Wake up and Smell the Coffee!

[David McClain]

It all started a couple of weeks ago when my trusty, old Mr. Coffee bit the big one and finally died. After an hour of waiting for it to brew my morning medicine, I had to admit that the old thing had mangled its last scoop of Folgers.

Now, being the resourceful fellow that I am, I just grabbed up one of Mel’s sauce pans and made up a batch of “River Bottom” coffee. It’s real easy to make and always served me well on cold nights along the banks of the Trinity River, fishing and hunting. All you have to do is put water in the pot, dump in some coffee, then throw in some egg shells if you have them. The egg shells sink to the bottom and the grounds tend to adhere to them, thus keeping your cup fairly free of chewy stuff when you drink your beverage.

Well for some unknown reason, Mel took umbrage to my using her good sauce pan to burn me some coffee…women….go figure.

“I’m going to town,” she said. “I will pick you up another Mr. Coffee.”

That was when the inspiration struck me. This was my chance to not only enter into the 21^st century, but to get something I always wanted: A Coffee System! That’s what they call those new fangled machines that brew coffee by the cup…a System…not a pot.  They come with those cute little packets of that Gourmet coffee of all different flavors and all you do is pop in one of those packets, push a button and BAM! You got a cup of fancy coffee.

“No, no.” I told her. “I’m going into town with you and we’re gonna price some of those fancy coffee systems.”  She rolled her eyes. I’m use to that so I ignored her and off to town we went.

We ended up having to go to “Big Town” which is what we call Poplar Bluff;  population, 19,000. We had to go there because the two stores in our “Little Town: Doniphan: pop. 1900 just laughed at me when I asked them to show me their coffee systems.

So off to the Bluff we went and boy was I surprised to see the prices on those things. The cheap ones started at like $150.00. So we returned home, devoid of a coffee system. Time for plan B. I instructed Mel to get online and check out the prices…they had to be cheaper than what we found at the stores.  They weren’t.

Damn. No coffee system for me and Mel had already laid down the law about the use of her pots to make my coffee. What’s a guy to do?

As she so often does, Mel came to my rescue. “If you are dead set against another Mr. Coffee,” she told me. “I may have something that will serve the purpose.”

With that she disappeared into the spare room where we keep a bunch of boxes, some of which are filled with stuff that belonged to her mom who passed away last year. In a few minutes she came back holding a coffee pot. It was one of those old Corning Ware percolators. Some of you might remember those things. They were made of  ceramic material and had the metal guts you filled with coffee and placed inside the pot. It has the glass bubble on top where you can see the coffee bubble up into when it is perked. I hadn’t seen one of those things in years.

I was all ready to fire that puppy up and make a pot of coffee but Mel told me to wait. She wanted to call the Corning Ware company and find out if this particular model was one you could put directly on the burner or if it was one that needed a small wire stand to hold it off the fire.

So she calls the company and she describes the pot to the young lady on the phone who was amazed that there was still one of those things out there. She told Mel to throw the pot away because it had been recalled in 1978 because it had a defective handle that tended to break loose from the pot and scald people!

1978?  Recalled? I couldn’t stop laughing. “Oh hell no, we ain’t throwing that thing away. I’m gonna use the hell out of it.”

Mel rolled her eyes yet again. She’s good that that.

So now I proudly drink my coffee each morning from a pot that was recalled in 1978. To hell with the 21^st century. Old it good and I’m not out a hundred and fifty bucks either.

[DaisyJane]

nothing beats perked coffee.  it doesnt get bitter, somehow.

[Veronica Corso]

I just love the sound those old percolators make.

[Amy Abbott]

David, a great story as usual.  I love the interplay between you and Mel. I can just PICTURE HER looking at you in that way.  When our Mr. Coffee went belly up we went to Wally World and got a new one.  Our original one was a wedding gift from 1984 and things had changed in the 25 years.  The new Mr. Coffee, while inexpensive, was a cheap plastic piece of crap.  We bought a metal coffee brewer (not a system) and it works great.  I think I'm going to see if my Dad still has their perculator because it made good coffee.  Bottoms up.

[David McClain]

Daisyjane....You are right about not being bitter. I can leave the pot on warm all day and the coffee always taste fresh.

Veronica.....Remember the old Maxwell House commerical with the song set to the perking of the coffee? If I had of had more time I wanted to try to find a YouTube version of that old commerical to put in here. I'm sure it's out there somewhere.

Amy.....Like you, I had forgotten  how good the coffee tastes from a perculator. I love it.

[L in the Southeast]

I had one of those pretty Corning Ware pots.  I'm so glad you failed in your quest for a coffee "system."  The next thing I'd know you would be posting a picture of you at the breakfast table with you pinky sticking out!  :D

[Jenny]

My sister had a coffee system, paid dearly for it. It made coffee by the cup and had the milk frother thing on the side. It even ground the beans by the cup full, dumping the used grounds into this thing on the back (nasty to clean). Last I heard it broke... And you already know the moral of the story...

[Kai]

I wanted one of those.  I wanted a fresh cup of coffee in the morning ... not hours old made by my crack of dawn husband.  Just one cup, not worth making a whole new pot for.  Plus, I was tired of cleaning the coffee mess off the counters every morning.  He is an enthusiastic grinder.  So, he bought me one ... a pretty dark red color and I really love it.  It is small, probably the smallest they make - no gigantic water well on the side.  My one concession was agreeing to a couple of those reusable filter pods ...  I was skeptical, but found they work fine and you can make an evening cup of tea with them too.  So, sometimes there is still the coffee mess, but I get a good fresh cup every morning.  Life is good.  And, that is what money is for anyways. 

[Mimetalker]

I have a coffee system, a small French Press I take when I go camping, and a "Mr. Coffee" at work. Growing up, I remember mom used electric percolators...but they made her curse when they quit on her, and then she dug through the camping gear to use a tin stove-top version until she could buy another one. Once she bought a "Mr. Coffee" and never got another percolator again. (I also did a post about coffee today. I think you might like the quote at the end) 

[David McClain]

Eljekar.....Well I am glad you like my story and thank you for reading.

Lezlie...OMG, I'm afraid it would take more than me sticking my pinkie out to turn me into one of those refined citizens. Like I have said before: "You can't make a silk purse out of sow's ear."

Jenny...that's the problem with those new fangled machines; more to break down.

Kai...LOL! You have any idea how many bags of horse feed I can buy with a hundred and fifty dollars? THAT's what my money is for.

Mimetalker....I need to head over there and read your entry. On my way now.

[Joan H]

Good for you! I live in a city of sophisticated coffee drinkers. My old Mr. Coffee still works great. But I sure would love a "coffee system." Does a French press count? :)