I've been doing a lot of reading...

...on the Hario Skerton grinder. My girlfriend gave me a gift card for William Sonoma for Christmas, so I figure I'll retire my faithful old Zassenhaus and try one of these new-fangled gadgets. I know I'll have to mod it (not for grinding coarse, but to prolong its life by keeping the shaft centered), but I like fiddlin' with stuff. I need to get my hands on it first to best figure out what needs to be done (delivery date is Jan 5).

I run across lots of...opinions...about what is needed to make a good cup of coffee. One fella says "You need a scale. Period." I've been using the scoop that came with my Bodum French press for the past 6 or 7 years, and I've done just fine. I thought about getting a scale, but not for what they're selling for. I've measured the temperature of my water, but more out of curiosity than need. When it comes to a boil, I turn off the heat, simple as that. Sometimes I let the grinds bloom, sometimes I don't (it does look kinda cool). The only real facts I've discovered when brewing is:

Use the right amount of hot water (11 ounces).
Use the right amount of good beans (two scoops).
Use clean stuff.
Combine all three for sufficient time (depending upon the method used).

After nine years, I've developed what works best for me. Your mileage may vary.

(Four days later...)

Let the modding begin.

Vintage Durobor...is it...

...a press pot or a pour-over?

Stainless steel Durobor flanked by the lower & upper aluminum model

  From what I've found online, this is supposed to be the correct method to brew using one of these things. I did experiment, after doing this video, with actually *pressing* after letting the grinds bloom. Nope, not the way to do it. Much better results by placing the press piece on top of the grounds, *then* pouring the water in. Acts the same as a spreader in a dripolator. Anyway, if you get one of these, play around with it and see what you can do.

In my personal collection...

...I've tried to acquire as many different types of brewing devices as there are. So far, I have:

(1) 1930s-era Silex 8-cup vacuum pot
(9) 2- to 8-cup dripolators, ranging from pre-WWI to 1960s
(5) percolators, from a late-'40s Pyrex Flameware 4-cup to a modern 3-cup Rapid Brew
(3) 6-cup moka pots: 2 aluminum Bialettis and a stainless steel Vev Vigano
(2) "stove top espresso makers", a 9-cup Via Veneto CX-25 (older model) and a 12-cup Vesuviano (1950s-60s?)
(2) Napoletanas ("flip pots")
Various other devices, such as Durobor press pots, pour-overs, a French press, an Aeropress, the "Ideal" immersion pot, and (3) auto-drip machines. I'm up to 34 so far, and have a few coffee-related items such as this demitasse cup & saucer...

Ter Steege BV Delft Blauw

A '50s Inland carafe and warmer stand...

A William Rogers & Son sugar bowl (with non-matching spoon), $2 at a flea market...

 

Not really coffee-related, but for 50 cents, I couldn't pass it up...

 

1930's "Kellogg's Correct Cereal Creamer"

I used to have a ton of coffee cups, old restaurant china from like the '50s & '60s. That heavy stuff that would break a toe if you dropped it. Homer Laughlin and Fire King were my favorites; but I also had Shenago, Jackson, and Buffalo. Cups, mugs, saucers, plates, gravy boats, platters, and creamers. I might have a dozen mugs left, if that many. One Homer Laughlin mug I use for shaving (yes, I still use a brush and a '70s Gillette double-edge adjustable). I also have a huge Faberware 36-cup urn (no guts, though) and a Bunn single warmer.

I think the oddest piece I have is a little (tea?) kettle I found in an antique shop outside of Wimberley a couple of years ago...

 The only markings are "18-8 Stainless Steel Made in Japan" on the bottom. A cylindrical wire mesh filter snaps onto the lid, and fits to within like 3/16" from the bottom. I'm thinking this is more for brewing loose-leaf tea than for coffee, but could be used with a fairly coarse grind. I couldn't find another like it anywhere on the interwebz, though. One-of-a-kind? It would be cool if it was.
   

"The 'Perfect' Cup of Coffee"...

...doesn't exist. Sorry, all you YouTube coffeshops/roasters/"baristas". That's just a proven statement, because everyone else's tastes don't necessarily jibe with yours.

I don't worry about showing *you* how to brew the "best" or "perfect" cup. I concentrate on showing you how to use these obsolete dinosaurs (and throw in some tips that work for me). It takes time and practice, experimenting with different beans, grinds, and brew times to suit *your* tastes. Frankly, I use the same grind for my Braun as I do with the Wilbur, or my Melitta 101, or my Aeropress, and get the results that suit me just fine. I do make exception when using my French press, of course, and adjust my brewing time accordingly. Just like any other recipe, you tweak it to suit you.

