Small coffee urns are a good option for smaller social or work events and environments. They hold several batches of coffee at once – more than any household coffee maker – so you don’t have to continue to refill and brew coffee in the urn several times a day.
Due to their size and portability, these are perfect for smaller businesses, parties, or events. They also work well for smaller coffee shops, cafes, or restaurants, which expect to serve customers throughout the day without having to constantly refill the urn.
Also, a small coffee urn will rescue any business or office when there’s a coffee rush, because they all come with a one-handed pressing dispenser to make pouring extremely fast.
Here are Our Favorite Small Commercial Coffee Urns
Hamilton Beach 40540 Brew Station 40-Cup Coffee Urn, Silver
Hamilton Beach 40540 Brew Station 40-Cup Coffee Urn, SilverI know this isn’t the smallest coffee urn out there, there’s plenty more that are physically smaller (see below) but it is simply a better made coffee maker.
Percolators have a long-standing reputation for burning coffee and this urn is designed to optimally brew without getting the temperature too high – your coffee will be strong but not burnt, which is very important when serving coffee to large groups of people.
Also, if you don’t want to make the full pot you can always brew half and get 20 cups, 25 cups, or even 15cups if you want. It’s all about how much water and coffee grind you use.
West Bend 58030 12-30 Cup Automatic Party Perk Coffee Urn
West Bend 58030 12-30 Cup Automatic Party Perk Coffee UrnIf you need (or want) a smallish coffee urn for occasional use but you don’t want to spend very much money then this is the one you should buy!
Seriously!
This urn will make as little as 12 cups and at most 30. It will feel warm (some would call it hot) to the touch because it doesn’t have the best insulation and the rest of the urn doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but it gets the job done just fine like you would expect from a percolator.
There are a ton of past customers who have bought this one and their reviews are pretty good for the price point. Check it out now.
Here are a Few More 20 and 30-cup Coffee Urns to Review
Nesco CU-25 25 Cup Coffee Urn, Stainless Steel/BlackWest Bend 58002 12-42 Cup Automatic Party Perk Coffee UrnWest Bend 43536 Aluminum 36-Cup Commercial Coffee UrnHamilton Beach 40540 Brew Station 40-Cup Coffee Percolator Urn, Silver
Product Descriptions
- Our small coffee urns range in price widely and they collectively brew between 12 and 40 cups of coffee, depending upon the setting and the machine.
- Small coffee urns are easy to fill up and fairly simple to clean as they usually come with detachable, large tops. The smallest urns are basically large electric percolators that pour through a spout rather than dispense coffee at the bottom.
- Due to their size and material, they will usually require hand washing. Great care should be taken to keep electrical parts dry.
- You can choose from an urn with two handles on the sides, making it easy for you to grip and carry; or you can select one that comes with a plastic handle on top. The very biggest urns should not be moved when full.
- To make dispensing effortless, small urns come with a one-handed dispensing mechanism: a button, a lever, or a faucet, all of which only require one hand to push and serve. If you want to pick up and pour coffee into your cup then you should be looking at larger percolator pots shaped more like coffee carafes.
What’s the Difference Between a Coffee Urn and a Percolator?
One surprisingly common misconception about coffee urns is that they are not drip coffee makers and they are also not big coffee dispensers.
A coffee urn is actually a huge electric percolator that is physically to large to pick up and pour into a cup.
Coffee urns are one of the most efficient ways at making large batches of coffee automatically so they are most frequently used for parties, gatherings, catering, or restaurant situations. The coffee in a small or large urn brews exactly like it does in a standard size electric percolator except the urn is designed to dispense the coffee out of a spout at the bottom instead of at the top.
You are likely in the market for a small urn like those featured above but there is also a small chance what you really want is a big electric percolator. If so you can go to this page to see our favorite large electric percolators.
Materials
You will find that the majority of small coffee urns use stainless steel for their base and body, and use plastic handles and pour spouts to keep you from being burned.
Stainless steel: stainless steel provides better insulation (keeping beverages hot or cold longer), and does not stain as quickly as other materials.
Additional Perks and Information
- Most of these small coffee urns can be carried by one person, and are still small enough to fit into a kitchen sink, making cleaning less of a hassle.
Alternatives to a Coffee Urn
- If you like the function of the small coffee urns but need to keep your coffee warmer for longer, check out our selection of insulated coffee urns and carafes on our product page.
- We also offer other coffee storage units such as carafes. These will store your coffee, but are a more portable option as they come in smaller sizes and with handles designed for carrying with one hand.
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