Are you tired of brewing multiple batches of coffee for large gatherings? Looking for a more convenient option? Well, if you need to serve more than ten people regularly, then you can get yourself a coffee urn. It can be an amazing addition to your office kitchen and waiting room too.
Now, we know these urns come with a wide range of variety. We won’t judge you if you don’t know where to start with and what features to look for. In fact, we are here to help with a buying guide and beginner-friendly operation manual. Also, we are going to review the best 30-cup coffee maker.
So, read on. Who knows? You might find the perfect large brewer you were always looking for.
Before we get into the detailed review for the best 30 cup coffee maker, let’s have a quick glance to know the key features. Read more about the one that interests you and fits your need.
What Is A Coffee Urn?
A coffee urn is basically a large coffee brewer, capable of serving for events where there is a high volume gathering. You can easily carry out your day-long program by effortlessly making them hot coffee or tea.
When you’re preparing coffee for a larger crowd, you need to put much effort into the coffee pot or carafe. Not to mention the hassle of brewing multiple batches and constantly warming them up. So, a large coffee maker can save you from trouble and let you enjoy the event like everybody else.
Why you need a coffee urn, you ask? With this, you can just fill water at the required amount, pour coffee ground in the filter, lock the lid, and power it on. Once the indicator is on, and ta-da! So, get this useful kitchen appliance for your office, school, church, picnic, and other social gatherings.
5 Best 30 Cup Coffee Maker: Our Honest Review
01. Best Overall: West Bend 58002 Highly Polished Aluminum Commercial Coffee Urn
Key Features
- Dimensions: 16.9× 10.8× 10.7 inches
- Material: Aluminum
- Weight: 4 lbs.
- Power Usage: 120 volts, 1090watts
- Capacity: 30 cups
- Filter: Cool-tip plastic filter basket
- Efficiency: Quick Brewing- one cup per minute; Automatic temperature control
- Convenience: Two-way dripless faucet; Interior water level markings; Ready-to-serve indicator light
- Warranty: One-year
- Safety Features: Heat-resistant base; Twist-to-secure lid
If you are in a hurry and just want to know our recommendation for one, then go for the West Bend 58002 coffee urn. It’s our topmost favorite pick because it’s perfect when you’re catering for a large gathering. Specially designed to be on the countertop or buffet table, it has got every feature for smooth prep, fast brewing, and easy clean-up.
West Bend strives to make your catering easier by bringing innovative kitchen appliances since 1911. And this highly polished West Bend 58002 is undoubtedly one of their best selling product. This urn brews quickly at less than one minute per cup. It has got an indicator light which illuminates when the coffee is ready to be served.
Also, the interior water level marks will let you know how much java you have got. It comes with a cool-tip filter basket so, you won’t be needing a disposable paper filter. The parts of it are dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean.
It also has a handy two-way dripless spigot, which is perfect for filling either a single cup or carafes. For safe operating, it comes with heat resistant handle and base. Moreover, the twist-to-secure lid prevents accidental spillage. You can also use it for other purposes like heating water or making other beverages like hot chocolate.
Summary: West Bend is known for delivering unmatched performance and quality product. This coffee urn is perfect for family gathering, office meetings, and parties. It’s easy to use and has got all the safety features to give you tasty brew in no time!
PROS
- Easy to use
- Sleek design
- Safe to operate
- Long-lasting great flavor
CONS
- No on/off switch
- Loud
02. Runner Up: HomeCraft CU30SS Quick-Brewing 1000-Watt Automatic Coffee Urn
Key Features
- Dimensions: 9.65×9.65×15.94 inches
- Item weight: 4.39 lbs.
- Watts: 1000W
- Cup Capacity: 30
- Material: Stainless steel build
- Brewing Time: Fast- one cup per minute
- Filter: Reusable and dishwasher-safe plastic filter
- Safe Handling: Twist locking lid; Cool-touch comfortable handle; heat-proof base
- Other features include: Keep warm function; 2-way dripless faucet; LED indicator light, Water level markings
The HomeCraft Stainless Steel Coffee Urn is a sleek all-purpose percolator, perfect for coffee, tea, hot cider, hot chocolate, and other beverages. It has got a 30 cup capacity and efficiently brews each cup per minute.
A LED light will turn on to indicate when it has finished. The keep-warm function holds your drink in serving temperature for a long time, making it suitable for all day long events. The 2 way dripless faucet allows easy filling and helps to keep the surface clean.
It will save you from the hassle of buying a paper filter because it comes with a reusable filter. Its dishwasher safe too, making it easy to clean. The cool to touch handles are safe to handle and transport wherever needed. And the study pedestal base keeps the surface safe as it’s heat-resistant. Other useful features include a twist locking lid and water level markings.
