Posted By Mike Herbert Our catering department has asked my advise on a specific issue and i am looking for some practical solutions. They have large 40 litre coffee urns (similar to Burco style) that have a large filter full of coffee grounds placed in the top and hot water is then passed through from a dispenser in the kitchen area and then brewed. The urn stands on a wheeled bespoke trolley about 3' high with the water dispenser at about 6'. The water dispenser is fixed at that height. When brewed the filter section is removed and a standard lid put in its place. Problem one. Removing hot soggy coffee grounds weighing about 5kg in filter assembly from height of 6' (some of the staff are considerably shorter) requiring a reach up and away from body in order to dispose of used grounds. If the water has not fully passed through this will slop onto the face body and arms of the staff causing some scalding injuries. They may also be some potential for MSD's. Problem two. Brewed coffee then needs to be moved to another area of the building for presentation. It is on a trolley but is now considerably top heavy and tendancy to slop about. Again the potential for burns, slips on spilt coffee and waste. I have considered the possibility of some sort of scissor lift to enable easier removal of hot used grounds filter and to lower centre of gravity during transfer but still enable the filling process and have been unable to source suitable equipment. If anyone has come across a similar problem or knows of a catering supplier that has addressed this problem please let me know. I would imagine that it is a common problem in the hotel trade. Many Thanks. Mike

Posted By Helen Horton Rather than buying smaller urns how about decanting the coffee into thermos dispensers, the larger 2L pump type are very good and commonly in use in the catering trade. The urn can then be left in situ and the grounds removed at leisure when cold. I would suggest though that you need some safe means of access to remove the filter. This system means that your coffee stays hotter and is more easily transported without risk of spilling.