I bought the BUNN Velocity Brew 10-Cup Home Coffee Brewer from Amazon about a year ago and I love it. Like most Bunn’s, the reservoir is always on, so the water is brew temp immediately. I have a ready-to-pour full pot, hot in the carafe, less than 5 minutes after pouring in cold water from the tap. Highly recommended for your use case in particular. $130 new on Amazon, a little cheaper if you buy it used. I actually bought mine used with no issues.
I’ve got a Bunn model that has the old school Mr. Coffee bi-metallic valve in it. Once the water is at temperature the hopper’s contents are dumped into the basket and it drains more like a pour over. Of course, the Bunn Velocity Brew and commercial units don’t have a valve at all. You add water, they are brewing and you can get class or stainless carafes for those.
In your situation, I’d ask for a Bunn 10 cup home coffee brewer. It’s the longest lasting, most reliable, kitchen appliance I’ve ever owned. Nothing beats it. They have fancier models, but the one I mentioned is the one I have-have had for years.
If each of the 20 drinks say, a 12oz portion that's 240oz or 30 cups. So you're looking at 3-4 runs with a 10 cup machine.
Machine: Bunn. There's 10 cup options around $130.
Carafe: Whatever. You can get insulated carafes for like, $20-$30. This will help your production line since you can't fit a commercial Bunn in that budget, keep one of those full + the pot.
Grinder: You can get an OXO for $80-$100, or a Cuisinart for $50.
Cuisinart grinder + Bunn 10 cup + cheapo carafe keeps you in budget and should all work great. Splurge on nicer grinder if you find more coin, Baratza Encore.
Or go even cheaper + showy (though more difficult/more time) and do boilers and pour overs or french press made to order. Spend more on the grinder if you go this route.
panaceator
