Percolated coffee lovers needed!

[cjs33139]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and am a product design major doing some research on a coffee making appliance that I wishing to redesign: the electric percolator; and I ask for your help in my research. I just want to add that I am not looking for negative comments from non-percolator users about how supposedly "awful" the coffee made in a percolator is, because as a percolator user myself, I find the coffee to be the BEST EVER. To me, it's all about personal taste and I have already read negative comments before from percolator-dissers. The purpose of this is to find out from percolator users what they like about their percolators and what they don't like and would wish could be redesigned in percolators.
I decided for my senior project to take on a challenge with a lesser known coffee appliance that is in dire need of a makeover. The purpose of industrial design is to not only appeal to current users of percolators but to try to attract non-percolator users, but with the way they look now, few younger coffee drinkers (especially drip-brew lovers) would find any appeal in percolators and think of "grandma" when looking at them. Despite electric percolators still being manufactured by Cuisinart, Farberware, and Preso to this day, I feel that their design depts. haven't put much thought into redesigning them or make them more updated or modern looking. I want to change that with my project. There are many areas that I myself would want to redesign, but I want to hear from you, what areas you would improve on (outer aesthetics as well as inner components, etc) and how you would think you can improve on them. What part of making percolated coffee turns you off, but you still put up with it because you love percolated coffee? No idea or suggestion is a bad one. I want to hear them all. Please help me with my project. Thanks in advance!

 

[coffeeroastersclub]

Let me say that I had a percolator I used on my woodstove; and found the best way to brew was at a lower temp with finer grinds. When it got to the desired "richness" I would take it off right away.

The issue with perc is that it can get too hot and that burns the coffee while it is brewing. That is why, after experimenting, I found that a quicker brew with finer grind at less temp made a decent coffee.

Hope that helps a little.

Len

 

[cjs33139]

Thanks for the info, but I am more looking for actual problems/issues with the percolator device itself, as I am redesigning the aesthetics and components and looking for areas to improve, but thanks! Glad you love percolated coffee too!

 

[CCafe]

Its been partially redesigned already. Its called a Mocha pot. And if you can design a system that mimics a Mocha pot on a large scale you be doing good. Heck most modern day drip coffee makers are nothing more then a percolator. They simply allow the water to pass over the grinds only once before capturing it in a storage device. The key is to make it so your coffee isn't recycled over the grinds. I know that goes exactly against a percolator but that is the biggest problem with them. They just way over extract the coffee.

Maybe you can find a way to have it pass through the grinds a set amount of times before it enters a holding area. If that was possible maybe you might be on to something. But either way I wouldn't want the coffee that has been extracted mixing with the percing water.

 

[topher]

also if you could make it so the water that hits the grounds is not boiling. Water should be just below boiling...The coffee vacuum was awesome that Bodum produced...but for some reason they discontinued it.

 

[cjs33139]

Thanks for your input but to be honest, it wasn't much help, lol. Moka pots are moka pots. They don't replace percolators and vice versa. Some people like their coffee "recirculated", vs a moka pot or drip brew, which only passes through the grounds once, which I find to be "weak" coffee. It doesn't surprise me though that an administrator of a coffee blog would be anti-percolation! lol Just ask Mark Prince from Coffee Geek and he will agree with you. I just think (and so do countless others) that percolated coffee rocks! I was just asking to see if their are perk lovers who use one and what would they change about the actual appliance, to make it easier, but I see from my few responses, not many perk lovers on this blog! To each their own, I say. Turkish and Greek coffee BOILS coffee and overextracts it too, but people seem to rave about that too, even though it breaks the cardinal sins of coffeebrewing... not boiling your coffee. It's all boils down (no pun intended) to preference and tastebuds. Thanks CCafe though for your input.

 

[CCafe]

Well were giving you all the ideas we can give guy. Percolators have been around since the late 1700's. Your pushing over 300 years worth of time they've had to innovate that product line.

 

[Torrentula81]

Maybe have the coffee chamber once filled the machine divides that into smaller amounts. So instead of percolating constantly over the same grounds it does it in steps to avoid reusing all the grounds at once like the current ones. The water from each step gets emptied below and the process begins again with fresh water until grinds are used up. It might provide an improvement I don't know. Never used one but have seen grandma with one.It sounds like your asking someone to hand you the next innovation to net you millions. On that note look for some ideas by going through patents on percolators to see what others are up to. Might give you some ideas.

 

[cjs33139]

If you read my initial thread, this was directed SOLELY at percolator users, not people who aren't or who have never used one and I am not asking for a million dollar idea of reinventing a new brewing method. I am looking for what perc users would change about the design of the actual EXISTING appliance; the aesthetics, materials, ergonomics, components, etc. THAT is what product design is about. I am not an inventor... inventors are one thing and designers are a whole different breed. We are about problem solving and filling a need, making appliances/products better. I am not looking to change the actual percolation brew method or making it so the coffee doesn't recirculate; then it wouldn't be a percolator, helloooooo!

Since I am a percolator user, I don't mind my coffee recirculating over and over and yet, this has turned into a anti-percolation thread, which was not my intention. What I don't understand is why can't people "live and let live" when it comes to coffee. If you don't like your coffee circulated over and over, fine. I can live with that, but don't spread misinformation about percolators "boiling" coffee, because they don't. Mine works in the 195 to 205 range, which is the ideal temp for coffee brewing. Turkish coffee actually boils the grounds and cooks them, but I don't see many people bashing that method (or maybe they do). Yet Turks and the Greeks love their boiled coffee. All I am seeing is just typical American coffee snobbery which is not what I was intending to get from this forum. I don't care what coffee "experts" claim about percolated coffee. Their taste buds are not mine and they don't have a monopoly on good taste. I have tried dripbrew, french press and a few other methods and I will stick to my percolated coffee, thank you very much. This scenario is exactly like the wine snobs whose heads would spin if they knew I chill my red wine, because I hate warm reds. It's not supposed to be done, but I do it anyway. It's how I like it, so what. It's a us (we are right and we have good taste and we know what's right for the masses) versus a you (you are an ignoramus who has no taste and you need to be educated). It's disgusting. Thanks anyway.

 

[Torrentula81]

You asked for an idea to redesign and gave one. And I got flamed for it, thanks. I never said you WERE doing it for millions. I said "it sounds" as in I felt as in my opinion reading your post. But thanks again for trashing on someone posted thoughts. I'm glad not every one is like you. I thought my post was productive. In your words "good or bad". Don't lie and ask for thoughts then bash ppl who post. I never used one but my idea is still just that an idea. Was my post that bad to start calling me names? Go back and read it again and tell me if you truly think it's ok to call me an ignaranus for what I posted? Your the disgusting one. Act like an adult on these forums!

 

[alisa]

Hello, I am new to this forum and am a product design major doing some research on a coffee making appliance that I wishing to redesign...

 

[CCafe]

At this point in the game I've had enough of all these people asking for help redesigning something rather it be for personal or private gain. At the time this thread is closed until further notice.