Small Coffee Urns (20, 30, & 40 Cup Models)

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/Black West Bend 58002 12-42 Cup Automatic Party Perk Coffee Urn West Bend 43536 Aluminum 36-Cup Commercial Coffee Urn Hamilton 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.

The 5 Best Small Coffee Urns for a Serve-Yourself Coffee Bar

Everyone has different needs and that’s something everyone agrees on. While some people need a large container, others are equally in need of a smaller model. But there’s this funny thing I came across when I tried to find a smaller model- not many good ones were available.

And that’s why Gamble Bay Coffee brings to you this article on the best small coffee urns to buy. It’s actually a hard call to be honest, because of lack of models on one hand and the overall differences between the available ones on the other. However, that’s what we are going to discuss in today’s article and I hope we can help you find the best small coffee urn for you.

The Best Small Coffee Urns To Buy

So, should you ever want to buy a small coffee urn, it might be slightly hard because of the reasons I stated. But there’s no reason to worry for that because Gamble Bay Coffee is here for you. We’ve already compiled a list to help you out should you ever need some advice on this and we’re sure that it’s going to be helpful to everyone, at least in one way.

So, the main models that you might want to give a shot are these:

Nesco CU-25 25 Cup Coffee Urn

The first product that’s bound to come into your mind at the mention of small coffee urns if you’re even slightly familiar with the coffee product market is the Nesco Cu-25. This model is by far one of the most loved small coffee urns available out there. The main features of this model include:

It has an easy to use dispenser with the option of continuous pour. Mostly, dispensers are for a single cup or something like that- allowing only a specific amount of coffee to pass through. However, this one allows you the option to keep pouring.
There are water level marks for your ease in filling up the urn. This is yet another great feature that comes with this model making it special.
As the name suggests, this model boasts of a capacity of about 25 cups.
However, it is important to note that people often complain that this machine is noisy. So, that’s one of the things you might want to check out more about before you go for this model.

Elegance Silver 8972 Silver Plated Coffee Urn, 25 Cup

Next, let’s discuss a model with an entirely different look. The functions offered here aren’t all that unique, the look is what makes this model special. However, we are still going to consider the main features of this model, which can be summed up as follows:

This model has a silver plating that gives it the shiny look that it has.
This model has a capacity of about 25 cups, which is the same size as the last model we discussed.
This model doesn’t really do anything. To put it bluntly, it’s meant for being used in parties for purely decoration purposes and not for the daily purposes, though it still boasts of a pretty high quality.
This model would be ideal for those people who want a great model to decorate their kitchen, or want a great model for occasional purposes or something like that. I wouldn’t call this the best model for daily home use, though.

Home N Kitchenware Collection 30 Cup Capacity Coffee Urn

Then comes the Home N Kitchenware Collection 30 Cup Capacity Coffee Urn. This model is one of the top rated small coffee urns in the market, thus earning it a place in this list. A simple glance at the main features it offers is enough to make it clear why it’s loved so much:

This model is durable, as it is made of stainless steel- and as I always say, durability of a model pays for it in the long run.
There’s a water level window in order for you to be able to pour in your coffee with a greater level of ease. Add that to the fact that it comes with a reusable filter system and this model makes a really great choice for just about everyone.
This model also comes with a certain degree of automated functions like automatic warming and switch off, making it super simple and hassle-free to use.
Finally, this model boasts of a capacity of 30 cups.

Continental Electric CP43699 30-Cup Stainless Steel Single Coffee Wall Urn

Another product that we can’t forget mentioning is the Continental Electric CP43699 30-Cup Stainless Steel Single Coffee Wall Urn. This model also boasts of quite a few great features, the most prominent of which might be summed up here:

As the name suggests, it is a single walled model, which means that the structure does not provide much extra room for insulation.
This model has been made of stainless steel which provides this model with the blessing of durability.
However, there are a lot of complaints that have been leveled against this model by the people who have used it. People complain about it’s lack of insulation, about the fact that it has a pointlessly long cord and many more things that you must check out before you finalize on this model.

