Short answer: Plan 1 cup per guest for an afternoon or evening event. Plan 1.5 cups per guest for a morning event. One 5 lb bag of coffee makes about 150 cups. That covers about 100 guests at a morning event.
How much coffee to buy
We use 15 grams of coffee for each 8 oz cup. That is 1 gram of coffee to 16 grams of water.
| Guests | Afternoon or evening (1 cup each) | Morning (1.5 cups each) | Bags to buy for a morning event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | about 0.8 lb | about 1.2 lb | one 2 lb bag |
| 50 | about 1.7 lb | about 2.5 lb | one 5 lb bag, or two 2 lb bags |
| 100 | about 3.3 lb | about 5 lb | one 5 lb bag and one 2 lb bag |
| 200 | about 6.6 lb | about 9.9 lb | two 5 lb bags and one 2 lb bag |
Round up if the event is long, the room is cold, or your guests are big coffee drinkers. Leftover whole bean coffee keeps for weeks if you seal the bag.
The formula for any size event
- Count your guests.
- Multiply by 1 cup for an afternoon or evening event. Multiply by 1.5 cups for a morning event.
- Multiply the cups by 15 grams.
- Divide by 454 to get pounds.
Example: 80 guests at a morning meeting is 120 cups. 120 cups times 15 grams is 1,800 grams. That is about 4 lb. One 5 lb bag covers it.
Plan for decaf
Plan about 20 percent of your cups as decaf. For 100 morning guests, that is about 30 cups, or about 1 lb of decaf. A 2 lb decaf bag covers it.
Brewing in an urn or a batch brewer
At our ratio, one gallon of water uses about 237 grams of coffee. That is a little more than half a pound. One pound of coffee brews about two gallons.
Many party urns count a cup as 5 oz, not 8 oz. A 100 cup urn may hold about 4 gallons. Read the manual for your urn before you measure.
Use a coarse or medium grind for an urn. Use a medium grind for a drip batch brewer. Most coffees in our bulk collection list several grind sizes.
Coffees that suit a crowd
Most guests like a medium roast. Add a dark roast if you have a second urn. Prices are from October 2026 and can change.
- Augusta's Organic Breakfast from Nossa Familia Coffee. 2 lb $46, 5 lb $102.
- Organic House Blend from Centri Coffee. 5 lb $94.
- Killer Queen dark roast from Sightseer Coffee. 2 lb $46, 5 lb $96.
- Decaf Organic Majestic Blend from Centri Coffee. 5 lb $110.75.
See every 2 lb and 5 lb coffee in our bulk collection.
When to order
Each roaster sets its own handling time and carrier. Your tracking email shows the delivery estimate for each box. Orders from more than one roaster can arrive on different days. Order early, and check the tracking before the event.
Brew day checklist
- Grind or open the coffee on the day of the event.
- Weigh the coffee for each batch. Do not guess with a scoop.
- Brew the first batch 30 minutes before guests arrive.
- Label the decaf urn.
- Set out cups, lids, stir sticks, milk and sugar.
Need coffee for an office every week instead? Read how much coffee an office needs. Stocking a big household? Read 2 lb or 5 lb for a family.
Last updated October 2026.