BUNN VP17 Series Review

BUNN VP17 Series
Overall Rating
89
Coffee Quality (40%)
90
Design & Features (20%)
90
Durability (20%)
93
Ease of Use (10%)
93
Brand Reputation (10%)
93
The Bottom Line
A reliable, affordable commercial brewer capable of brewing 60 oz carafes up to 3.8 gallons per hour, the heavy-duty BUNN VP17 Series brewers are encased in stainless steel and require no plumbing for portable use.
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Key Features of the BUNN VP17 Series

Key Features of BUNN VP17 Series

BUNN VP17 Series Overview

The BUNN VP17 Series is best suited to commercial uses that don’t require mass quantities of coffee to be available at once — think diners and restaurants.

BUNN states that this machine brews up to 3.8 gallons (14.8 L) per hour.

Is this actually the case?

In reality, this unit takes about 15 minutes to heat up enough to brew a large 3.0 L airpot. To brew the next airpot you need to wait another 15 minutes.

To get BUNN’s fully advertised 14.8 L of coffee per hour, you’ll have to diligently sequence your brews so as not to miss a single second. More realistically, you’ll probably brew about 12 L per hour.

Like the other commercial coffee makers listed, VP17 doesn’t come with the decanters, but it will work with any standard 64 oz decanter. You can find them for around $10-$15 apiece on Amazon.

The warming plate is extremely hot, so you won’t have a hard time keeping your coffee scalding hot, but you’d better make sure you don’t leave less than half a pot there for very long.

Pros
  • Completely portable with no plumbing required
  • Stainless steel construction
  • High quality hot coffee
  • Isn’t going to break down any time soon
Cons
  • Doesn’t come with decanters
  • Will struggle to brew advertised 14.8 L per hour
  • Doesn’t function well above 5,000-foot elevation
  • No On/Off switch

Is the BUNN VP17 Series for you?

Are BUNN VP17 Series for you?

BUNN VP17 Series Review: An In-Depth Look

Check out the BUNN VP17 Series!

Check out BUNN VP17 Series!

BUNN VP17 Series
A reliable, affordable commercial brewer capable of brewing 60 oz carafes up to 3.8 gallons per hour, the heavy-duty BUNN VP17 Series brewers are encased in stainless steel and require no plumbing for portable use.

More BUNN Reviews From The Coffee Maven

BUNN Infusion Series

BUNN Infusion Series
Overall Rating: 90
Ideal for medium-to-large cafeterias and service halls, the BUNN Infusion Series has a massive 3-gallon water tank and brews 60 oz carafes up to 11.9 gallons per hour but requires a plumbing hookup.

BUNN Velocity Brew

BUNN Velocity Brew
Overall Rating: 90
BUNN's revolutionary quick-brew coffee maker, the Velocity Brew uses an innovative sprayhead to wet grounds evenly with a speedy 3-minute brew time for a 50 oz pot. Discontinued, check out the BUNN Speed Brew instead.

BUNN My Cafe MCU

BUNN My Cafe MCU
Overall Rating: 86
A versatile single-serve system, the durable BUNN My Cafe MCU has a 14 oz reservoir and 4 removable drawers for K-Cups, grounds, tea bags, or hot water only. Now-discontinued, check out the Keurig K-Slim instead.
About The Coffee Maven
bryan de luca
Bryan De Luca

I'm Bryan but most people know me as The Coffee Maven. I grew up outside Boston, Massachusetts and received my Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Providence College. My first introduction to coffee was during my college days, when I used it as a source of caffeine to fuel late-night study sessions, but soon I became obsessed with the chemistry of coffee. How did changes to water temperature or contact time affect its taste? Why do beans from Africa taste fruity while beans from Indonesia taste spicy? I launched The Coffee Maven in February 2017 to explore these questions and help others brew their perfect cup. Welcome to my site, and thanks for reading!

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