Yeah… no I would never use a long cord to reduce the voltage/current. That's a little too much of a kludge for an engineer like myself. Total waste of power. What I WOULD do is add a simple SCR/voltage regulator with a pot to smoothly regulate the voltage to the main coil. I was thinking of splicing in a frying pan probe thermostat but the SCR is the way to go.

I agree with you on the simplicity of obtaining superior coffee at home for cheap. I pay $8/lb for top quality varietal beans and I roast 3 small batches at a time. This lasts me and my wife about a week, drinking one cup a day, and I get many weeks out of just one pound.

I long ago determined that I can only roast 1/3 cup of beans at a time with my machine. That way it starts whirling immediately without stirring. If you have to stir to get things going, you're being too impatient and should reduce the load IMO.

As for percolators, I was only using that as an example of what was the norm at that time. I got a Macchina Mocha Espresso stovetop filter-up pressure pot when I was in Italy. It's what everybody there used at home. So I was enjoying superior espresso even back then while most Americans never had a cup of espresso. Then came the Melitta filter and then the coffee machines that used the paper filter and the rest is history.

I use an Aeropress for everyday use and a La Pavoni Pub for when I want to spend some time crafting a REAL cup of caffè.