Holiday Spiced Percolator Coffee for Christmas Morning
This holiday spiced percolator coffee fills the whole house with the smell of cinnamon, cloves and orange while it brews. You simply mix whole spices into the coffee grounds in the percolator basket, and the hot water carries their flavor into every cup. It is an easy way to serve a festive coffee to a full table on Christmas morning, with no syrups and no extra pots.
Why Make Spiced Coffee in a Percolator?
- It serves a crowd. One batch makes 8 cups, enough for a family breakfast.
- The spices brew with the coffee. Water cycles through the basket several times, so whole spices release their flavor gently and stay out of your cup.
- No added sugar needed. Cinnamon and orange peel make coffee taste sweeter on their own. Guests can sweeten their own mugs.
- Works on the stove, a campfire or an electric percolator.
Ingredients (8 percolator cups)
- 8 cups cold water. Use the markings on your percolator. Many percolators count a “cup” as about 5 to 6 ounces, not a full 8 ounce mug.
- 8 to 10 tablespoons coarse ground coffee (roughly 1 tablespoon per percolator cup, plus 1 or 2 extra for a stronger brew). A medium or medium dark roast tastes best with spices.
- 2 Ceylon cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 thin slices fresh ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger mixed well into the grounds
- 2 strips orange peel, white pith removed
- 1 star anise (optional, adds a light licorice note)
- Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
- To serve: cream, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup or whipped cream
Not sure how much coffee your pot needs? Our guide on how much coffee to use in a percolator and the percolator coffee to water ratio guide cover every size. The grind matters too: percolators need a coarse grind so grounds do not slip through the basket. See how to grind coffee for a percolator.
Why whole spices instead of ground?
Fine ground spices can pass through the basket holes and leave a muddy layer at the bottom of your cup. Whole cinnamon sticks, cloves and peel stay in the basket and give a cleaner flavor. We use Ceylon cinnamon because it contains far less coumarin than common cassia cinnamon, a natural compound that may harm the liver in sensitive people at high intakes, as the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes.
How to Make Holiday Spiced Percolator Coffee
Step 1: Fill the percolator with water
Pour 8 cups of cold, fresh water into the bottom of the percolator. Set the stem and empty basket in place.
Step 2: Mix the coffee and spices
In a small bowl, combine the coarse ground coffee with the broken cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, orange peel, star anise and nutmeg. Spoon the mixture into the basket and spread it evenly. Put the spreader lid on the basket and close the pot.
Step 3: Perk gently
On a stovetop percolator, heat over medium until you see the coffee start to bubble into the glass knob. Turn the heat down to medium low so it perks at a slow, steady rhythm, about one bubble every few seconds. Let it perk for 7 to 8 minutes for a medium cup, or up to 10 minutes for a strong one. An electric percolator will run its own cycle and switch to warm when done. More detail is in our guide on how long to perk coffee in a percolator.
Step 4: Remove the basket and serve
Take the pot off the heat and carefully lift out the basket and stem straight away so the coffee does not keep extracting. Pour into warm mugs and let everyone add cream, brown sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup. A curl of orange peel or a cinnamon stick in each mug looks lovely on the table.
Perk Time and Strength Guide
| Perk time (stovetop) | Strength | Taste |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 6 minutes | Light | Spices come through more than coffee |
| 7 to 8 minutes | Medium | Balanced coffee and spice, best for most people |
| 9 to 10 minutes | Strong | Bold coffee, good with cream |
| More than 10 minutes | Over extracted | Bitter and flat, avoid |
Tips for a Smooth, Not Bitter, Spiced Coffee
- Keep the perk slow. A fast, rolling boil is the main reason percolator coffee turns bitter. Here are 9 tips for smooth percolator coffee.
- Do not overdo the cloves. Four is plenty for 8 cups. Cloves can quickly take over.
- Pick the right beans. A medium roast with chocolate or nutty notes suits spices. See how to choose coffee for a percolator.
- Clean the basket after. Spice oils can linger and flavor tomorrow’s plain coffee. Our guide shows 11 ways to clean a percolator.
Variations
- Maple spiced coffee: stir 1 to 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup into each mug.
- Mocha spiced coffee: add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to the grounds in the basket.
- Iced spiced coffee: chill leftovers and pour over ice with milk. Our iced percolator coffee guide has more tips.
- Gingerbread style: brew plain and stir in a spoon of our homemade gingerbread syrup.
- Camping: this works over a campfire too. See our camping percolator guide.
Caffeine check for a crowd: a big pot is easy to keep refilling. The FDA notes that up to about 400 mg of caffeine a day is generally fine for healthy adults. For guests who are sensitive or pregnant, brew a second pot with decaf; the spices taste just as good.
Free KitchenZap tool: work out exact coffee amounts for any pot size with the Coffee Ratio Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Holiday Spiced Percolator Coffee
Ingredients
Method
- Pour the cold water into the percolator and fit the stem and basket.
- Mix the coffee with the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, orange peel, star anise and nutmeg, then spread it in the basket and cover with the spreader lid.
- Heat over medium until it begins to perk, then lower the heat to keep a slow, steady perk.
- Perk for 7 to 8 minutes for medium strength, or up to 10 minutes for strong coffee. Electric percolators: run a normal cycle.
- Remove from the heat, lift out the basket and stem, and serve with cream and sweetener on the side.
Notes
More Percolator and Holiday Recipes
For more ideas, browse our 10 creative coffee percolator recipes, or make a gingerbread latte and peppermint mocha for anyone who wants something sweeter. Save this recipe to your Christmas & Holiday Drinks board for Christmas morning.
How this post was made: the recipe and text were drafted with help from AI writing tools, then checked and edited by Yousuf before publishing. Read more in our Editorial Policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put spices in a percolator?
Yes. Mix whole spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peel into the coffee grounds in the basket. Avoid large amounts of finely ground spice, which can slip through the basket and make the coffee gritty.
Will spices damage or stain my percolator?
No, but their oils can linger. Wash the basket and stem with warm soapy water after brewing, and run a plain water cycle if your next pot tastes spiced.
Can I make this in an electric percolator?
Yes. Add the water, fill the basket with the coffee and spice mix and run a normal cycle. Remove the basket as soon as the cycle finishes if your model allows it.
How much coffee do I use for 12 cups?
Use about 12 to 14 tablespoons of coarse ground coffee for 12 percolator cups, and increase the spices by half: 3 cinnamon sticks, 6 cloves and 3 strips of orange peel.
Can I add sugar to the basket?
You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the grounds, but it is easier to let everyone sweeten their own mug. Sugar in the basket can also make the grounds clump.
How this post was made: the recipe and text were drafted with help from AI writing tools, then checked and edited by Yousuf before publishing. Read more in our Editorial Policy.
