If there is one thing I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I am addicted to coffee.
Not a day goes by that I don't indulge in a cup or two and find a day when I don't; let's just say I am less than pleasant to be around.
The marvel of modern science that enables said addiction deserves accolades from all of us addicts!
I've been through a lot of coffee makers. The Bunn, Sunbeam, Mr. Coffee, some kind of espresso thing with lots of tubes, and percolators. My favorite? The Universal Percolator!
Percolators get a bad rap from the coffee snobs. Their biggest complaint is that the coffee is over cooked in these little gems. Well, that is the case of some stove top models if you don't cut the heat off. This little dude has an ingenious device that turns the unit off after it has perked the correct amount of time. It yields a nice, aromatic, smooth, never bitter, strong cup (strength depends on the setting). Just the way I like it.
I don't brew a $12 a pound brand in it either. I've recently started to use the Pride of Knoxville, JFG. I still have NO IDEA what JFG stands for but, it is good!
Another great thing about the percolator is the label on the bottom. I can venture to say that NONE of the modern coffee makers can boast what this one does:
U.S.A.
That's where this appliance was made. Not, China, Taiwan, or some other third world country we give our jobs to. American craftsmanship at it's finest.
Most Chinese made coffee makers have a lifespan of five to maybe ten years if you're lucky. My Universal brand percolator was made in 1937.
75 years of coffee makin' goodness so far!
Unlike the big boxy monster drip makers, this chrome beauty looks good sitting on the counter.
So, if you happen to come across a percolator at an antique shop, garage sale or thrift shop and its in working condition; pick it up, look on the bottom for the U.S.A. label and try it out.
If anything you'll feel more American for actually owning at least one thing that's
Made in the U.S.A.