Any one brew method is no better than the other. "Derrrr, Chemex make the best...". For you, maybe. Some folks on Ebay sure are proud of 'em (btw...William Sonoma has the 6-cup for under $40, just sayin'). Even *my* favorite method changes. When I first started using the little Silex 2-cupper, I thought I wouldn't ever use anything else...until I got the Wilbur. So so happens I just finished a cup made with it. When I'm in a hurry, I use the Braun. It's been making a great cup for the past nine years. I may go back in the kitchen in a few minutes and use the Aeropress. Point being, I don't stick with one method. I like to play with my stuff and see what I can concoct. 

Even the roast of the bean. I personally prefer a dark roast, Italian being one of my favorites. But I've found a good Sumatran medium roast that's equally pleasing. Lighter roasts don't grind (by hand) as smooth as darker roasts; I reckon that's due to the oily surfaces on the beans. I'm not a scientist, so I'm just guessing. But I know what *I* like.

So when you watch these videos and some Poindexter pulls out the scale and thermometer, take it with a grain of salt. Just keep your pot clean, use good beans (with a good scoop) and fresh water (just under a boil), and pay attention to what you're doing. Find what works for *you*...then keep working on it.

(Well, I didn't use the Aeropress...but I think I found Wilbur's sweet spot. Yeah. That's the stuff...)

So, you wanna buy...

...an old coffee pot? Cool. But...why? What are you gonna do with it?

Some folks buy old coffee pots to set on a shelf, for decoration. Maybe their kitchen is a rustic design and it fits with the theme. If that's the case, they aren't going to worry that the insides (like the pump & filter assembly in a percolator) are missing. As long as it looks cool and funky, they're good.

(From: Organized Clutter)

Others use old coffee pots as a "canvas", painting and displaying them as works of art...

(From: Follow Pics)

Me? I buy 'em to use. Well, the smaller ones, anyway, seeing how I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, but still. My primary concern is completeness. After all, if I can't brew with it, it's of no use to me. I have made exceptions, of course. Like the 24 ounce/12-cup Vesuviana I found in a bin at Goodwill. It was dirty, the gaskets were shot, and the pot was missing...

...but it was cool and cost me all of $4.26. I cleaned it up, ordered a gasket set from Orphanespresso, and found a pot (albeit a 9-cup) on Ebay. And it works.

Most of the pots I've gotten off Ebay; you learn real quick to research what's available to make sure what you're getting has all the parts. The first (aluminum) Durobor pour-over I bought didn't have the spreader/press plate. I later scored a stainless steel Durobor, but USPS found it necessary to drop-kick it into the back of their truck and broke the glass. Luckily, they were both the same size, so I took the glass from the first one to use with the second.

Condition is a close second; I don't mind a few small dents. They give the piece character. And I expect to have to give it a good cleaning; that's a given. But I'm leery about listings that show only one side, or don't show all the parts. If it's interesting, I'll fire off a question, but most of the time I pass those up. I've always found similar pots in better shape, and sometimes at a better price. The "Ideal" is a perfect example. Many I'd found had pretty rough filter tubes...dented, distorted...so I took the extra time and found one with good tubes and a pretty decent price (about $20). Which leads me to...

...how much is this thing gonna cost me? I don't think I've spent more than $35 on any one pot (and I'll have wanted it it awful bad to pay that much, like the Silex 2-cupper), and for that much, it better be in really good shape with all the parts. I spend quite a bit of time going through listings to see what's up for bid. If I run across one that catches my eye, I keep going to see if there's another, better buy. And there usually is.

I've run across an awful lot of crap on Ebay, too. Look...just because it's old doesn't mean it's valuable. I've seen junk go for more than one that's barely been used (and might even have the original box and instructions). I love the "Oh, I'm not an expert..." line, too. I don't claim to be one, either, but at least I'll find out enough to know if all the parts are there. And some are just so nasty that I'd be ashamed to even list it in the first place. It's an old coffee pot, not an 1882 Carson City Morgan silver dollar. At least rinse it out!   

OK...so I didn't make eight cups...

...I made six.

For being 100 years old, it works pretty good.

The "Ideal" way to brew coffee...

...back in the early 1900's, anyway, was with the "Ideal" Coffee Pot.

Quite a difference a hundred years makes. And as we found out from Jitterbuzz, the "TACUCo" stamp was used from 1901-1925. This pot's stamp...

...adds its patent date as June 10, 1902. It's 10" tall and 6" at the base, about 8 cups. It has an odd filtering system, consisting of two perforated cylinders that fit one inside the other.

The larger (and shorter) cylinder has a lip that rests on a corresponding ridge inside the pot that keeps it about 1/2" off the bottom of the pot. It's also closed at the base, whereas the smaller (and longer) cylinder is open-bottomed.

I was fortunate enough to find instructions to this thing. Ground coffee is place between the two cylinders, and boiling water is poured into the smaller one. Once filled, the pot is placed "where it will keep hot (but not boil) from three to ten minutes (not more than ten minutes)". I reckon that means you could keep it over very low heat until the brewing time is complete.

The only reason I haven't used it yet is I don't want to make a full 8-cup pot.