There is a reason so many people still swear by the percolator. It makes a hot, strong, full pot of coffee, it fills the kitchen with that smell, and for a lot of us it is simply how coffee tasted growing up. The catch is that a percolator is hard on coffee. Pick the wrong beans and the pot comes out bitter.

This post covers the best coffee for a percolator: why percolators turn some coffee bitter, what to look for instead, and how to perk a better pot. We brew our own free samples in a percolator at our coffee barn in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, so this is the method we know best. Every quote below is a real customer review, and you can read all of them on our reviews page.

What customers say about our coffee in a percolator

“Great coffee, even better when fixed in a percolator”
Donnie S, Facebook

“Stopped by today; thanks for the free cup of coffee. This is great coffee and always fresh! Try it in a percolator.”
Cathy C, Facebook

“Interesting place… coffee store with perculator of fresh brewed coffee. Help yourself to a free cup.”
Cindy P, Google

Why percolator coffee turns bitter

A percolator works by pushing hot water up a tube and down through the grounds again and again until the pot is done. That repeated trip through the grounds is what gives percolator coffee its strength. It is also why it can go wrong: the longer water runs through coffee, the more it pulls out, and the last things to come out are the harsh, bitter ones.

Coffee that is already bitter or sharp before it goes in, like a fast, hot roast or a stale bag from the back of a grocery shelf, only gets worse in a percolator. So the single biggest thing you can do for a better pot is start with coffee that is smooth to begin with.

What to look for in a percolator coffee

• Smooth, not burnt. A slow roast holds up to all that recirculating water. Ours is roasted slowly in cast iron, which is a big part of why customers call it smooth. More on that in what cast iron roasted coffee is.
• Bold, not sour. Very light roasts can taste thin and tangy after perking. A medium to dark blend gives the full, classic flavor people expect from a percolator. Ours is a German Norwegian style blend of dark and light roasted Colombian Supremo Arabica beans.
• Fresh. A percolator exaggerates stale flavors. Fresh roasted coffee, stored airtight, makes a noticeably better pot.
• Low in acid. Many percolator fans drink several cups a morning. Customers regularly tell us ours is easy on the stomach, which we cover in why customers say our coffee has no acid and no bitterness.

How to perk a better pot

• Use a coarser grind if you can. Fine grounds slip through the basket and over-extract. If you grind at home, set the grinder coarse. If you buy ground coffee, it works too, and a paper filter disk in the basket catches the fines.
• Measure. Start with about 1 tablespoon of coffee per cup of water, then adjust to taste.
• Perk gently. On the stove, bring it to a gentle perk, not a hard boil, and let it go about 7 to 10 minutes. Longer is stronger but also more bitter.
• Take the grounds out when it is done. Lift out the basket so the coffee stops extracting while it sits.
• Keep the percolator clean. Old coffee oils build up and turn the next pot bitter. A good wash with hot soapy water every few uses makes a difference.

Which of ours to use

If you have a grinder, get whole bean and grind it coarse right before you perk: the Big Hoff Bag (2 lbs) is what most of our regulars buy. If not, our ground coffee works well in a percolator: try The Hoff (1 lb), ground to start. If you like it the way our customers do, the half gallon Mason jar keeps a big supply fresh.

Want to taste it perked first? Stop by our coffee barn in Cedarburg for a free cup (hours and directions), or find us at one of our Wisconsin farmers markets. Or just order online here.