Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 40540 Brew Station 40-Cup Coffee Urn, Silver

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This urn is supremely functional, with no bells and whistles. It advertises brewing times of 45 seconds per cup, but I've found that it's closer to the minute per cup advertised by other models: you'll buy back very little setup time with this model (heating 2 gallons of water took 35 minutes for example). Plus, like all other coffee urns, this one sings its moany little song while brewing, so if there's a chance it might be a distraction, you'll need to plug it in ahead of time so it's done brewing by the time the main event occurs, or you'll need to brew in another room and move it to the buffet table once it's hot. The one-handed dispensing works fine if the cup being dispensed into is solid, like a coffee mug, but common sense is confirmed that paper cups are not sturdy enough to depress the button without collapsing. In order to dispense one-handed with a paper cup, you have to push the button with your knuckles, which puts your fingers in the path of potentially hot liquids. Finally, and this is something that there's no way to know before reading the owner's manual, there's a little strainer right above where the liquid comes out. The owner's manual warns not to tip the urn while dispensing in order to prevent clogging of this strainer with coffee grounds. That's all well and good, except that due to the placement of the dispensing nozzle, the coffee becomes inaccessible when the level goes below about 10 cups--that's 1/4 of the total brew for a full pot!! It's this waste factor that resulted in the 4 stars instead of 5. For its price, it's a tidy little machine--the nozzle is particularly good at preventing drips. However, I'd rather clean up dribble from a lower-placed nozzle than have to find a way to decant 10 cups of coffee.

I just made delicious coffee for a crowd with this. I have never made percolator coffee. I think I put in too much coffee but it came out very well. I got a 13 oz can of some sort of smooth & mellow decaf coffee from Trader Joe's and I got it very coarse ground. I used the whole can for a full urn of water (up to the 40 mark). I read that you use 1 pound for 2 gallons of water as a catering standard. The urn is about 80% of 2 gallons, so 13 oz seemed right. It was more than the directions for the urn, but I decided to wing it. I'm really glad that I did! It was excellent, even a couple of hours later. The keep warm setting is great and the coffee is nice and hot and NOT overdone. I would recommend that you get a light-medium roasted coffee and grind it coarsely in the store.

My husband asked me to save the rest, which he never does when I get the Peet's catered coffee, so it is sitting in the fridge ready to make iced coffee!

Functions well, heats quickly, but I don't care for the aluminum, the inside discolors. Stainless steel would be better but would jack up the price substantially. I only bought it for holidays so its fine, but if I were going to use it more frequently, I'd opt for a better quality stainless.

We sell organic coffee at the local farmer's market on Saturday morning, so I bought two of these so I would not have to brew continuously with my small coffee makers. They started out great, I agree with the other reviewers that the finish on this could be better and it does get scratched up and discolored. I also agree that the dispenser is not that great and causes many people to struggle to get their cup of coffee. The pots do heat up quickly, and it does take about a minute per cup for the pot to brew - which is not as quick as Hamilton Beach boasts, but it makes a decent cup of coffee.
My main complaint is that after about 8 uses, one of my pots suddenly stopped perking. It would keep the coffee warm, but it would not perk (make) the coffee. I called Hamilton Beach and they replaced the pot (and charged me $7.95 to ship it back to me!) and I thought GREAT! Back to two pots - we're in business again! Not for long because I swear (NO JOKE!) the Saturday after my new pot arrived back from Hamilton Beach, the OTHER coffee urn went out! I am back down to working with one coffee pot - and quite frankly due to my past experiences I have NO idea when this new pot will decide to give out! I have decided that I am going to replace the pots with a different brand because I depend on those pots working, and these are anything but dependable.

I needed to replace a coffee maker on short notice. This machine filled in at the workshop and made great coffee. It is attractive and easy to use at a great price. However, the dispenser design is unsuited to traditional paper coffee cups. You must press the cup against a trigger to dispense the coffee. Lots of fumbling and crushed cups in the process. I'll replace it with another model.

When you call, Hamilton Beach's customer service says "this product may not be used with styrofoam cups." When you say, "there are pictures on your website (and Amazon's) showing someone using a styrofoam cup and it also lists "disposable cups" - they mysteriously hang up on you while searching for a supervisor. The styrofoam cups crumple when you try to use them - scalding hands. The fine print also notes they may only be used for "in home use."

I purchased this urn for our church. I picked this one for the press button dispenser. I have tried it at home before taking to the church. It is great for making coffee in no time. I like the filter that is in the dispenser. Everything is easy to clean and put back together. I see getting many years out of this urn.

Purchased this coffee urn for our church's contemporary worship service. We serve donuts and coffee and wanted something that was user friendly and wouldn't keep cooking. This coffee pot is a big hit. It keeps the coffee very hot but doesn't overcook it.

This coffee maker makes coffee fast and keeps every cup hot. We also like the fact that you don't need two hands to get a cup of coffee.

I am delighted with my new coffee maker. It makes great coffee very quickly and keeps it very hot for a long time. The shape allows the urn to fit nicely under my cupboards. And the dispenser is convenient and so easy. I'm so glad I got the coffee make that is just perfect!