7 Best Coffee Urns in 2023 (Detailed Reviews)
The word you’re looking for is caffeinated, not cremated! Coffee urns are a crowd pleaser with their ability to churn out plenty of coffee. Coffee urns come in a variety of sizes, materials, colours, and other unique features, meaning you’re guaranteed to find the best coffee urn for your practical and aesthetic needs.
Ready to choose one? Read more about the seven best coffee urns for this year.
At A Glance:
- TOP PICK: Hamilton Beach
- BUDGET PICK: West Bend
- BEST DURABILITY: The Dreidel Company
Best Coffee Urn Reviews: The 7 Best Coffee Urns in 2023
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Hamilton Beach |
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West Bend |
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Hamilton Beach Commercial |
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The Dreidel Company |
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SYBO |
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Nesco |
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Chefman |
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Serious coffee drinkers need a serious amount of coffee. We’ve got you covered in our roundup of the best coffee urns. This review details all the main points to look for in a coffee urn: capacity, material, colour, and unique special features. Just read on.
1. Hamilton Beach – Best Overall
Capacity: 6.7 L
- Material: Aluminium
- Colour: Silver
- Special Feature: 30% Faster Brewing
Coming in hot – literally – at the top of the list of chosen coffee urns is the best commercial coffee urn by Hamilton Beach. Silver-coloured with a brushed metal finish, the Hamilton Beach coffee urn makes a great addition to your kitchen by complimenting any aesthetic without the pesky remnants of fingerprints. This aluminium-made Hamilton Beach 45-cup coffee urn doubles as a hot beverage dispenser with a capacity of 6.7 L. With its unique feature of a 30% faster-brewing speed in under half an hour, the Hamilton Beach 45-cup coffee urn prepares 15 to 45 cups of coffee.
The Hamilton Beach coffee urn keeps it all hot with its dual heaters and a ready light to illuminate the prepped brews. The heat is nothing to worry about, though: the handles are heat-resistant, so you won’t be burning yourself as you pour. The locking lid makes sure of that and avoids any chance of spilling in this best coffee maker and holder.
To dispense, all you need is one hand with the easy-press lever. Check the easy-view level window to see how much water is needed or how much coffee remains. Because of easy pressing and viewing, cleaning the coffee filter basket is also easy. This 45-cup coffee urn is removable and dishwasher-safe. You’ll save money by preceding disposable filters.
2. West Bend – Budget Pick
Capacity: 6.3 L
- Material: Aluminium
- Colour: Silver
- Special Feature: Removable & Reusable Coffee Filter
If you want to be able to be a lot of coffee in a hurry without breaking the bank, this urn from West Bend is a surprisingly affordable option. This durable aluminium coffee urn has a 42-cup capacity, and serves up your brew at a rapid one cup per minute.
The budget-friendly price doesn’t mean they’ve cut any corners – it has all the features you need to make your event a success. The water levels are marked on both the outside and inside for easy refilling, it has a coffee-ready indicator light, a locking lid, and cool touch handles in case you need to move it. It’s also NSF certified to ensure that the materials and construction meet standards for public health protection.
3. Hamilton Beach Commercial – Best Capacity
Capacity: 14.2 L
- Material: Aluminium & Plastic
- Colour: Silver
- Special Feature: Cup-A-Minute Brewing
A commercial coffee urn can produce 40 ish cups of coffee in one brewing process. But are you ready to be astounded by one of the best party coffee urns with a 60-cup coffee urn?
The large coffee urns by Hamilton Beach, which have found their way onto this list for a second time, serve up to 60 cups of coffee in a one-hour brew time! With its whopping 14.2 L capacity, this 60-cup coffee urn is a big hit with large gatherings on any occasion.
This silver coffee urn is also available in 40-cup and 100-cup coffee urn sizes.
This aluminium and plastic coffee urn has a dual heater system and boil dry protection. Its twist-lock lid is anti-spilling. Like other coffee maker urns we’ve seen so far, this big coffee urn has a level-viewing window for coffee and water. It also has no-touch dispensing to fill your cups quickly and without the use of your hands.
