The media could not be loaded. In the first years of my life, I grew up with a coffee percolator. Its in my humble opinion, a percolator is the best way to make coffee. Back in the 1990's, companies started marketing drip style coffee makers. They would classically show somebody getting coffee grounds all over their percolators, and using that as a reason to switch to drip. Well, it must have worked, because our family switched to drip style coffee makers, and we went through many of them, as they never lasted more then 3 to 5-years! I gotta be honest, when you've tasted drip brewed coffee, it just isn't as good. When you've tasted percolator brewed coffee, its like a night and day difference. After a power outage spike took out our old coffee maker, it was time to finally go back to the percolator, and we chose the Presto. How does it measure up? Well, let me install a new surge protector first, plug the percolator into it, and then I'll tell ya. The coffee maker comes packaged fairly well, nice box, cardboard separation inserts. Comes with an included 2-prong power cord, the same kind waffle irons, rice makers, and crock pots use. It comes with a instruction manual, and all the parts that make up the percolator, all packaged in plastic bags, which you must take out, and install properly to get ready for use. With the lid removed, filter basket and tube, fill the unit with the amount of water you require for the needed cups you want. For example, if you want to make 12-cups of coffee, fill to the 12-cup mark. I grind my own coffee beans with a portable B&D electric coffee grinder. I like my coffee strong, so I fill the grinder to its max level, and I just do a medium grind, that way you don't get a lot of grounds getting past the filter basket into your coffee. Yes, I am well aware of the age old discussion, to paper filter, or not paper filter, that is the question. To be perfectly honest, using paper filters will indeed alter the taste of the coffee to be less desirable, all to have no grounds at the bottom of the pot. If you do a medium grind, you won't get that many grounds at the bottom of the pot anyway, so I recommend to not use a paper filter for best flavor results. Once you have filed the filter basket, just place the percolator pickup tube into it, then center the bottom half of the tube, with the bowl shaped recessed notch at the bottom of the coffee pot. Then just hold it in place while you install the lid. The lid literally snaps into place, so there is no way that lid is ever coming off on its own, without human intervention, so you can trust it, which is a plus. Then all you have to do is plug the cord into the wall, and the coffee maker begins percolating after just a few seconds. When the coffee pot is fully filled, it is surprisingly heavy, so much so, I decided to weigh it. The coffee maker weighs in 6-pounds and 10.7-ounces, that is almost 7-pounds! It is in my opinion, that seniors who are suffering from arthritis, will have quite a bit of difficulty managing this coffee pot. I remember my mother had a lot of trouble, just trying to lift a 12-cup drip style pot. So you might want to use a second hand with a pot holder, to help you support the pot as you pore. The good news however, is that this pot has an excellent handle, that remains cool to the touch, so you never have to worry about getting burned, as what would happen with a stove top percolator! Additionally, the percolator has a beautiful spout, and it functions as good as it looks, pores beautifully. I recommend that you use filtered water, I use a Britta filter, which is better for your health, and helps to reduce calcium deposits in the coffee pot. The company claims that the percolator takes 1-minute per cup, so 12-cups = 12-minutes. I am always wary of company claims when it comes to marketing, so I decided to test that. The water sat long enough in the pot to reach room temperature before I plugged it in. As my video clearly shows, the Presto 12-cup percolator took a total of 12-minutes and 55-seconds to finish brewing. So while that is nearly a whole minute longer then company claims, its well within the norm, so they get a pass.....This time. By now your wondering, all this is well and good, but how does the coffee taste? I am happy to report, that the coffee that this percolator makes, tastes phenomenal! Literally, every time I took a sip, I was in heaven. Its like one of those things that makes you ask yourself, "what have I been doing with all of my life?" The answer is, you've been doing it wrong for years, but now you own a percolator, so you've redeemed yourself. I can't recommend the flavor that this machine produces enough! Please note that, unlike drip style coffee makers that never get the coffee that hot, this percolator makes coffee piping hot, 195-degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful with your first sips, unless you cool it down a bit with some liquid creamer or milk. Now as far as cleanup is concerned, its not the huge ordeal that companies made it out to be, when they suggested that you switch to drip style coffee makers. Simply, remove the lid, run it under hot water, set aside. Remove the filter basket, knock it against the inside of your trash can, most of the grounds fall in, or use a piece of paper towel to assist. Run the filter basket under hot water to rinse out any remaining grounds. Run some water through the pickup tube, just make sure its clear, set aside to dry. A quick rinse of the pot as well, not even soap is required, Its literally that simple, and now your percolator will be ready for the next pot you make. I recommend only plugging and unplugging the cord from the male end that goes into the wall, there is really no need to detach it from the coffee maker itself. But when the coffee percolator finishes brewing, it will automatically turn off and switch to warming mode. I don't recommend leaving the pot in warming mode for longer then 30-minutes though, that way the coffee stays fresh and doesn't turn bitter on ya. I would have preferred that this coffee maker had an on/off switch, but that doesn't appear to be a feature, that is found on percolators in general, not just from this brand. Other then that, I literally have nothing else negative to say about it. The percolator is both beautiful in design, as it is, in its function to make excellent tasting coffee, what more could you want? I really love this coffee maker and I can't recommend it enough. If you've been using a drip style coffee maker, please do yourself a favor, and get a percolator. I rate this coffee maker a solid 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!
