10 Office Coffee Solutions - Hacks You May Not Know!
If you’re looking to make a change in your office coffee game, you’re in luck. In this article, we’re dishing out some serious office coffee solutions that you won’t want to miss.
Tired of bland and bitter office coffee ruining your workday mornings? Then it’s time to ditch that old-school, mediocre approach to office brews and step up your game. It’s no secret that the world of coffee has come a long way. There are plenty of options so you no longer have endure ashy, stale or poor coffee at work.
Enjoy a delicious cup of coffee every day. After all, you deserve it as much as anyone else.
In this article, we’ll cover the following office coffee solution hacks:
1. Saving Money
Every employer or manager considers costs. At first glance, it might seem like a cheap solution for office coffee checks all the economic boxes. When you dig a bit deeper, you will find that a good office coffee solution will save you money.
This is true even when your office purchases its own brewing equipment. Your actual cost per cup should factor in that coffee breaks are cost-effective. Breaks from work for short periods are good for productivity.
Add the ‘perk’ of quality office coffee, and the benefits add up over time. Coffee breaks that are longer are cost-effective when measured against the benefits delivered. ‘Coffee-run’ breaks don’t have the same productivity benefits. Usually, it’s only one or two people who leave the office to pick up everyone’s coffee. Those errand runners are the only ones to get a real break. To-go coffee is more expensive and almost always paid for by the employee. When you offer quality in-house coffee service, there is a economic benefit. The increase in morale and loyalty is measurable in economic terms. Lower employee turnover and increased engagement are very real benefits.
2. Finding a Good Supplier
Finding a good supplier for your coffee is actually a bigger question than many realize. There are a lot of considerations to take in, including:
They’re Known for Their Customer Service
Start with good old-fashioned, honest customer service. Is your office coffee provider friendly? Reliable? Can you depend on them to do what they say they will do? Will they fill your orders correctly and promptly? Look for reviews and testimonials. The best office coffee companies have customers who are happy to give good reviews.
They have a Service Focused Approach
When choosing your office coffee solution, look for a service-focused approach. For example, now it’s a rare treat to call a company that has a real, live person answering the phone. Person-to-person is the best kind of customer service you can get. Any good coffee solution provider will always have someone you can actually speak to. You should always be able to talk to an expert about:
- Coffee choices and product options
- Ordering options
- How to brew
- How to clean
- Accounts and billing
They Offer Staff Training and Support
Another important consideration: training matters. This is how your office coffee solutions goes from good to great. Training also adds to the overall coffee culture of the workplace. Will your office coffee providers take the time you need to learn about brewing and cleaning? Will they provide all the training you need?
They’re a Good Coffee Citizen
When choosing office coffee solutions, make sure you’re being a good “coffee citizen.” When you choose a local coffee roaster, you’re helping your local community with your support.
Choose an office coffee provider that takes environmental concerns seriously. Single-serve coffee pods are notoriously bad for the environment. Ask companies what specifically they are doing to be greener. Anytime you choose a greener coffee roaster you’re part of the solution and not the problem. What about the roasted coffees themselves?
Does your office coffee provider roast ethical sourced coffees? Do they care about organic certifications and green growing practices? Do they deliberately buy coffee from small cooperatives and family-owned farms? These decisions matter. Corporate coffee providers will often buy the least expensive coffee. There is little consideration of the original farmers and their communities. They sell coffee that is not fairly traded or organically grown.
We all can, and should, be better coffee citizens whenever possible.
3. High Quality Coffee Beans
The right coffee beans can make an immediate difference in how you feel when you drink coffee. Old, stale, or poor quality coffee can’t brew up to a good cup of coffee. At very best, you’ll only have a bad flavour in your mouth. At worst, you end up with an upset stomach and jitters that make you feel even sicker.
Start with the best beans you can buy. Fresh roasted, premium coffee doesn’t have to be over-the-moon expensive. But the difference in flavour quality is immense. Coffee should never taste ashy, old, or flavourless. Depending on the coffee region, roast and style, there can be a whole host of flavours in your coffee. But most of all, it should taste rich, full and wonderful.
Imagine, coffee you don’t need to drown in sugar and cream to make it taste good. It’s real, not an office fairy tale!
4. Whole Bean Coffee
The freshest cup of coffee is always going to come from fresh roasted whole beans. Whole bean coffee keeps longer and stays fresh better than ground. It’s because there’s less surface area on a whole bean. Ground coffee of the same volume has much more surface area. And besides, even non-coffee folks love the smell of coffee as it’s ground. It’s one of the absolute best smells in the world, and you can have it in your workplace.