4. The Dreidel Company – Best Durability
Capacity: 8 L
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Colour: Silver
- Special Feature: Percolator Coffee Maker Type
With some of the best stainless steel coffee urns due to their durability, The Dreidel Company does not disappoint. These elegant coffee urns with their silver sheen have a maximum capacity of 8 L, making up to 50 cups of coffee in one sitting, with the option to also dispense hot water. The Dreidel Company’s double-walled stainless steel construction gives this coffee urn its enhanced durability plus maximum insulation while saving energy. This coffee urn is safe to use and positively overqualified with safety certifications from CE, CB, GS, RoHS, and ETL.
Boil-dry technology used in The Dreidel Company’s electric coffee urns shuts off the boiler automatically once the water has completely boiled and keeps the heat in while being cool to the touch. They even have all the same bells and whistles as the rest of the coffee urns on the market with a transparent water gauge, a rotating top, a ready light indicator, a keep warm feature with automatic temperature control, and a non-drip technology tap.
The special feature? This coffee urn is a Percolator coffee maker type, which avid old-school coffee connoisseurs will surely appreciate significantly. You’ll need a Percolator grind to start.
5. SYBO – Best Compatibility
Capacity: 8 L
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Colour: Metallic
- Special Feature: Electric Stove Top Compatible
Commercial coffee makers like the SYBO coffee urn quickly brew large quantities of hot water and coffee. The hot water feature is convenient for non-coffee drinkers who might prefer hot cider, hot chocolate, or any other hot beverage. With a capacity of 8 L, from one cup to a maximum of 50 cups of coffee, and a brewing time of only 30 minutes, SYBO’s coffee urn is ideal for catering.
This metallic new coffee urn is made of a food-grade 304 stainless steel exterior for dent resistance and luster maintenance. Coffee level markings line the interior of this electric stove top-compatible coffee urn. You don’t need paper filters because of the stainless-steel filter basket, so you won’t have to rebuy paper filters when it comes to coffee filters.
Everything is ETL certified for optimal safety and quality assurance. Other features comparable to most coffee urns include an automatic shut-off, a warm-coffee feature, and ready-heat lights.
6. Nesco – Best Manual Feature
Capacity: 4.5 L
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Colour: Metallic
- Special Feature: Continuous Pouring
It may be a small coffee urn, but it seemingly never runs out of coffee with its continuous pouring! The Nesco professional coffee urn is a little beautiful, made of stainless steel and a metallic finish. It has a capacity of 4.5 L, or 25 cups of coffee, and handles that are cool to the touch with a twist-locking lid. The interior-etched water level markings assist with easy filling. It even has rubber feet that are skid-proof and an off/on the switch with a silicone cover. It has a plastic coffee filter basket that is easily removable and dishwasher-safe.
Despite being electric-compatible, this coffee urn has the best manual feature with its easy touch-responsive pouring for serving coffee via one or multiple cups of hot brew coffee.
7. Chefman – Best Dispenser
Capacity: 5.3 L
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Colour: Silver
- Special Feature: Retains Warmth All Day
Finally, we have the Chefman coffee urn on this list. This urn has three distinct ways of dispensing coffee: via the auto dispense button, the manual button with a child safety lock, and the dispense button situated directly under the spout. This silver-coloured stainless-steel coffee urn has a capacity of 5.3 L.
Remember that a child safety lock is essential for coffee-loving parents looking to maintain a kid-friendly environment.
Chefman urn is best known for its ability to retain the warmth of its freshly brewed coffee all day at an optimal temperature from a single cup to more than thirty. This particular keep-warm coffee function extends to its hot water function, so you can be confident that you’ll also be getting some good quality instant coffees at any time of day with your coffee temperature controlled.
The water level is easy to reference and the auto shut-off feature comes into effect when the coffee pot is empty or its water has fully dried out. The lid locks into place to prevent any accidental spilling.
How To Choose The Best Coffee Urns
To choose the best of the best coffee urn for your coffee needs, you need to assess several factors. First, the scale of the coffee consumption desired then, the ideal build of the coffee urn, the personal preference of the colour choice, and whether any unique features stand out compared to most coffee urns.
How Much Coffee Do You Really Need?
