My grandpa's percolator made terrible coffee and I still miss it
Found his old aluminum percolator in a box 3 years after he passed and made a pot on the stove, bitter and muddy just like I remembered from his kitchen in Tulsa. Anybody else keep a bad brewer around just for the smell?
That line about bitter and muddy just like you remembered hit me hard. I have my grandma's old percolator on a shelf in the garage and I do the same thing, maybe once a year on her birthday, and the whole house smells like her kitchen for a few hours. Here is the thing though, the mud comes from the grind. If you use a coarse grind and pull it off the heat the second it starts to perk, it comes out way less bitter while still tasting like grandpa's. But honestly the bad pot might be the point, because a good cup would not take you back the same way. Just do not drink the whole thing or your stomach will hate you by noon.