On Tue, 25 Apr 2000, Jim Willard wrote:

> Wha exactly do  you mean by "unfiltered coffee"?  Are you refering to
> paper coffee filters or something else?

Filtered coffee is made with paper filters.  Old-fashioned
percolated coffee is not filtered.  The grounds are kept in a
perforated metal basket, which keeps them out of the coffee but
doesn't absorb any of the oils.  This is why some people still
prefer perc coffee, since those oils are the source of some of
the flavors.

When I was a kid, in the 50s and 60s, percolated coffee was
pretty much the standard.  The sound of the perc coffee pot was
as commonplace as the tea kettle whistle.  Filtered coffee was
brewed in diners and places like that where it was important to
make the coffee quickly.  Percolating takes longer.  I remember
my grandfather saying that he would never drink filtered coffee,
because it tasted like dishwater.

Todd Moody
[log in to unmask]