Where's the Electric Percolator?

Question: "You made no mention of brewing coffee with an electric percolator. I collect vintage percolators, and my favorite is a WestBend that I purchased two years ago from the stock of a local hardware store that went out of business. They found it in the attic of the store, new in the unopened box, and it had been there since the 60s. I grind my own beans in a burr grinder. Everyone always comments on my coffee being so good. I just wanted you to know that everyone does not use drip coffeemakers. I also occasionally use a french press, which I enjoy very much." - Kim Taylor[ad#Google Adsense - use me]Answer: It's great to hear that you're making good coffee for yourself and for guests.  One of the finest compliments a person can pay me is to tell me I've made them a good coffee.The only reason I omit mention of the percolator is because of the manner in which it brews coffee.  It was invented with the intention of exposing ground coffee to hot water, and it certainly does that.  The traditional percolator would bring water to a boil, expose that boiling water to the coffee, keep the once-exposed coffee-water at a boil and re-expose it to the ground coffee until it was strong enough for your tastes.The drip-brewer was invented with a couple changes in mind.  First, the expression is true that "boiled coffee is spoiled coffee", that boiling water shouldn't come in contact with coffee.  When you use your french press, for instance, you allow the boiling water to simmer down before pouring it onto the coffee.  The drip-brewer heats the water to an optimally high temperature without boiling it, before dripping it onto the coffee.  Second, many will say that coffee shouldn't be reheated after the brewing process has started.  For this reason, the drip-brewer was designed to "drip" only a small stream of heated water onto the coffee so that the exposure to water and coffee only happens once before the brewed coffee drips into the pot.As you point out, the only "correct" way to make coffee is the one that works for you and the one that makes you a good cup of coffee.  Like you, I alternate between brewing methods for different reasons or just for mixing it up.  Thank you for the e-mail!