There are some downsides to whole bean, fresh roasted, fresh ground coffee. Having to get a separate grinder, the noise, and the dust and chaff are all considerations. But having the freshest, most flavourful quality coffee may be worth it!
5. Grinding and Storage
If grinding coffee at work seems like a hassle, you can order your coffee already ground and ready to brew. This is a good solution if you don’t want the mess and hassle. There are three important factors in ground coffee. First, the quality of the beans is always key. Second, how recently the coffee roasted makes a difference in the freshness. Third, and also important for freshness, when was the coffee ground?
Look for office coffee solutions that considers these points with care. Cupper’s office coffee solutions takes all those considerations off your plate. We roast daily, grind right before packaging, and ship the same day it’s ground. Our vented, resealable zip bags are perfect for your coffee’s storage. Your coffee will stay fresh for 4-6 weeks, with very little flavour degradation.
6. Buying Your Own Machine
When it comes to great office coffee, you may think you have to sacrifice quality for convenience. Not so. Purchasing your own office coffee machines has huge benefits. There are office coffee solutions that do not need expensive machines. Many are inexpensive and easy to clean and maintain.
The biggest factor in your decision is how much coffee you need to brew. Are you brewing for a large group? Or do you have a smaller office and brewing for only a few people at a time? Even for large offices, pour-over brewers can be less expensive than you think. And do not forget the even simpler options such as the French Press, Chemex or AeroPress.
If your office wants even more options, a Jura Espresso Machine is a great choice. While there is an initial cost, the flexibility in having a choice of lattes and cappuccinos is great. And Jura machines are super easy to care for, often easier than a regular drip machine. Your Jura Espresso Machine will tell you everything they need and when. No more guesswork!
7. Cleaning and Maintenance
When you buy your own equipment, put cleaning and maintaining on the office schedule of tasks. Choose an office coffee provider that has your back by providing support. You may have one interested and dedicated person who will become the office expert. Or, you may have a shared “rotation” of tasks, which adds to your office coffee culture. Either way works! It’s all about scheduling and following through.
When you have your own machine, it’s important to have easy access to the products needed. This ensures successful cleaning and maintenance. If you’re already ordering your office coffee, it’s easy to add cleaning products at the same time.
8. Easy Restocking
Your office coffee provider can make ordering easy for you. Find an office coffee service that will let you to have a standing order. Look for a coffee provider that has humans answering phones to answer your questions. And the more you can get from them, the better. Need cups? How about coffee sleeves? What if your high end Jura Espresso Machine needs a new filter? These are all considerations that we can help with.
9. Coffee to Water Ratio
This might seem like an unusual item to add to a list of issues for office coffee. But if you aren’t getting good flavour from your coffee, that’s a concern! The ratio of coffee to water is part a question of personal taste, and part dependant on your brewer.
To help determine a starting point for your brewing style, we built a guide called 13 Types of Coffee Brewers Explained. Under each brewer, there is more info on a starting point for the amount of coffee to use. Yet notice – it is only a guide! The final decision on how much coffee to use comes down to what you think tastes good. Feel free to add or subtract coffee as you see fit until you find what you like. Having someone insist they know the right amount doesn’t help. It means they think you aren’t able to decide for yourself how you like your coffee to taste.
10. Avoiding An Upset Stomach
Sometimes people say they don’t like coffee because the caffeine upsets their stomach. To be fair, if you get the jitters, that’s the caffeine. But if you get an upset stomach and no jitters, it’s more the acidity of your coffee that’s bothering you.
This isn’t surprising. Coffee is acidic. But what is surprising is that coffee is not all equal in acidity. Some specialty coffees particularly from Indonesia are much easier on your digestive system. When a customer tells us that coffee upsets their stomach, we direct them to these lower-acid coffees.
Of course, this is only possible when you know what the origin of the coffee is. That’s one of the benefits of higher quality coffee. so don’t make your staff feel sick at work. Fuel your team with gourmet coffee beans. Use quality coffee beans that don’t have the side-effects of poor quality coffee pods.
When it gets right down to it, happy staff is productive staff. We know this, and know it well. That’s why when you come into Cupper’s, you’re always greeted with a friendly hello. Our staff always has access to some of the best coffee in the world. Great coffee, happy staff. Coincidence? We think not! 🙂
