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See the 8 tests

1. In the Box
2. Specifications
3. How to Use
4. Brew Time
5. Capacity
6. Ease of Use
7. Clean Up
8. Quality

In the Box

It arrived in a great-looking box, with every component neatly packaged inside.

Here is everything that came in it:

• Coffee pot
• Spreader
• Filter basket
• Stem with base
• Perking knob
• Coffee filter paper
• Instructions

I like the complete package and the attention to detail.

Specifications

These are my own measurements:

• Height to the perking knob 8.0in
• Length, handle top to spout 7.5in
• Length, handle bottom to spout 8.0in
• Lid diameter 5.0in
• Base diameter 5.0in
• Weight 26.1oz
• Made in China

How to Use

I follow most of Coletti’s instructions, except that I skip the filter paper. Here is my own recipe:

• Water per cup 6oz
• Grounds per cup 10–11g (0.35–0.39oz)
• Grind CoarseMedium roast
• Filter paper I skip it

Then I brew it like this:

1. Pour the grounds straight into the filter basket.
2. Drop in the stem, filter basket and spreader, then close the lid.
3. Bring the water to a boil on medium heat — you can see it perking through the glass knob.
4. Lower the heat to medium-low and percolate for 7 minutes, then turn it off.
5. Let it sit a few minutes so the basket drains and the grounds settle.
6. Pour, using your thumb on the cover hinge to hold the lid shut.

Brew Time

For brew time I measured the time to first perk, which is how long the water takes to start boiling.

Water	Time to first perk
3 cups (18oz)	4 min 45 sec
6 cups (36oz)	10 min

Capacity

• Marketed 9 cups
• Most water it holds 36oz (6 cups)Any more and it boils over
• Most coffee I could brew 5 cupsAbove this the filter basket overflows
• Least coffee I could brew 3 cups (18oz)Below this the brew comes out watery
• Filter basket holds 63g (2.2oz) of coarse grounds

It is sold as a 9-cup percolator, but 36oz is the most water it holds without reaching the spout holes. At that level it almost boiled over.

When I loaded 64g (2.3oz) of grounds for 6 cups, the filter basket overflowed. Grounds ended up in the perking knob and in my last cup.

At the other extreme, 1 cup came out as water with grounds in it — there wasn’t enough water to climb the stem. At 2 cups the brew tasted diluted.

So the real range is 3 to 5 cups. It also comes in 12-cup and 14-cup versions, though I’d expect their true capacity to fall short too.

Ease of Use

The pot is marked at 5, 7 and 9 cups, and the markings are easy to read from inside as well. Here is what each one actually holds:

• 5-cup mark 19.5oz
• 7-cup mark 30oz
• 9-cup mark 38ozThe water sits right below the spout holes

The rosewood handle is heat-resistant and always stays cool, and even the steel rivets stayed cool, which surprised me. The steel plate between the wood is slightly sunken, so it never touches your hand.

It fits me perfectly, but bigger hands should watch the 2 steel plates holding it to the pot.

The small cover hinge near the handle does get hot, but it cools quickly — by the time the grounds have settled it’s cool enough to touch.

The transparent perking knob shows you when the water starts boiling and how dark the coffee is getting, and it clips on and off the lid easily. The pot also sits stable on the stove.

The spreader rests on the pot rim rather than the filter basket, so there is a small gap grounds can escape through. That only happened to me when I overfilled the basket at 6 cups.

A coarse grind keeps it that way. If you do find grinds in your coffee, wet the filter basket or line it with the coffee filter paper it comes with.

Clean Up

I toss the grounds and run water through every component, and they all come apart easily for a proper wash.

Percolating plain water is the most effective way I’ve found to shift the coffee oils. Coletti says it’s dishwasher safe, but I hand-wash mine.

Quality

• Pot and lid 18/8 stainless steelFDA-approved and food-grade
• Steel thickness 18-gauge
• Stem, basket and spreader The same stainless steel
• Perking knob Fairly thick glass
• Handle Heat-resistant rosewood
• Warranty 1 yearPlus lifetime support and easy contact details

The outside has a nice mirror finish, but the inside isn’t as good. Mine started to stain after a few uses, even though I wash it as soon as the coffee is out.

The inner components are sturdy, and the spreader seats firmly on the pot, so nothing rattles when I shake it.

On any percolator the glass knob is the part most likely to break first, and Coletti sells replacement knobs cheaply. It expands as it heats up, so I leave it a little loose while brewing.

With regular washing the handle’s finish has dulled from how it looked out of the box, though I see no water damage.

Pros and Cons

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Coletti Bozeman Percolator?

A complete package

You get nice packaging, useful instructions and even coffee filter paper. I love the attention to detail.

User-friendly and feature-rich

You get the cup-level markings, the rosewood handle, the cover hinge and the glass perking knob.

High-quality materials

It’s built from food-safe 18-gauge stainless steel, fairly thick glass and a beautiful rosewood handle.

It is not a 9-cup percolator

It holds 36oz, or 6 cups of water, against a marketed 9 cups. Any more than that and it boils over.

The filter basket should be bigger

It takes only enough grounds for 5 cups. Any more and it overflows into the coffee.

The interior finish could be better

Mine stained after a few uses, though it isn’t a big issue for me.

Bonus – MUST Read!

Every figure above is from my own testing — measured by hand, bought with my own money.