the light comes on to indicate the coffee is ready, it's not. Give the water and grounds in there time to sink all the way down to the bottom for about 5 minutes, then you can pour. That's not a fault of the percolator's, thats a little tip passed down to me from my percolator elders, and now I give it to you. 4. Unless you've used a paper filter, some grounds will sink to the very bottom of the coffee, and if you empty everything into your cup on your final pour, there will be grounds in your coffee. This is normal and to be expected with any percolator. Simply don't pour the last little bit of coffee when you're getting your final cup! And last, the people complaining about the "noise" of this percolator are absolutely crazy. It's a percolator, it's *going* to make noise, but this one in particular is much more quiet than others! And enjoy the sounds it makes-- that's the sound of your most delicious cup of coffee being made. It's homey; it's a remaining sound of the past and a timeless gadget; appreciate it.

Looking for microplastic free coffee? Look no more! This baby makes coffee just as tasty as my drip machine (which gave me a huge load of microplastic consumption daily). I use the same grinds, same ratio of water to grinds. The coffee is rich and hotter than my drip machine. Spout doesn't dribble. You must remember to unplug it when you are finished. I do wish there was an autoshut off after an hour or two. REALLY GREAT MACHINE!

We have tried several coffeemakers since starting our family (it takes a lot of coffee to fuel our two-working-parents-with-a-new-house-and-two-children-under-two household) and this, my friends, is THE BEST. To understand my rating you may need to know what we were looking for to begin with, and how this machine satisfied our criteria. What we wanted 1) First, we needed hot coffee and fast! 2) Coffee must taste good 3) NO plastic - at least where the nearly boiling hot water comes into contact with it 4) Ease of use - KISS rule applies here, as we're operating on very little sleep these days How it performed 1) This pot knocks this out of the park. It only takes about 6-8 minutes to brew 6 cups. It is HOT and it stays hot for a long time (actually, it will stay hot as long as you have the machine plugged into the outlet, which is a really nice feature when we're home on the weekends). A couple of our other machines actually took longer to brew coffee as we encountered filter problems and other issues. Side note - we keep a huge Brita filter of water in our fridge, and use it for coffee so we don't need all the extra filtering of other machines. 2) The taste of coffee will be affected by many factors, not the least of which is the quality of your selected beans, the roast, how freshly ground it is, and using COLD water to begin, however even with the best coffees our previous coffee makers left something to be desired. This machine consistently makes delicious coffee. Seriously, it is such a pleasure to drink. 3) This one is really important. As we increased the amount of coffee we drink, we realized that pretty much all other machines involve plastic parts somewhere in the brew process, despite having metal baskets and the like. That means there is a pretty good chance some unhealthful substances could be leaching into the water, and into the coffee. We use steel and glass with our other beverages and for our children's drinks - but had ignored the almost 16 oz of coffee a day we were consuming! This entire machine, with the exception of the base and handle, is steel. All that boiling hot water comes in contact with is metal. I suspect that also has something to do with how well it performs on the flavor scale. 4) Again, home run. This machine isn't any more labor intensive to use than a Mr. Coffee or a Cuisinart. In fact, it might be simpler since you don't have to pour water from a carafe into some silly little hole somewhere on the machine, risking spilling water all over the counter. Fill the carafe with cold water. Fill the basket with grounds. Insert bar, basket, and lids. Plug it in. Pour your cereal, hug your kids, pack your lunch, whatever you fancy. 8 minutes later you're pouring a delicious, hot mug of joe. We have a grinder and only buy whole bean coffee. Sometimes we grind the coffee the night before to save time, but plenty of mornings we have grind it just before making the coffee. Still a simple and quick process..even when we are exhausted. Additionally, you can make small amounts of coffee without needing a special setting. The coffee isn't any weaker as a result, unlike other machines. I think this has to do with how hot this machine gets the water prior to brewing. It isn't heating up along the way, like some other machines. So the first few cups are just as good as the rest. You can, however, make a big full pot, which is nice for us because our parents come to visit often and all drink coffee too. And the whole big pot is piping hot. That brings me to a negative aspect of this machine. If you brew a pot, and want another, you have to wait until the pot cools. I've been raving about how hot it makes coffee, and that it's made of metal. Well, it becomes a dangerously hot piece of metal. Clean up is easy with this machine too. We compost our grounds so it is as simple as dumping the basket into our compost container, and rinsing out the parts. Something to be mindful of, though, is ensuring that you UNPLUG the machine before you leave. Best case scenario, you return to hot coffee in the evening, if that's your thing, but I'm afraid of causing an electrical fire so our post-coffee routine is simply unplugging it before leaving for work. Again, it is usually too hot to clean right away so we do this in the evening. You'll notice some features we weren't looking for, and which this product does not have: 1) Brew interrupt for pouring a cup while it is still brewing. We aren't that impatient. We have plenty to do while we wait for the full pot to brew. But some folks may not like that. 2) Clock - we have that on our stove...and our phones...and our toaster oven...and our wall. We're good with clocks 3) Programmable brewing - again, not necessary for us as we find using this machine to be quick and easy. We did enjoy this feature on other products (waking up to coffee brewing for you is so nice!) but the trade off for no plastic parts was worth it to us. Plus, my husband is so sweet about getting up first and making the coffee, so not much has changed for me in this way ;-) Well, this is the longest review I have ever written, but I know how people are about their coffee...because I am one of those people. I hope this review helps. We've had this machine for 6 months, it's going strong, it looks cool on the counter, it's easy to use and it makes one darn good cup of coffee.

Funciona bastante bien.

De percolator zorgt voor lekkere koffie! Echter is de machine na 6 maanden al kapot.

it's 110volts, half-powered and will burn itself up if you simply use an adapter. very inconvenient and expensive to return to las vegas.

コーヒー豆と水を入れたら勝手に大量にコーヒーを作ってくれるマシンを探していたので購入。 特に問題なく大容量のコーヒーがすぐに作れます。 気になる点としたら機械部分が丸洗いできないことくらいかな。 あと、もうちょっと安いといいな。

Excelente cafetera. Fácil de usar y fácil de servir. A diferencia de las cafeteras de "vaso" o jarra de vidrio, este tipo de cafetera sí calienta el café como se debe además de dar un mejor sabor al manejar temperaturas más altas. Así es como deberían ser todas las cafeteras, ya que además no hay riesgo de que se te rompa o quiebre tan fácilmente. Por otro lado, puedes usarla sin filtro, lo que la hace además una opción más ecológica y barata a largo plazo.