It may not matter what flavor an electric percolator produces. For those who grew up with the 1950s appliance, the aroma a percolator emits may be reason enough to own one. Percolators face an iffy future. Many manufacturers have dropped the model from their product lines because better educated consumers have learned boiling coffee isn't the most flavorful means of brewing. Percolating produces more of a bitter brew because it keeps extracting and extracting flavor.
Percolators simply heat water to high temperatures and run the water over and over the grounds.
Most machines put water in contact with grounds only once. Still, companies such as Farberware, Cuisinart and Melitta are coming up with percolators with frills of their own. They now sport small sizes, timers and cordless models for die-hard percolator fans. If you're capable of boiling water, a superior method is the French press. It will keep coffee warm longer and hold in taste.