Coffee is BIG in the lives and environments of today’s churches! At my own church we brew 20-25 gallons every Sunday (at times even more.)  I watch people come in on a Sunday and as soon as they have shook a few hands and hung up their coat, next on their list is getting a cup of coffee in their hand. There’s something about holding that cup that just comforts people and helps to create a more relaxed, casual atmosphere. When churches ask me about what coffee equipment they should purchase, I always respond with three thoughts:

1. Buy the Best Coffee Equipment: In my opinion, this means buy Bunn-O-Matic!  I have personally used other options and have researched churches that have made other choices.   My non-scientific findings are churches that chose Bunn-O-Matic have no regrets, while those that chose other brands often do.  You may ask, “But doesn’t Bunn cost more”?  That’s a fair question with a simple answer.  There are many vendors that can provide Bunn-O-Matic equipment at a wide range of prices.  For churches though, if you will take advantage of Church Furniture Partner and their special relationship with Bunn, you will find prices well below the going rate, and Bunn will become a viable option for your church.  Go with the best!

2.  Calculate how much coffee you brew each Sunday: Too many churches buy coffee equipment that’s not meant to prepare the volume of coffee they need to brew.  The result is that people wait for coffee and also that the quality of the coffee is degraded.  Coffee is intended to be brewed at a constant temperature.  When the equipment is overtaxed, then the water temperature varies and the flavor is affected.  Determine how much coffee you’re going to brew, bump that amount a bit to accommodate special days, and then obtain a recommendation from Church Furniture Partner as to what level of equipment is needed.

3.  Determine where you need the coffee served: Are you going to have coffee located in several satellite locations, or is there going to be one central location where everyone gets their coffee?  This will help you determine what size of air-pots or thermo-servers you will need to purchase.  By the way, the days of keeping coffee under heat in a serving area seem to be over.  Studies have concluded that the flavor of coffee degrades under heat.  With the quality of today’s air-pots and thermo-servers, whether you use one location or several, I recommend them enthusiastically.  There’s no need to keep the coffee under heat and degrade the flavor, or pay for the electricity to do so.

I hope this this helps your church.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Right now I’m going to go have a cup of coffee!