To Brew Or Not To Brew

December 09, 2008

When you are hosting or coordinating a sizable event and need a large amount of hot coffee at the end of the meal do you think “Box of Joe”? Well, there is another option. Commercial Percolators.

These are the large coffee pots you would see in a function hall. They are available in several sizes such as 55 cup, 75 cup and 100 cup. There are basic aluminum coffee makers and fancier bright stainless ones for the more upscale events.

If you happen to be a part-time or full-time event planner, you may consider buying one to have whenever you need it. You can also rent one when you need one or when you need additional capacity (more than one).

If you have only a 100 cup coffee pot available and a smaller guest count, you can fill the pot to the 50-cup line, or whatever is appropriate. This is the same for all the commercial percolator sizes and styles.

If you happen to be unfamiliar with how these coffee makers work, don’t worry, they are pretty simple to use.
Fill the coffee pot with COLD WATER using the water level lines (stamped inside the pot) as a guide. You must use cold water or the coffee pot will not brew long enough because the heat sensor will shut off the brew cycle.

Wet the filter basket to keep fine coffee particles from sifting into the brewed coffee. Then add the ground coffee according to how much water you have put in the pot. Make sure the Stem is set down into the well in the center of the coffee pot. This is where the heating element is. Water will boil here, push up the stem and splash down over the coffee grounds in the filter basket.

Put the lid on the coffee pot, plug it in and flip the switch on. Note that some models do not have a switch (such as Faberware) and will go on when you plug them in. The percolator should be plugged into a 110-volt (20 amp) electrical outlet with no other heating or cooking devices on the same circuit. An additional coffee pot will trip the circuit breaker, as will a popcorn machine, refrigerator, space heater, or any device that “pulls” a lot of amps. DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION CORD on the coffee pot or any heating device as it may cause a Fire Hazard.

After the coffee is done brewing, the serving light will illuminate, and the coffee pot will switch over to warming mode. At this point you should carefully remove the basket and stem - they will be very hot - so be careful not to burn yourself. If you leave the basket and stem in the pot, the strength and flavor of the coffee could be adversely affected.

Brewing time is about one minute per cup of coffee. Thirty cups takes about ½ hour and sixty cups takes about an hour. Make sure to consider the time you want the coffee to be ready when starting to brew.

One pound of ground coffee is equal to 4.75 cups (depending on the grind). Use Regular Perk Grind or Coffee Ground for All Coffee Makers. Do not use Finely Ground, as the filter will be unable to keep the grounds out of the coffee.

There are other uses for Electric Percolators than coffee. Tea can be made by putting tea bags in the filter basket, then brewing (not for the connoisseur). Hot water can be made to use with instant beverages such as cocoa, and with instant soups like “cup of soup” or “ramen noodles”. While at your camp you can use it to make hot water to clean with. Off site theatre groups can use the hot water to help remove make-up.

For Downloadable Instructions Click here: "Coffee Maker Instructions"