Here, I copied and pasted.
First of all, the perculator was invented in the US in the 1820's, so perk away if you like lousy coffee. also many just put coffee in a boiler and boil away, sometimes putting an egg in it to settle the grounds. You also end up with lousy coffee and a poached egg. Most coffee was brewed this way minus the egg. eggs were to valuble in most cases to waste.
Now since my perrsona is mosty Co-Owner of "Delmoico's West; The finest Hell on Wheels Resteraunt in the West" I do not serve lousy coffee.
Start with a clean boiler and good cold clean water. Place it on or near the fire, minus the coffee and bring it to a boil. Boiling is not needed but it makes questionable water safer.
While this is heating, lets talk coffee. Don't buy any pre-ground canned coffee. Most is ground too fine for our use. Arbuckles was a common brand and can still be bought. But many bought green coffee and roasted it or the store did. Arbuckles used egg whites and sugar to coat their pre-roasted beans to keep them from going rancid. So go to your favorite place that sells whole bean and buy it. If you grind it in the store or have them grind it, use the coarsest grind. I buy it that way when I am dealing with large groups. (We went through 8 pounds at the GAF Muster)
I also have a cast iron hand grinder, I always carry some whole to deomonstrate the grinder. Don't use a blade type, it grinds it too fine.
Now our water should be boiling, remove it from the heat and let it set a couple minutes to reduce the heat below the boiling point. Boiling water increases the bitter tannic acid that dissolves into the coffee, that's why perculators make somewhat bitter coffee. A modern drip machine uses water below the boiling pont.
Now add the desired amount, if you want real stong coffee always use a dark roast, it will not be as bitter. Place the pot close enough to the fire to let it stay warm, but do not let it boil. In about 5 minutes, tap the side and pour, you'll not get a lot of grounds in it and they won't hurt ou any way.
If now grounds in your coffee is important, just take unbleached 100% cotton muslin and wash ehr sizing out of it and rinse it twice to remove all traces of the soap. Cut a square and put coffee in the square and tie it with cotton string and use it like a tea bag. Make sure you leave enough room for the coffee to expand.
Tea bags came out about 1900, before that they used loose leaf, just boil you water, pour over the leaves after it is below boing because tea also has tannic acid. If the leaves bother you, just brew it in a pot and us a tea strainer to remove the leaves.
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