Farberware Millennium 12-Cup Percolator

The Farberware "Millennium" 12-Cup Percolator.

I've owned this percolator for nine years now. It makes absolutely wonderful coffee, every time. It also fills the area with a most delightful aroma while perking.

I generally fill the basket with four 1/8th cup scoops of fine-quality ground coffee, anything from Dunkin to Kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain. It still makes great coffee with even bargain brands, however. There's something about the percolator that retains far more of the flavor in the coffee than drip coffee makers. I find coffee from drip pots very bland and tasteless by comparison.

I have to run a teaspoon of Dip-It and a full pot of water through it about once a year to keep it clean. Pretty minimal maintenance, if you think about it.

Tips:

• Do not store the pot with the lid snapped down, it will weaken the spring.
• Rinse the pot out with cold water while it is still hot from use. This is possible if you have cold water running & douse the parts right away. Steel gives up its temperature quickly. This "temperature shock" also seems to help pevent excessive coffee oil buildup on the stainless steel parts.
• Use a thermos and pour what you don't drink immediately in it. The coffee will stay hot up to twelve hours and never scorch. (Note - the Farberware Millennium drops to a warming temperature after perking, and can go several hours without scorching the coffee, unlike drip coffee makers. Why use the electricity, though?)
• Leave the cord plugged into the base and plug/unplug it at the wall outlet. You can wrap the cord around the handle when the pot isn't in use. I had to buy a new cord for my pot because the constant plug/unplug at the base loosened the connectors in the end of the cord and it started making poor contact. With a new cord, it was as good as new. You can also find longer cords for these pots at Menards in the electrical section. The standard cord included is four feet long. I bought a six foot cord for mine and it's plenty long enough.
• You can get an electro-mechanical timer from Walgreens or CVS drug stores that will give your percolator the ability to be set up before you go to bed, automatically come on at a set time, and automatically turn off at a set time. These timers are sold in pairs for under $15.00.
  

Rating: Five stars for exceptionally good coffee and aroma, durability, consistency, good looks, and just plain great coffee. I've had better coffee made in this pot than in $1,000.00 + espresso/cappuccino makers.
*****

Thanks for reading!

Dan