🥇☕Best Coffee Maker For A Crowd in 2024

If you run a café or restaurant, one of the things that will keep your customers coming back is a good coffee making machine. For most people, coffee is the only thing that keeps them sane in a busy world. For people who cannot afford home coffee machines, they will always go looking for a quick fix from a café. Investing in the best coffee maker for a crowd will ensure you can keep the coffee coming all day long.

Finding the best commercial coffee maker comes down to understanding the coffee needs of your crowds, whether you run a small neighbourhood café or a large restaurant out in the city. The goal should be to provide fresh, tasty, hot coffee consistently. It would be best if you also decided on whether or not to use different brewing styles to meet your customer’s needs. With the best commercial coffee machine, you can incorporate different brewing styles in your coffee-making routine with one machine.

Here is everything you need to know about buying the best commercial coffee maker.

Types of commercial coffee makers

 

Decanter brewer 

These are the classic style, commercial coffee makers. They are common in most restaurants and cafes. Commonly referred to as a drip brewer, they make the coffee by spraying a coffee bed with hot water where infusion takes place to create coffee. This then drips into a metal or glass decanter ready to be served. This type of commercial coffee brewer is common in establishments where they serve a continuous stream of hot coffee to their customers, such as diners and family restaurants that offer table service. The decanter remains on a heated plate to ensure the coffee stays hot throughout.

Decanter coffee makers come as either pour-over machines or automatic machines. The latter is connected to the building’s water source to ensure a steady supply of water for brewing. Pour-over coffee makers require you to manually fill the machine with water to brew each batch. The automatic machine is better for cafes that serve coffee regularly.

The main disadvantage of decanter coffee makers is that the coffee is always on a hot plate, risking overcooking and burning. When not served continuously, the coffee develops a bitter taste.

Airpot brewers and thermal servers 

These are commercial coffee makers that work in the same way as the decanter machines. However, this variety dispenses the ready coffee directly to an airpot or thermal server. These are the perfect choice for coffee that is not served immediately. Servers and airpots can keep your coffee hot for up to two hours without needing a hot plate. This ensures the coffee taste and quality is preserved.

Thermal servers and airpots are the best choices if the coffee is set up for self-service. It is common in buffet lines and quick-serve cafes, continental breakfast restaurants as well as bottomless coffee cafes.

Satellite coffee brewers

While these too work like the first two types, they work with a different dispensing mechanism where the coffee is dispensed into large insulated servers for transport. These coffee makers are high-capacity brewers that come in dual-brewer varieties. This makes it easy for coffee to be served in high traffic areas on demand. They are the best choice for conferences and events. Because they are insulated, they can keep the coffee warm for longer.

Factors to consider when buying a commercial coffee maker

The size of your business

The scope, size and volume of the business you run is an important consideration to make. Commercial coffee makers come in at least tow groupheads to produce coffee up to 8 coffee cups at the same time. It would help if you went for a machine that can produce enough coffee to meet the needs of your clients while at the same time giving you value for money. Consider the amount of traffic you get from coffee clients at one go. The best machine should be able to allow your business to deliver quick serves on demand.

Your budget

How much you spend on your coffee maker mostly depends on your budget. It is possible to get coffee makers for crowd service for as low as $100, depending on your budget needs. An expensive coffee machine does not always equate to better service. Always consider the features of the machine before purchase to ensure you’re getting quality value for your spending.

Water supply 

The best commercial coffee machines should come with an automatic water pouring feature or a water dispense-over facility. Automatic water sources allow you to connect your machine directly to a water source. This takes away the need for manual filling of the water reservoir and ensures there is always water to brew your coffee.

Commercial coffee maker recommendations 

Hamilton Beach Commercial Stainless Steel Coffee Urn

This is a one-hand dispensing commercial coffee Urn that comes with cup trip handle for faster cup filling. It comes in a sleek, polished stainless-steel exterior that guarantees longevity for the perfect performance. The Keep Warm heater on the Coffee Urn maintains optimal coffee temperature for better-tasting Coffee and higher coffee quality. This stainless-steel Coffee Urn also has a water/coffee window, for easy filling and coffee level monitoring. No need for guessing as the power on & ready lights let you know when coffee Urn is on and when coffee is ready

West Bend 33600 Highly Polished Aluminum Commercial Coffee Urn 

This is a large capacity Coffee Urn with the ability to brew up to 100 cups at a speed of one cup per minute. It Features a coffee-level gauge and interior water level markings for easy monitoring and refilling accordingly. It has an indicator light that informs you when the brewing cycle is done, and Coffee is ready to serve while the automatic temperature control Keeps Coffee hot for hours after the brew cycle. For faster serving, it comes with a two-way dripless faucet for single-cup or continuous filling. You do not have to worry about getting your hands burned as it features a heat-resistant base and handles.

Conclusion

With this guide, you will be able to make an informed decision when choosing the best coffee maker for a crowd. Whether you are starting a coffee selling business, or need one to entertain at home, any of the two recommendations can be perfect for your needs.