Tips for Making Coffee for a Crowd

Tip of the Day

The secrets to making great coffee for a crowd are accurate measuring, brewing time, a clean pot and, of course, the coffee itself.

Whether you’re renting, borrowing or you own the coffee maker… it is important to start out clean as a whistle….

Simple Operating Tips

Use cold water and fill the coffee maker to the proper level… remember accurate measuring is as important with water as it is with the coffee itself.

Make sure you use the proper outlet… if renting be sure to ask any questions you may have before you leave the rental store. Do not feel intimidated … different makers have different instructions… so it’s always wise to ask…. remember this is your party and you want it perfect… that’s all that matters.

Ask the rental store for any operating manual they may have or instructions regarding the use of the coffee maker.

If borrowing it from a friend, neighbor or relative… be sure to ask them for the information.

Ask the owner about cleaning instructions (rental store or person you borrowed the coffee maker from).

Always remove the coffee grinds when the coffee is finished brewing.

Cleaning Tips

Always rinse the coffee maker before returning to the party rental store.

Never immerse the coffee maker in water.

Brewing Time

This is a handy little piece of information to help you plan your time accordingly:

30-60 cups takes 60 minutes
90-100 cups takes 90 minutes

I was surprised myself at how long a pot for 100 cups can take… certainly you would need to start it well in advance of when you need to serve it.

Coffee Equivalents

1 pound of coffee is equal to 4.75 cups of ground coffee.

Always measure accurately when measuring your coffee… it can make a big difference.

30 cups = 2 cups of coffee
55-60 cups = 3.5 cups
90 cups = 6 cups

One final note…. The quality of your coffee matters too…. get a good quality coffee… don’t skimp.. assuming you’re making coffee for 100… you would use about 2-3 pounds (see the coffee buying guide post)… and assuming the difference in price is 3 dollars a pound between great coffee and passable coffee… do you really want to do that for a total savings of $6 or $9?…