Nothing is as good as a delicious cup of hot coffee at the office, friends and family gatherings, or at a conference. To have a fresh cup at hand is easier with a coffee urn. They are highly portable and can be used almost anywhere. Now, if you think you know the right coffee urn to buy, you are mistaken. There’s a whole bunch of them on the market, and you can’t assume all of them are great.
That’s why we’ve tested 17 models and compiled a list of the 5 best coffee urns. The Hamilton Beach 45 Cup Coffee Urn took our Editor’s Choice nomination. On the list you’ll find urns that come in different sizes: some models can hold as few as 30 cups, while some can hold as many as 60 cups. Almost all of them are made of stainless steel for heat retention and durability. Weighing in a range of 4 to 8 lbs., these coffee urns can be easily transported from one place to another
Other features: fast brewing, water level markings, indicator light, heat-resistant handles, and a locking lid, a detachable cord for easy storage
This is the crop of the cream of all the versatile all-around coffee urns. It can brew up to 45 cups of coffee, so, it is not too small or too big. You can use it in your kitchen daily and when you have a big gathering.
The urn is perfect for any kind of event owing to its metallic finish and comfortable heat-resistant handles that allow you to carry it from one point to another conveniently. Its lid and brew basket are completely removable and dishwasher safe, easing the cleaning burden.
The urn’s faucet is a 2-way dispenser that allows you to quickly fill up one cup or a carafe when propped up.
Moreover, the urn only needs a minute to brew a cup of coffee. Therefore, you will need just about 40 minutes to make 42 cups, which is incredibly fast. Unlike many other urns, you don’t have to worry about the brewing time with this Hamilton beach urn. It has a light that turns on when the brewing is done.
What we liked: The coffee urn is the perfect size for both everyday use and for special occasions with large gatherings. The light indicator that tells you when brewing time is over is a bonus.
What could be better: The urn’s cord is too short, so you might need an extension socket for it, plus it doesn’t have a visible water level. This forces you to open the top cap and take off the filter to see how much coffee is left.
Other features: 120V, one-hand dispensing, cup trip handle, keep warm heater, a water/coffee window, brews at above 1 cup per minute.
This is a prime choice for anyone looking to host large gatherings at home or serve crowds in various functions. The Hamilton Beach D50065 is an ideal high-volume coffee urn with the unmatched build quality.
The urn boasts a sleek metallic finish and comfortable heat-resistant handles. The classic polished stainless steel exterior guarantees you long-lasting performance. The interior is also made of stainless steel, which resists stains and corrosion, making cleaning easy.
The urn features a locking lid that prevents spills in case you move it with coffee inside. Its faucet is a 2-way dispenser that allows you to quickly fill up a cup with one hand thanks to its cup trip handle. You can also prop it up to fill a larger carafe.
It will take you about a minute to brew one cup of coffee. So, within an hour, you’ll be done making 60 cups of coffee. It also features a light indicator that notifies when the brew cycle is complete.
Unlike most urns, the D50065 has a keep warm heater that ensures you serve your guests hot coffee throughout.
What we liked: This is one of the best commercial coffee urns. It is packed with incredible convenient features like the water/coffee window that allows you to see the water level without opening the lid.
What could be better: the urn’s lid’s quality is not up to par.
Other features: keep warm function, brews 1 cup of coffee per minute, safe handling.
This is one of the best 30-cup urns out there. It is superbly versatile; you can use it to serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or hot cider for various functions like corporate meetings, parties, or family gatherings.
The HomeCraft CU30SS is a stunner with its clean stainless steel finish on the exterior. Its handles are a cool touch and superbly comfortable for safe and easy handling.
The urn lives up to its name with a fast brewing time. You only need a minute to brew a cup of coffee, and that means within half an hour, you’ll be done making 30 cups.
You can trust the urn to serve your guests delicious coffee at the right temperature throughout, thanks to its keep-warm function.