Summary: If you’re regularly catering for banquets, corporate events, parties or church functions, it can be a great option. It gives you amazing versatility with all the safety and useful features.
PROS
- Durable stainless steel build
- Versatile catering option
- Safe to transport
CONS
- Hard-to-read fill markings
- Has got a discoloring issue
03. Best Budget: Nesco Professional Coffee Urn, 30 Cups
Key Features
- Dimensions: 12×12.5×17.8 inches
- Weight: 5.94 lbs.
- Watts: 950W
- Reservoir Capacity: 6.8 Litre/30 Cups
- Brewer Tank: Stainless Steel Double wall insulation
- Basket: High-quality stainless steel mesh filter
- Brewing Time: One cup a minute
- Safety Features: Twist-locking lid; Stay-cool handles; Sturdy base
- Other Features: Indicator lights; Non-drip spigot; Enclosed water gauge
The NESCO Stainless Steel Coffee Urn features double wall protection, amazing for keeping the coffee hot longer than the single wall models. And the air layer between the walls will keep the outer surface cold and safe to touch. It has got a switch to power it on or off, so you don’t have to unplug it every time you’re done. You can quickly brew up to 30 cups. Each cup will take one minute or so to brew. There’s a green indicator to let you know when it’s ready to be served.
A high-quality stainless steel mesh filter basket will come with it, so you won’t need a new paper filter to prepare every batch. The dripless faucet will keep the surface spotless.
Again, it has got safety features like a twist-locking lid, stay-cool handles and a sturdy base. So, you can brew rich flavored coffee for social gatherings, business meetings, home entertaining, club or group functions and waiting areas.
Summary: If you’re looking for a large coffee maker that is reasonably priced, go for it. The NESCO coffee urn is a super durable, quality product and has all the features to protect you from any mishap.
PROS
- Stainless steel construction
- Double insulation
- Drip-tray equipped
- Has switch to turn on/off
CONS
- Noisy
- Inconvenient dispenser location
04. Most Versatile: Gastrorag Premium 30 Cup Coffee Urn
Key Features
- Dimensions: 16×10×9.5 inches
- Weight: 3.71 lbs.
- Electrical: 120 volts, 60 Hz, 1000 watts
- Capacity:10-30 cups
- Material: Stainless steel build
- Reservoir: Double-wall insulator
- Cord Length: 2.1 ft./ 65 cm
- Brewing Time: Quick- one cup per minute
- Catering Option: Multipurpose
- Filter: Dishwasher safe stainless steel basket
- Safe Handling: Quick-twist locking lid; Stay-cool handles and bottom
- More Features: Dry boil protection; Keep warm mode; Dripless two-way faucet; Red indicator; Easy-to-read water level marks
Gastrorag Premium 30 Cup Coffee Urn has super sleek, corrosion-free, durable construction. It’s perfect for a larger crowd. You can quickly serve delicious coffee as it brews one cup per minute. Also, it offers amazing versatility- you can prepare any hot beverage like tea, hot chocolate, hot water, fruit punch and more.
Again, you don’t need to babysit it. The red indicator will save you from the guesswork and tell you when it’s finished brewing. And once it’s done with brewing, it switches to the keep warm mode automatically. So, you’ll always get drinks from it at serving temperature. Moreover, the double wall retains the heat really well.
Another unique feature it offers is, the dry boil protection. That means once the water is boiled away, the unit automatically turns off.
Summary: If you’re looking for an all-purpose hot beverage maker that doesn’t compromise with the quality, go for it. Elegantly make and serve any hot and fresh drink to your crowd.
PROS
- Heavy-duty design
- Boil-dry protection
- Retains heat for prolonged hours
CONS
- Short cord
- The logo comes off easily
05. Maxi-Matic 30-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker
Key Features
- Dimensions: 7.48×14.37×7.48 inches
- Weight: 4.79 lbs.
- Cup Capacity: 30
- Interior and Exterior: Stainless steel
- Brewing Time: Fast, one cup each minute
- Filter: Removable plastic basket
- Dispenser: 2 way non-drip
- Easy Filling: Internal water level markings
- Safe Handling: Heat-proof handles and base; Simple twist-lock lid
Energize your large gathering in no time with the Elite Cuisine 30-cup coffee brewer. Internal water level will help you to fill just the right amount of java you want to serve. To provide a comparison, water is much hotter than the popular Hamilton Beach Urn.
The stainless steel build will be super durable and easy to clean. Heat-resistant comfortable handles will allow you to transport easily. The twist locking lid will save you from any spill mishap. The 2-way non-drip dispenser is designed to fill either a single cup or prop up to fill a carafe.
