Hooray for the new forum! I just changed my internet startup page from the old TB2000 to this one.

Big Lots in my area has coffee marked down to about $1 per pound, and we bought quite a bit. It may be old, but if we (or friends) ever need it we won't be picky. At a secondhand store I recently bought an old non-electric coffee pot, and expected it to contain the familiar basket on a stem. Instead it consists of two compartments, with a tiny-holed tray separating them. I assume you put water in the bottom and coffee in the tray, and heating the water causes it to migrate to the top section, then back down through the grounds. How will I know when it's done?

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), July 07, 1999

Answers

Whew...Pearlie Sweetcake...that sucker is oooolllllllddddddd! Like me. I think thats what we used to call drip and you put the coffee in the tray and water in the top. When the water is all at the bottom....drips through...then its done. Mercy...had to dip into the long term memory for that one. And hope there is another oldie on board here to say whether I am right or wrong. Whew...

Taz who gets her second SS check tomorrow!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeee, I is going WalMart'n, honey!

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), July 07, 1999.

Have never answered before but felt I had to give input on this one. Am grandmother and have coffee pot such as the one you described. It is called a drip pot. You put the hot water in the top section and when it has dripped through the coffee into the bottom section it is done! Hope this was of some help.

-- Ann Jackson (PupPause@aol.com), July 07, 1999.

well, Pearlie...I asked my MIL who is from Alaska and she says, that you pour boiling water into the top and when its gone, remove the top and grounds and there is your coffee.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), July 07, 1999.

Sell that pot to Antique Dealer, get money and buy several good pots, a dutch oven, and a tea pot.

-- && (&&@&&.&), July 08, 1999.

Pearlie - I treated myself last Christmas to a French Press coffee pot, you dump in coffee, pour boiling water in, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, push down the plunger/strainer and viola the smoothest, best tasting coffee you could want. Very simple and quick.

-- Goat Lady (MRealty@aol.com), July 08, 1999.

Thanks for all of the help. (And Ann Jackson, now that we have a more user-friendly forum, why not start posting regularly?)

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), July 08, 1999.

If it is 2 level round coffee pot, with a small opening in the middle, it functions very easy. There should be a glass or ceramic rod in the small opening,( some also need filters. All you do is put your coffee grain in the top section and water in the bottom. My husband uses these old coffee pots cause he feels the coffee tastes much better boiled. He leaves it boil with the grains for 7 to 10 minutes then lets it cool down. The boiled coffee will drip from the upper level back down to the lower level. Cooked Coffee grains stay in the top section. It works great, we used ours when a Tornado hit here 4 years ago, Had no electricity for 2 days. Cooked great on the Gas Grill. If you need any other help write me.. Csssie

-- Cassandra Bello (american_storm@usa.net), July 08, 1999.

Pearlie,

Ditto on the French Press. Have them in several sizes. No filters to waste, just add hot water, and wait five minutes. Delish!

In an electricity down situation, I once desperately took a hammer to the coffee beans (inside a baggie), pulverized 'em, added hot water from the camp stove, and relaxed.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 08, 1999.

It's called a dripolater. Best luck I've had is pouring boiling water through coffee (and filter) in top. Never got very good coffee by putting water in bottom and boiling (it was _way_ weak).

-- yerfdog (yerfdog@qwestinternet.net), July 08, 1999.

Pearlie, no self-respecting New Orleanian or Cajun would be without that drip pot! The metal ones are preferred and are still very much in use.

I too bought a ton of that coffee from Big Lots--it's really good! We usually drink Millstone or, when we want to splurge, Starbucks--the Big Lots stuff is better than Millstone, IMHO (both bean and ground). I bought their last bags this morning!

If you see that Ceylon tea in the pale brown box for .88, stock u on that too. Sweetie says it's very good.

BTW, they have cans of Contadina pasta sauce for 45c; good minestrone soup (Aylmer, I think), for about .69. This week's special is a HUGE tote, I mean, bigger than the trunk styles, for about $17-18. I'm buying one next time I go. Talk about great for storing bulky items like quilts and blankets. They also have lots of useful and very cheap tools on sale, $1.49 - 1.99.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 08, 1999.

I just got home from Big Lots after buying some of that minestrone soup. I like this trolless forum so much better than the other one!

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), July 08, 1999.

Pearlie, I think you need to try that puppy out. I used to have one that matches your description, it was an italian espresso maker and I loved it to death. It was skinny at the middle and that's where the grounds sat. Eventually I burned up the rubber seal and couldn't get another one. You might look into replacement seals at a coffee store. The water went in the bottom, when it boiled, it rose through the coffee grinds into the top part. It made lots of noise and got quiet when it was finished.

There may be different types but I've never had one that you put the water in the top part. So, try to figure it out before you *have* to have that cuppa java! LOL

-- Mommacares (harringtondesignX@earthlink.net), July 08, 1999.