Its faucet is a 2-way non-drip dispenser that allows you to fill cups and carafes effortlessly. Plus, you can forget about the hassle of buying paper filters. It has a reusable and dishwasher safe filter.
What we liked: this is a fantastic all-around choice. The urn can meet your everyday coffee needs in your household as well as come in handy at different types of functions.
What could be better: The urn doesn’t come with a water level meter, so it’s hard to know the amount of water or coffee left in the urn.
Other features: 120V, NSF certified, quick brewing, automatic temperature control, heat-resistant base, twist-to-secure cover, the interior water level
This is another incredible large-capacity coffee maker that combines modern style and practical features perfectly. The 42-cup urn is what you need for seamless enjoyment of coffee in your next office meeting, large home gathering, or any other function.
The urn is made of aluminum and is designed to be placed on a buffet table or countertop. The sturdy aluminum build guarantees you solid durability and easy cleaning.
The WestBend urn distinguishes itself with a heat-resistant base and a twist-to-secure cover. Together with heat-resistant handles, the cover offers you comfortable and safe handling of the urn, especially when you try to move it from one place to another with hot coffee inside.
Also featured are interior water level markings that allow you to fill up the urn easily and a cool-tip filter basket that allows you to remove the stem and grounds easily.
Your coffee will remain hot for hours on end, thanks to the automatic temperature control feature.
What we liked: With a 1-year warranty, this is one of the best high-volume coffee urns on the market. It brews a cup of coffee within a minute and has the ready light that lets you know when the brewing cycle ends.
What could be better: When it first starts up, it gets very noisy.
Other features: 36-inch cord, fast brewing, simple twist-lock lid, indicator light, cool-touch handles
This is a solid choice for anyone who values a good pennyworth. It is the ultimate solution for office breakrooms, parties, and large social gatherings. You can also choose to use it at home if you love quick access to a hot and delicious cup of coffee.
The Maxi-Matic urn has an attractive stainless steel exterior and interior, which makes it both durable and easy to clean. It features a reusable and removable plastic filter that is also easy to clean.
With the simple twist-lock lid and cool-touch handles, you will be able to handle the urn safely with ease. What’s more, the urn’s 2-way high-flow dripless faucet dispenser will allow you to fill up a cup or a carafe superfast.
Another praiseworthy feature is the internal level markings that guide you when filling up the urn so you can make just the right amount of coffee. You will make 30 cups in a span of 30 minutes tops, and the indicator light will let you know that the brewing cycle has ended.
What we liked: It is hard to beat the Maxi-Matic CCM-035 coffee urn when it comes to offering excellent value for money. It has all the features found on most high-end models at a very attractive price point. It is also nicely quiet and works to keep your coffee warm all day long.
What could be better: Nothing could be better with this coffee urn.
Choosing the best coffee urn that meets all your needs within your budget is not as easy as you’d imagine. There’s a lot to consider to make the right choice. This segment contains all the pro tips you need to gain buyers’ confidence, including the benefits of coffee urns and the features to consider before choosing one.
Coffee magically brings people together and makes them feel more at home or at ease in social gatherings. Here are some solid reasons why you need a coffee urn.
With a coffee urn in the house, you will always have a fresh cup ready when guests visit you or in the middle of the night when you are alone and cold.
A coffee urn has a myriad of uses. Besides brewing and serving coffee, you can use it to boil water for tea for many guests or use it to serve and store any hot liquid like hot chocolate, hot cider, and soup. If you don’t want to serve only coffee at an event, you can always have hot water in the urn then have bags of instant tea, coffee, and hot chocolate on the side.
Most coffee urns are portable. You can bring one with you on a camping adventure or a sports event. It would be perfect for tailgating.
Some coffee urns, particularly the percolator-style coffee makers, only require you to add water to ground coffee then let it circulate through the coffee. Fetching coffee from the urn is also a breeze as most models have a dripless 2-way faucet. Some even have faucets with a cup trip handle that allows you to fill up a cup with one hand.