West Bend 36-Cup Coffee Urn

And let us conclude today’s list with one of the line of products that’s famous for their great products, West Bend! The West Bend 36-Cup Coffee Urn is another loved product from this line, the main features of which are:

This model provides you with a choice of keeping anywhere between 12 to 36 cups of coffee at the same time and there are water levels that have been marked accordingly on the inside.
This model also provides you with cup-per-minute brewing with automatic temperature control and cool tip plastic filter basket.
There is also a serving indicator light that denotes when the brewing process is complete. This also makes it easy for you to keep an eye on this machine, making it a great function.
And finally, as the name makes clear, this model boasts of a capacity of 36 cups.

Buyer’s Guide

Of course, as we said earlier, it isn’t easy to shortlist products in this case. However, we decided to keep a few things in mind which helped us shortlist these products for you. It’s important that you know about the things we kept in mind so that you can also judge the models for yourself, in order to find the ones that are the best for you.

So, the main things that we took into consideration were the following:

One of the main things that we have kept in mind in the entirety of this article is the capacity of the model. This article is centered around the fact that the models have to be small.
Then comes the matter of durability. That’s another thing that has been kept in mind because of how important it is. A durable model not only pays for itself, in the long run, but also ensures that you’re free from the hassle of having to run to the consumer care center all the time.
And then there’s the point of functionality. Some models are clearly more functional than some other models. There are several kinds of features such as automatic keep-warm and the no-drip features that some people might specifically want.
And finally, we’ve also taken into mind the economic aspect. While it might seem lucrative to just go for the most functional model, it’s important to be aware about one’s budget. It’s not a good decision to go out of it, so that’s something we have also kept in mind.

Small Coffee Urn Comparison Information

Now, all of these factors have been considered while compiling this list for you. Thus, this list is the result of quite a bit of judgement. However, it is important that you judge the models according to your own specific needs. That’s something that’s completely indispensable if you ever wish to find the best one for yourself.

Keep in mind that the best model for you isn’t the one that’s best for everyone else. It’s the one that serves all your needs at the most affordable, or most reasonable, price- this is one of the things that you must always keep in mind to be a smart shopper.

Small Coffee Urn FAQ

Now, of course, there might be quite a few questions in your mind. And it’s time that we came to answering them. As your host, I’d be obliged to answer all your questions. Right now, I’m going to answer the most common ones asked. Should you not find your answer here, feel free to get in touch with me and I’m sure we can find an answer together!

Why would I want to buy a small coffee urn?
Well, everyone has their own specific needs. Someone might be in need of a small coffee urn just because they don’t have any more requirements. Why would someone want to buy a huge model that costs more to store a smaller amount of coffee when they just could do with a smaller model? Thing is, it depends on the person and there can be a whole lot of reasons why you might need a small coffee urn.
Are these models any different from the larger ones?
Except the capacity/size, not really. The whole mechanism is the same, it’s only the size that’s different to suit some specific quantity needs. Beyond that, size shouldn’t matter, except in how it affects how often you need to brew.
How important is the economic factor in this case?
Well, in most of the cases here, it isn’t really too important because these machines aren’t too expensive. But of course, you must be aware about how much you can spend. You have to make a budget before you go out to buying anything if you don’t want to end up in serious trouble.

Conclusion

You must keep in mind that the best model out there isn’t necessarily the best one for you. The best model for you is the one that serves all your needs at the most affordable price. So, keep this fact as well as your specific needs in mind when you go out in the market to find the model that is the best for you. This is the only way to find the right model for yourself, as all the ones anyone else may suggest have a certain degree of generalization attached, since only you can perfectly know your specific needs.

Gamble Bay Coffee is always here for you. We’re here to help you find the best model for yourself by providing you with the right information that you need to do that. Feel free to reach out to us, should you have any queries and do not forget that we are always here and that we are here ONLY for you.