You can forget about wasteful paper filters because it comes with a removable plastic filter. It’s dishwasher safe and easy to lift out and clean.
Summary: Want to host large parties elegantly? Get a Elite Cuisine Brewer and please your guests effortlessly by brewing them fresh hot coffee in no time! It provides great value for money by offering a durable product at an inexpensive price.
PROS
- Durable
- Dishwasher Safe
- Easy to use
CONS
- No ready-to-serve indicator
- Very limited warranty
What To Consider Before Buying The Best 30 Cup Coffee Maker
Capacity
The first thing you need to consider while buying a coffee urn is the size you’ll be needing. These percolators come in a huge range of sizes. You’re going to find from 12 cups to 100 plus cups brewer and all sizes in between. So, what capacity you will need, you wonder?
Consider the number of people you’ll be catering for. Not everyone drinks tea or coffee, but some people go for another cup too. So, it’s a good idea to make 1-1 cup per person.
Now, you don’t really need to make up to its maximum capacity. Buy the one that features water level markings for monitoring. And just make the amount you need.
Again, the bigger the urn more difficult to transfer it will be. Also, it increases the price. You have the option to refill, so aim for a convenient size. We would recommend 30 cups of coffee urns and which is why we’ve reviewed 5 best 30 cups coffee maker.
Construction
Though both the stainless steel and highly polished aluminum look sleek, aluminum doesn’t retain heat as well as stainless steel. Besides, stainless steel is much harder, so with it you need to worry less about dents and scratches showing up on your brewer. Also, it’s easy to clean them too.
Do you love smoking hot coffee? Go for the double-walled stainless steel one. It provides perfect insulation, and the air gap between the two walls keeps the outer surface cold and safe to touch.
Temperature Control
If you want fresh-tasting coffee for day-long events and functions, get the one with keep warm function. It automatically switches to the warming mode after finishing brewing. So, your coffee won’t get stale or over-brewed.
The dry boil protection feature is the best as it turns the unit off automatically once the water is entirely boiled and stop power wastage.
Convenience
For a large coffee maker, convenience is really important. Look for the one that features two-way non-drip dispenser, so it can be used for both single and continuous feeling. Again, a dripless faucet will help you to keep the surface clean. The drip tray will serve the same purpose.
Also, make sure that the faucet isn’t too high from the bottom because then you need to tilt the hot and heavy urn for the last 5-6 cups.
Most of them need to be plugged in to turn on, so find a one with a longer cord. Otherwise, you need to buy an extension cord to reach the nearest outlet. It’s better if you purchase the one that has a switch to turn on/off. It’s more convenient.
Coffee Strainer
Most modern coffee urns have a built-in filter basket with them. For the older models and cheap ones, you need to buy disposable paper filters.
Now, make sure to use coarser ground for 30 cup coffee maker filters so that the coffee ground doesn’t pass through the strainer. Always check if the in-built filter is easily removable or not. It should be dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
Safety Features
The handles and the base should be heat resistant for safety purposes. You can use heat-proof silicon pad to be extra safe. Also, the base should be solid and sturdy, so that it stands securely on the surface. Go for the twist locking lid as it prevents any accidental spillage. Comfortable, cool-touch handles and a secure lid also makes the urn easy to transfer.
Ease of Storage
Find the one that has a removable cord to easily store when you’re not using it.
How Do You Make Coffee In A 30 Cup Coffee Maker?
If you’re using the percolator for the first time, you might be wondering how to use it. Don’t worry. We got you covered.
We would suggest you to brew 20 cups of water with a cup of white vinegar before you use this thing. Doing so will flush out any chemical residue. Also, follow this when you’re using the brewer after a long time and notice weird tasting coffee. Now, follow these simple steps to serve your guest refreshing cups of coffee real quick:
- Remove the stem and filter
- Fill cold water. Use the water gauge to get just the amount you want.
- Replace the stem and the strainer basket.
- Add freshly ground coffee to the filter. Grind your beans courser so that it doesn’t pass through the strainer. If you’ve got a pre-ground finely ground, use a paper filter in the basket and put ground on it.
- Plug the cord into a dedicated outlet.
- If your urn features “cup-a-minute,” it would take about 30 minutes to finish. Wait for the indicator light to illuminate.
Voila! There you have great tasting cups of coffee for your guests. Keep it plugged in and switch to the keep warm mode for fresh-tasting joe the whole day.
FAQs
Conclusion
Now that you’ve got our 5 best 30 cup coffee maker reviews, get yourself a coffee urn that fits your catering needs. Or you can see our buying guide to narrow down your choices and find the perfect product. Forget about all the tiresome inconvenient styles. And effortlessly organize and enjoy parties or official functions.