Home: Coffee: Brewing Systems | Boyd Coffee Company

Selection of brewing equipment should be based on the volume of fresh-brewed coffee that will be consumed. For low volume use (up to 3 gallons per hour for occasional serving), use a single-pot brewer. For moderate volume use (3 to 6 gallons per hour for continuous serving), use an airpot brewing system. For high volume use (6 gallons or more per hour for immediate serving), use automatic urn brewers or modular brewing systems.

Single-Pot Brewer

A single-pot brewer brews into a serving decanter, and a heat source under the decanter maintains the temperature of the brewed coffee at 185° F. Most single-pot foodservice brewers yield 60 ounces: 12 five-ounce servings. Some single-pot brewers are plumbed into a water source and some are pour-overs. In either case, the 14/20 to one ratio of water to coffee should be used and the water must be 200° F when it comes in contact with the coffee. Use drip/regular grind coffee. All single-pot brewers should brew a pot of coffee in approximately 4 minutes.

Measure 3 1/4 to 4 1/4 ounces of coffee; place the filter paper in the filter or brew basket, and spread the coffee evenly in the filter. Remove the grounds immediately after brewing. Serve the brewed coffee immediately, or transfer it to an insulated server. The coffee may be held on a burner or on a direct heat source at 185° F for no more than 20 minutes or it will break down and begin to taste bitter.

Airpot Brewer

An airpot brewer brews into an insulated serving decanter, which will maintain the temperature of the brewed coffee at 185° F for an extended period of time without applying heat directly to the brewed coffee. (There is no heat source under the insulated decanter.) Some airpot brewers are plumbed into a water source and some are pour-overs. In either case, the 14/20 to one ratio of water to coffee should be used and the water must be 200° F when it comes in contact with the coffee. The capacity of most airpots is about 75 ounces: 13/14 five-ounce servings or 2.2 liters of brewed coffee.

Use drip grind coffee; brew for 6 minutes.

For a 75-ounce airpot brewing system, measure 3.75 to 5.3 ounces of coffee and spread it evenly in the bottom of the filter-lined brew basket. Cover the brew basket with the spreader lid. Place the brew basket over the opening in the decanter, and position them under the brewer spray head. Some brewers will beep when the cycle has finished, signaling the operator to remove the spent grounds. Dispose of the grounds and the filter immediately, and rinse the brew basket in fresh water. If the decanter is an insulated airpot, replace the airpot stem. Close the lid and serve. Depending upon the quality of the insulated decanter, coffee will stay hot for several hours.

Automatic Urn

An urn is used in high-volume food service operations or when 6 or more gallons of coffee will be served within an hour. The urn should be connected to a cold water line, and the water must be 200° F when it comes in contact with the coffee. The 14/20 to one ratio of water to coffee should be used: 2.5 gallons of water to one pound of coffee will brew 55/58 five-ounce cups of coffee.

Use urn grind coffee; brew for 6 to 8 minutes.

Measure the coffee and place it evenly in a paper filter in the wire brew basket. If the urn is not equipped with a wire brew basket, use a cloth urn bag on an urn ring and a gridded riser to assure proper support of the cloth urn bag.

Most urns have a water bypass device that diverts up to 40% of the brewing water around the brew basket and directly into the holding chamber. This prevents over-extraction when all the brewing water does not pass through the coffee bed in the recommended time. Remove the filter device as soon as the water has dripped through. (If the brewing device is left in the urn, steam from the coffee rises, condenses to water, wand passes back through the grounds, releasing astringent and bitter materials.) Mix the brew. If your urn is not equipped with an automatic mixing device, draw off the heavy coffee from the bottom of the urn and pour it back into the brew (not through the grounds) to assure uniform mixing. Mix at least one gallon for each pound of coffee used. When the coffee is mixed it is ready to serve. It may be dispensed from the urn one cup at a time, or drawn into servers and taken to the table or meeting room.

Paper filters are usually used in urns, however, some foodservice units use cloth filters. When a new urn bag or cloth filter is needed, the new filter should be cleaned and rinsed thoroughly in very hot water to remove sizing or foreign odors before use. Use only water. Failure to remove sizing will adversely affect the appearance and taste of your coffee. Store the urn bag in cold water to prevent it from developing unpleasant odors and deterioration of the cloth. Replace urn bags and cloth filters when they begin to show signs of wear of develop an unpleasant odor. Discoloration is harmless.

Modular Brewer

A modular brewer is used in high-volume foodservice operations. It should be connected to a cold water line, and the water must be 200° F when it comes in contact with the coffee. The 14/20 to one ratio of water to coffee should be used: 5 gallons of water to two pounds of coffee will brew 120 five-ounce cups of coffee.

Modular brewers are a combination of a brewing module (the water heating and volume control station) which is fixed in a permanent location; and mobile, brewed coffee containers of various capacities (usually 5, 10 or 20 liters each), with heat systems to keep the brewed coffee at 185° F. The coffee temperature in the container is maintained by a jacket of heated air.

These systems permit greater flexibility and mobility for foodservice operators who need large volumes of coffee in many locations. The brewing module brews into the large portable containers, which can then be moved to another location for serving while the brewing module continues to brew into other containers for other locations.

Use urn grind coffee; brew for 6 to 8 minutes.

Measure the coffee and place it in a filter paper-lines wire basket inside the stainless steel brew basket of the container. Select the volume on the brewing module control panel. When the brew cycle is complete, remove the filter basket and mix the brew. The containers of some modular brewing systems are equipped with mixing tubes and this step is not necessary. However, if the module system does not have mixing tubes, draw of the heavy coffee from the bottom of the container and pour it back into the brew (not though the grounds) to assure uniform mixing. Mix at least one gallon for each pound of coffee used.

The container may be moved to another location where it will be connected to power to maintain the coffee temperature, and served. Meanwhile, the brewing module may begin another brew cycle in another container destined for another location.

Brewing Equipment Maintenance

The cleaner the equipment, the better the taste. Always clean your coffee maker, filter devices and pots thoroughly after every use.

Coffee oils collect on brewing equipment. If not removed regularly, these oils become burnt solids, known as "coffee tars." The bitter tasting coffee tars may partially dissolve into freshly brewed coffee.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and maintaining your brewing equipment. Check the brewing water temperature; the equipment's heat source must heat the water to 200°F when it comes in contact with the coffee.