Are you looking to serve up a coffee cup to each of your relatives at a family gathering? Are there no more than fifteen of you? Or are you tackling a catering endeavour where up to 100 cups are needed? This is where the capacity spec criterion comes into play. Any listed products brew a lot, but the smallest capacity is 4.5 L from Nesco, whereas the highest is 14.8 L from Zulay Kitchen. Do you need hot coffee quickly? The hot coffee flow rate is another critical subfactor to consider, too. Fast brewing offered by Hamilton Beach is your best bet in this case.
Also, remember how long coffee is good for and account for all the coffee you plan to brew.
Do You Want It Made Out Of Aluminum, Plastic, Or Stainless Steel?
Coffee urns are made out of aluminium, plastic, or stainless steel. Other than aesthetics, this also matters on a practical level regarding thermal conductivity (1).
Stainless steel has among the lowest thermal conductivity of any metal.
If a coffee urn is made of stainless steel, the coffee and water it holds will stay warmer for longer because the heat will not transfer to the body of the coffee maker or your hands (2). So, go with a stainless steel coffee urn if you have a lot of people to give coffee to over a long period. Otherwise, plastic and aluminium still work as valid options, though you may risk accidentally touching a hot surface or coming to a cold cup of coffee if it’s left sitting for a while.
Do You Want It Painted Black, Metallic, Or Silver?
Are you looking for a coffee centrepiece or a hidden hero? Black coffee urns are well-equipped with slinking in the shadows producing coffee when it’s needed. On the other hand, a more metallic or stylish silver sheen offers to capture the room’s attention, and coffee lovers will flock. Remember that a metallic coating may influence the coffee urn’s thermal conductivity.
Metallic materials [have a] higher thermal conductivity and high volumetric heat storage capacity.
The exterior of the coffee urn may be hotter to the touch if it is made from metallic materials (3).
What Features Are You Looking For?
Does the type of coffee urn matter most to you, for instance, whether it is a percolator or it is compatible with an electric stovetop? Does the brewing quantity, timing, or style take priority, such as having continuous pouring, a faster flow rate, or the capacity for 100 cups in one sitting? Or does convenience take precedence, like with a reusable filter or warmth retention? All of these are unique features specific to certain coffee urns that are found on this review list.
The Verdict
Home Grounds’ favourite best coffee urn of 2023 is brought to you by Hamilton Beach. It is made out of aluminium with a stylish silver sheen. It also has a maximum capacity of 6.7 L, which makes up to 45 cups of coffee in a single brewing session, with a 30% faster-brewing speed than many coffee urns. All its components are dishwasher safe, eliminating the need to buy coffee urn filters. However, if you plan on making cold coffee, then a cold coffee brewer would better suit your coffee brewing needs.
FAQs
You should clean coffee urns after every use by rinsing each removable component with warm, soapy water or running them through the dishwasher if it is safe. Remove the coffee grounds promptly during each cleaning. Every three to six months, there should be a deeper cleaning process to remove the build-up of mineral deposits. Descale with a vinegar solution.
A coffee urn and a percolator are similar but not quite the same. A coffee urn is a device in which coffee is made and kept warm. A percolator is a unique coffee pot in which you add coffee grounds, and the brew is continuously boiled and cycled through them. A coffee urn and a percolator are coffee pots used to make and serve coffee, but the former do so once and constantly repeat the process.
A coffee maker is able to brew several cups of coffee at once. A coffee urn does the same. However, it brews a substantially greater batch and can warm these larger amounts. A coffee maker is more appropriate for homes with families of avid coffee lovers, and a coffee urn is more suitable for large crowds for catering and events. Think of the coffee urn as a coffee maker and a coffee warmer.
References
- Thermtest Instruments. (2018, November 25). Keeping Your Warm Drinks Warm – A Thermal Properties Approach. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://thermtest.com/keeping-your-warm-drinks-warm-a-thermal-properties-approach
- HardRok Engineering. (2022, June 1). Thermal Activity In Stainless Steel Compared To Other Metals. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.hardrok.com.au/thermal-activity-in-stainless-steel-compared-to-other-metals
- Costa Pereira, S.C. & Kenisarin, M. (2022, February). A review of metallic materials for latent heat thermal energy storage: Thermophysical properties, applications, and challenges. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355914960_A_review_of_metallic_materials_for_latent_heat_thermal_energy_storage_Thermophysical_properties_applications_and_challenges
