GSI Outdoors Glaicer Stainless Percolator with Silicone Handle, 12 Cup

I did a lot of research before this purchase. Accordingly, I am happy I ordered this superior product. This is a high quality, heavy-duty product. It is solid as a rock, and weighs a full two pounds. The fit and finish is near perfect, including the [very tight fit] of the glass Perc-View top. It is a good size and allows a three or four cup batch or up to a twelve-cup brewing for larger groups. I had missed the taste of 'real' coffee over the many years. My first pot, brought back those missed memories of the aroma in the kitchen and that great hot cup of black coffee! There is no bitterness or acid taste whatsoever. BTW, I prefer a lighter roast coffee and use (Panera Light Roast), also available here at Amazon. Note: The little brewing instruction sheet looped over the brew basket, is not very clear and somewhat contradictory, as it was obviously written by a person whose primary language is other than English. I use 1 tablespoon of coffee per 8 oz. of Sparkletts or Nestles bottled drinking water. You need at least (minimum) of three to four cups of water to get the system to perform/percolate efficiently. I heat the water on high and once it starts perking I lower the gas to just below medium level to maintain a steady rate of percolation. I think, “no more than 3 minutes” (as indicated on instructions) is somewhat erroneous, and not enough percolation time; it seems, that a full 5 to 8 minutes of perking is about right, depending on how strong you like your coffee. Of course, one can adjust amount of coffee and percolation time to suit personal taste. In summary, I knew I did not want a cheap lightweight aluminum pot, not did I want a lower quality stainless-steel pot. This rock-solid stainless-steel product, is one that I perceive, will last many years. Moreover, when the power goes out for a dozen hours, as it frequently does, I can always have my coffee. : ) Whenever I order a product on Amazon, I carefully read the customer reviews, and I look at the combined percentage of 5 and 4 level reviews in comparison to those at the lower levels, then formulate my purchase decision. I think there are some personality types out there, who are just contrarian by nature, and always look for something negative to say. I know quality and value when I see it, and this coffee pot is all that I had hoped for. Last, while most of us in the US think of a ‘cup’ as an 8-oz. measurement, it seems that with respect to coffee pot manufacturers, their cup size is in a range of 5 to 6 oz. Specific to this percolator, the graduated (cup) scale on the side of the pot is in 6 oz. increments. As stated above, for this pot, use at least 18 to 24 oz. of water for use. If you only want one cup, stick to the various drip system machines. It seems that any less amount (water level) affects the hydraulic action of the percolation. I am the only coffee drinker in our family, and I get two nice big 12 oz. cups, filling the pot to near the first increment on the scale. Having used this pot daily for over a week now, it is a real change and a throw-back to the way coffee used to taste. The percolation brew, not only fills the kitchen with that coffee aroma, missing with other brew systems, the cup of coffee produced is full flavored, consistently silky-smooth, mellow, and never bitter. Note, I drink my coffee black, no sugar and no creamers. Yes, it is more [work] than a K-machine, and you must wait longer for the first cup—but it is worth it, IMO. With respect to coffee grind. First, it has been [years] since brand-name ‘coarse’ grind coffee was readily available in the can or a bag. Therefore, to get that grind, you must go to a store which sells bulk coffee and has a commercial grinder on site--or grind your own beans at home. Having said that, I use the now common drip grind (the only type available in my coffee of choice, Panera Light Roast). There is absolutely no issue with using the drip grind in this pot. Any ‘direction’ that you “must” use coarse grind, in not an issue for me. The drain holes in the coffee basket are quite small. I get no large granules of coffee in my cup whatsoever; there is, only a very small/fine powdery residue at the very bottom of the pot/cup, and no large particles floating in the cup. I have looked at some of the coffee forums on line and many others strongly agree with my observation and experience, with respect to using the regular or drip grind, in a percolator pot. I gave my K-machine to another family member--I will never go back. I love the coffee [experience] found in returning to this quality GSI, stainless-steel percolator pot.

Es un excelente producto, cumple su función se siéntete que esta hecho de buenos materiales y es tal y como se muestra en las imágenes. Muy útil para preparar café o tes.

Love this coffee pot. Finally I can make a pot of coffee that doesn’t boil over onto the stove. Makes great coffee love the size. Highly recommend it.

I wanted a good camp coffee pot and after looking at a lot of candidates in local stores and reviewing what others said online about competing items I decided this was probably a good choice. And I nailed it. Or rather GSI nailed it. This is one great little coffee pot, and my wife and I love it. In fact, we love it so much that it's not just a camping item -- we leave it on the stove and while we don't use it daily we do use it several times a week since the coffee is just so much better than the drip coffee that's been our daily staple. And Starbucks doesn't get as much of our money these days. It's sturdy, and even though I thought a 12-cup might be on the big side (considered the 9-cup), we usually wind up finishing the pot or at least most of it. I originally made smaller batches but quickly learned we drained the pot when I did. Now it's full pots every time. The silicon-covered handle keeps cool during use, and it's substantial enough for a guy like me with big hands. Everything comes apart smoothly and easily for cleaning, which is simple and quick. A trick I heard from another reviewer and incorporated myself is to use a regular drip coffee filter in the basket. It's really easy to just line it up over the center tube and press a hole into the filter to fit it in place. Keeps any stray grounds from making their way through the basket so I can use the regular drip coffee with terrific results. The only negative I can see is that the resin perk top (not glass, which is a good thing) does come loose after using the pot a few times due to metal expansion/contraction of the lid. When trying to screw it back in, it stays just a bit loose in the threads. And if you try to tighten it too much, it can easily "over-thread" and it will loosen again. There's a sweet spot of tight enough, but not too tight that works well (at least, so far). So in my book, it's far from a deal breaker. It's certainly not a no-brainer like the electric appliances, though. You really "make" coffee. I've found that with Kirkland 100% Colombian Coffee from Costco that three and a half generously rounded tablespoons is about right. I put the burner on high and wait for the water to come to a boil as I watch the clear perk top for the first sign of activity. When I see it, I immediately turn the burner down to half and let it perk away for five minutes. Man, old school really rocks....

12 cup Works like a charm, took me a minute to figure out my liking of coffee to water ratio. I have perfected it to my liking. I grind my beans to a rough texture and use a heavy tablespoon of coffee per cup of water. I bring it to a percolation on high heat and then lower the flame to a soft perk for about 8 minutes, turn off and let it sit for about 3 minutes just in case any grounds got through. Then poor myself a great cup of coffee.