How much coffee to put in a 100-cup percolator

How much coffee grounds for 100 cups

The chart below is West Bend’s for its 100-cup urn, and the charts printed inside most large percolators are close to it. It works out to about 1 level tablespoon of grounds per cup (typical) of water, measured with ordinary kitchen measuring cups, and makes mild coffee. For stronger coffee, add a little more grounds rather than less water.

If the percolator you have prints its own chart on the basket or the inside wall, follow that one.

How many cups of coffee a 100-cup percolator makes

100 cups of about 5 ounces (typical) each, roughly 500 ounces in all. A percolator “cup” is smaller than a coffee mug, and makers do not all use the same size (3.5, 5 or 8 ounces (typical) are all in use), so count servings by the cup you will hand out:

At an 8-ounce cup, one full batch serves about 62 people. For how many of your guests will want coffee, see how much coffee for 100 guests.

How long a 100-cup percolator takes to brew

Up to about a minute per cup (typical), so allow up to 100 minutes (typical) for a full batch. Switch it on well before guests arrive, or before dinner if coffee goes out with dessert. A light on the base usually shows when it is done, and the coffee stays hot for as long as the pot stays plugged in.

• Fill with cold water to the line first, then add the basket of grounds, then put the lid on and lock it.
• Lift the basket out once brewing stops, so the coffee does not sit under wet grounds.
• Switch off when about 3 cups (typical) are left. The heater should not run with the bottom of the pot dry.

Grind, basket and the minimum fill

• Use regular or percolator grind, medium to coarse. Fine drip grind slips through the basket and can flood it, which leaves grounds in the cups.
• No paper filter. If grounds fall through, wet the empty basket before you fill it.
• Do not brew below the lowest mark: about 40 cups (typical) on a 100-cup model. For a smaller group, a smaller pot or a hot beverage dispenser filled from a home brewer is the better fit.

Power at the coffee station

A 100-cup percolator draws about 1,500 watts (typical), and a standard 15-amp household circuit carries about 1,800. Two percolators on the same circuit will usually trip the breaker, so plug them into outlets on different circuits, and keep a coffee urn off the circuit that runs the kitchen or the DJ.

Brewing on the beach brings its own rules on generators and cups; the coffee for 100 guests guide covers them.

The coffee service we rent

• Stainless steel percolators: 100 cup.
• Hot beverage dispensers: 3 gallon, for decaf or hot water for tea.
• Insulated carafes for pouring at the table.

Add coffee service to your quote request with your guest count and when coffee will be served.