4 Best Coffee Urns for 2022 Reviewed

There are so many ways brewing can go. Individual coffee makers, coffee pots, but there’s an even larger scale that often gets overlooked. Coffee urns have probably caught your eye a few times, even if you don’t realize it.

This brewing style is typically in large event settings: office parties, churches, catering. The list could go on. However, many hosting these events have no idea where to start in the search. Lucky for you, we’ve got a complete buyer’s guide, and our top finds to help you find the best coffee urn.

The Best Coffee Urns

Product Review Rating Price
Hamilton Beach Commercial Coffee Urn Read Review 4.8 Check Price
West Bend Commercial Coffee Urn Read Review 4.7 Check Price
Hamilton Beach 45 Cup Coffee Urn Read Review 4.7 Check Price
HomeCraft Automatic Coffee Urn Read Review 4.6 Check Price
Hamilton Beach Commercial Coffee Urn
Our Favourite

1. Hamilton Beach Commercial Coffee Urn

4.8/5.0
Looks / Appearance 5.0 / 5.0
Ease of use 4.5 / 5.0
Functionality 4.5 / 5.0

Pros

  • – Large Capacity
  • – Stainless Steel
  • – Keep Warm Feature

Cons

  • – Bit more Expensive

This is a great option for larger capacity needs. It brings tasty coffee to the masses in an efficient, high-tech, and classy way. Go grab yours today to get the ball rolling!

2. West Bend Commercial Coffee Urn

4.7/5.0
Looks / Appearance 4.5 / 5.0
Ease of use 4.5 / 5.0
Functionality 5.0 / 5.0

Pros

  • – Multiple Features
  • – Large Capacity
  • – Durable

Cons

  • – Quite Expensive

This is a great base-level urn. Whether you are needing a sturdy, durable replacement for your go-to coffee urn that quit working or need one for the first time, this is a great choice.

3. Hamilton Beach 45 Cup Coffee Urn

4.7/5.0
Looks / Appearance 5.0 / 5.0
Ease of use 4.5 / 5.0
Functionality 4.5 / 5.0

Pros

  • – Great Price
  • – 2 Way Drip Faucet 
  • – Stainless Steel

Cons

  • – Smaller Capacity

This is a great medium-sized coffee urn to get as your business begins to grow. Its simple and sleek design mixed with built-in handles and metal exterior gives a professional look that emulates the quality of flavor it also brings.

4. HomeCraft Automatic Coffee Urn

4.6/5.0
Looks / Appearance 5.0 / 5.0
Ease of use 4.0 / 5.0
Functionality 4.5 / 5.0

Pros

  • – Great Price
  • – 2 Way Drip Faucet 
  • – Stainless Steel

Cons

  • – Smaller Capacity

This is a great base-level option to get your event their much-needed brew for the night. It’s a great addition to your supply list that works for you.

What are the Benefits of Using a Coffee Urn

There are a few reasons why a coffee urn is the best choice over other options. Here are the top benefits: 

1. Cost

While it might come as a surprise, it is actually more cost-effective to invest in an urn than rely on other methods if you are serving large crowds. This is the key component. Large crowds make this a better choice money-wise, so keep that in mind if your crowd is pretty small. 

Imagine serving 65 people with coffee pots. Not only is this a catering nightmare for staffing and logistics, but it also would take way more pots and other supplies to accomplish. 

2. Easy to Use

Working with large groups of people is stressful and a lot of work! Anything that makes your life easier is considered a win. That is where coffee urns really come to shine. They work by themselves after they are prepared once. Simply add the grounds and water and voila! 

They also are easy to transfer since it’s in one piece and can be lifted with handles that are built-in normally. Having loads of small pieces to keep up with can be a major headache during the chaos of getting everything prepared. 

3. Great for Long Lines

So you’re hosting an event with food and drinks: buffet style. This is a rule of thumb most of the time. However, it does lead to lots of long lines. That is where coffee urns come in handy. This self-serving option allows each person to pour their own coffee and you can rest easy for the night that the caffeine is taking care of. 

How to Use a Coffee Urn

So how do you use a coffee urn? It’s actually quite simple. Take off the lid first and foremost. This is where you’ll add all the ingredients. Pull out the filter. Most will have built-in filters, but if not you’ll need to add one later. Fill the coffee with water until the fill line. Now insert the filter back in and grab your grounds. 

This is where you’ll have to do a tiny bit of math. For every cup of grounds, you get 15 cups of coffee. Depending on the capacity of your coffee and your crowd, you’ll need to decide how many cups of grounds to add. Close the lid and let it start brewing. The more grounds you add, the longer the brewing process will be. 

What to Look For When Buying a Coffee Urn

Where do you even begin when looking for your very own coffee urn? Great question. Here are the key points to decide and look for when searching for the best coffee urn: 

Capacity

Size matters. Especially with coffee urns. Decide what your typical event size is going to be. Are you ranging at 30 to 40 people or closer to 65-80 people? This is crucial to know where to start the search. Smaller coffee urns will work well for smaller events, but you should always get close to your guest list to ensure you have enough coffee and don’t need to constantly refill and wait for the urn to brew. 

Larger urns would be considered commercial grade. Keep this in mind when searching. This typically starts around 60 cups and up. Since all urns are meant to serve large crowds, there aren’t tons of big differences between commercial and smaller sizes other than slightly more features and higher quality to combat such large numbers. 

External Appeal

This is a two-edged sword. There is something nice about looking classy and having eye appeal. More people will indulge in a cup of coffee if the coffee urn looks appealing. However, it’s also about ease of cleaning. Stainless steel coffee urn options are much easier to clean, have a great curb appeal, and last years with their durability. These three things are crucial to maximize your choice for years down the road, so be wise when picking your style of urn. 

Indicator Light

A must-have for practical reasons, indicator lights help you know when the brew is finished. It is subtle enough to not distract from what is happening at the event, but it lets those running things know the machine is good to go. 

Speed of Brewing

This is another major feature. If your coffee urn brews slowly, you are out of line if you run out of coffee or get behind and forget to start brewing on time. A good brewing time is normally a cup per minute. This means in 20 minutes, you could have 20 cups of coffee fresh and ready. When the numbers begin to rise, you might want to look for faster options if possible or remember to start your brew early. 

Warming

Last but most definitely not least, having a self warmer built into the urn makes a huge difference if your event is long. Your crowd can enjoy a hot cup of joe at the beginning, middle, or end of the night. It also helps lower waste which is better for you on your budgeting and great for the environment. 

There you have it. The full buyer’s guide. Be sure to check out our top four best coffee urns to see if they are the best match for you!