Other than the multiple models flooding the market, here are some crucial features and aspects you must consider to make the best buy.
This is a crucial aspect as it determines the number of cups you will be able to serve from the urn. Urns come in different sizes, and you have to pick one based on your needs.
If you want an urn just for your personal use at home, you can go for the small sizes like the 12-cup models. If you want one for everyday use at home and serving guests at a large social gathering, you can choose the mid-sized ones like the 30 or 40 cup models. For commercial purposes, you can go for high volume models of 60 cups and above like the Hamilton Beach D50065 Commercial Coffee Urn.
This is the main feature behind the hotness or warmth of your coffee after it’s done brewing. Some models come with a built-in heating system, while others don’t. Be sure to go for one that will keep your coffee warm for hours on end because very few people like the taste of a cold and stale coffee.
Most modern coffee urns feature a built-in reusable and removable brewing basket. It is in this basket that you place your ground coffee. For models that lack this feature, you have to buy paper filters, which can be hella costly. Therefore, be keen on buying a coffee urn with a reusable brewing basket. Other than being cost-effective, it is also environmentally friendly.
This is the setting that adjusts the amount of time taken to brew a pot of coffee. To achieve sweet coffee flavors, select an average brewing strength so that the water can extract great flavor from the ground coffee. A higher brewing strength isn’t necessarily the best because it lets the water stay in contact with the coffee for too long, then it extracts bitter flavors from it. Basically, you should be able to brew a cup of coffee within a minute.
The most common materials used to make coffee urns are aluminum and stainless steel. Aluminum is incredibly lightweight, but it doesn’t hold heat as well as stainless steel, does. Stainless steel is also sturdier and more resistant to dents and scratches.
If it is difficult to set up and use, you will hardly use it, which means you’d have misspent a couple of dollars. Go for a coffee urn with straightforward usability. Check if it has a clearly marked water-level and an easily removable lid. If it has parts that are dishwasher safe, the better. Also, choose an urn with a slick design without any hard-to-reach nooks and crannies that need cleaning.
If you are able to maintain your coffee urn well, it will serve you for long. If the urn is easy to use and clean, then maintenance should be a no-brainer. Check to see that it has features that make storage and cleaning easy, like a short cord.
Just like with any other kitchen appliance, you can encounter problems using your coffee urn. Therefore, it is wise to choose one that is backed by a generous warranty. You can always contact the manufacturer for free repairs or replacement within the warranty period in case of anything.
If you are willing to spend a few extra bucks, there are some cool accessories and features you can consider when choosing a coffee urn. They are not essential, but they make a whole difference. They include a coffee/water level window that allows you to see the amount of liquid remaining in the urn hassle-free, a programmable timer, and an indicator light that lets you know the brewing cycle has ended.
A coffee urn is a must-have for all coffee lovers at home, at the office, or any social gathering. Choosing one out of the endless options on the market can be a daunting process. However, with all the quick tips on this guide, that shouldn’t be the case. You can also avoid the burden of going through all the options available by choosing any of the 5 best-rated urns we have reviewed in depth. Our top pick, the Hamilton Beach 45 Cup Coffee Urn, is the best all-around coffee urn that is superbly affordable without compromising quality.
Our premium choice, the Hamilton Beach D50065 Commercial Coffee Urn, is one of the best high-volume coffee urns that money can buy. It has a slick design that is easy to clean and maintain, and unlike most urns, it features a coffee/water level window that offers you maximum convenience. It is a solid commercial coffee urn.
Third, on our list is the HomeCraft CU30SS Quick-Brewing Coffee Urn. It is one of the best 30-cup coffee urns that money can buy. It distinguishes itself with a keep-warm function and a reusable filter. Its attractive stainless steel finish and convenient handles make it one of the best coffee urns for quick-brewing.
