GSI Outdoors Percolator Coffee Pot I Glacier Stainless Steel with Silicone Handle for Camping, Backpacking, Travel, RV & Hunting - Stove Safe

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.

If you're living single, you don't want to make a huge pot of coffee for just one person, and this pot is just the right size. This unit is advertised as camping gear, but I happily use it at home on the range top. Percolating is old tech; it works, but it won't taste like Starbucks. That's okay, though, because it won't cost like Starbucks, either. The stainless steel coffee pot itself is rugged, well-built, shiny and attractive, and is easy to care for. The silicon handle works great to prevent burning my hand, but I'll usually use a towel to grab it, too, since it's a little small. Another reviewer recommended buying paper filters and the GSI glass perc knob, which I'm glad I did. A filter captures almost all of the grounds, making drinking a better experience. Filters also make cleanup a breeze--with just one gentle bump in the trash can, 95% of the grounds pop right out, and you can rinse the rest out easily. Brewing without the paper filter makes cleanup a harder job, but after experimentation, my opinion is that the coffee does taste better without the filters. It's your choice. I'm also trying to get away from microplastics in my food, so a stainless steel pot with a glass knob makes sense. The glass knob's a few millimeters bigger than the opening on the pot, so it took some wrangling with pliers to convince it to go in, but it now fits. This unit is advertised rather deceptively as a 3-cup pot, but it brews only 12 oz. of coffee, which makes 1.5 cups for one person or two 6-oz. cups if you're sharing. This is, perhaps, my only true regret about buying this model. It's enough for one, maybe, but if you have company over or you want a second cup, you're going to need a larger unit. If you're a one-and done guy, then this will suit you fine. On my electric range it takes 6 minutes on high to get to boiling, and then I let it perk on low for another 3 minutes, which isn't too bad. If you're used to how speedy a Keurig is, then the perking method seems to take forever, especially on mornings when you have to rush out the door. This pot has no heating element, so there's no automatic shut off. Worried that I may forget about it when I'm in a rush and risk burning the house down, I feel compelled to babysit the pot as it works its magic. At first this was an annoying inconvenience to me, but it forced me to slow down, and I've come to appreciate the morning ritual of watching it perk. It's like a quiet meditation. You do have to experiment with your coffee brand, the amount, the grind, and perk times to get it where you like it. My coffee pot arrived without instructions, so I was left to my own devices to figure things out. The criticisms of this older brewing method, from what I can tell, are correct: because it recycles already brewed coffee up the siphon, it makes a slightly bitter brew that is both weak-tasting but strong with caffeine. It's not unpleasant. And there's a satisfaction I get from using this method that I don't get from pour-over methods or a Keurig. I think this is a good product, overall, size not withstanding, and you may enjoy using one yourself at home or over the campfire. This is the brewing method that got our ancestors through the Great Depression and two world wars, and it still works great.

I love this percolator! We go camping a lot and usually we go where there are hook ups, but a couple times we have had to dry camp. I felt completely lost without my coffee!! But I was still undecided on buying a percolator, so I waited. We live on the outskirts of town and our power went out at our house. That was it, I was buying a percolator! I looked everywhere and did my research and decided on this one. And I love it! -All of it is heavy gauge stainless steel, including the basket. I have heard of the glass ones cracking. And I have heard the Alumium ones add a bad flavor to your coffee over time. So stainless steel was a must for me. - And the basket has a lid! This helps reduce coffee grounds getting into your coffee. -I wanted at least a 12 cup for my big family. This one is the perfect size, great for large groups. -It's easy to wash and clean. The lid is attached, so I just wash it out with a little soap and water and let it air dry. -It says the amount of cups of water to pour in on the outside and the inside. This is very helpful. -it has a silicone handle so you don't burn your hand. So I had to do a bit of research on the best way to use a percolator. First I went and bought good coffee at our grocery store and had it grinded coarse. This makes the coffee big enough that you don't have to use a filter in the basket. I did buy little percolator filters to keep on hand just in case I only had fine grinded coffee. I used about 1T scoop of coffee per 2 ounces of water. This was just my preference. Make sure to spread the coffee around in the basket evenly. I then put it on medium until I saw it starting to percolate in the glass bubble and then I turned it down to simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Watch it closely to make sure your not burning the coffee. You will see the percolating starting to slow down. It made amazing coffee, better than my electric coffee pot. I loved that my whole house smelled wonderful! I am going to also purchase some type of warming carafe to put the coffee in, in case we don't drink it all right away. I would recommend this percolator to anyone! It's great quality! Worth every penny! This should be the last one I ever need. If this review was helpful in making your purchase, please click the YES button. Thank you!

It’s good. No complaints except what others have mentioned. I bought the three cup version and use it on my gas stove at home. The lid is a little loosey goosey. I swapped out the plastic knob for glass as another reviewer mentioned. I find it works best with two cups or three. I pull the inside out before poring out the last half cup or so. 2.5 cups of water might be ideal.

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....

Overall, this is a solid percolator. After my electric drip coffee machine stopped working, I decided to get a coffee maker that didn't take up so much room and didn't require electricity. I looked at a variety of percolators and espresso makers on Amazon, and found many of them (according to reviews) were hit or miss. For the percolators, many reviewers commented on how the percolator dome was made -- if it was made with plastic, it easily melted, or if it was glass it broke within a few weeks. One of the major pluses to the GSI Glacier stainless steel percolator is that its percolator dome is made of a composite material that has high heat resistance, won't shatter like glass and does not contain BPA (while the plastic domes probably do). Also, after researching espresso makers, I found that some were made of aluminum, and after doing research on this I found that it's not always a good idea (for health reasons) to cook in aluminum. Another positive feature of the GSI Glacier is that it is made completely of stainless steel. Also, the handle is made of a material that does not heat up. Finally, this percolator is just designed very well -- it has an appealing look and can produce ample amounts of coffee. I've used it for about a week now and it's easy to clean and simple to set up for coffee. Also, the entire unit is safe to put in the dishwasher. The only downside is that you can sometimes get a few coffee grinds in the bottom of the pot; however, it's usually a very small amount that sits in the bottom and can be avoided. If you are looking for a high-quality, reliable percolator that can brew a good cup o' coffee, I would definitely recommend this one. The other reviews sold me on this one, and I haven't been disappointed thus far. I am definitely satisfied with the taste of percolator coffee. As another reviewer mentioned, there is an art to brewing coffee with a percolator; I've found using a low flame and only letting the coffee perc for 2-3 minutes works well. Cheers!

Excellent! Camping nostalgia to the max. This is a great basic coffee pot. Whether you use it on a campfire or your home stove it does a good job of making coffee.

The pros: Cute, great cup of coffee. I missed the aroma of coffee percolating. Easy to use. Handle is cool to touch. Small enough to pack with camping stuff. No leaks even when pouring. We'll made and seems to be sturdy enough to last a long time. The cons; Came in with no packaging, not wrapped in plastic, just inside a ama zon shipping bag. Stickers on it were difficult to take off. Ended up scratching it taking the glue off and I used a non-scratch pad. Takes long time to perk and instructions say to watch it in order to not perk more than three minutes.