Why is it that when you visit another company’s office, there coffee tastes so good, but when you return to your own location, you dread the dishwater that passes for coffee? Why do so many offices make the mistake of not providing good quality coffee for their employees and guests, especially as drinking coffee and coffee breaks are among the most important parts of the day. The coffee break allows employees to socialize and more importantly, maintains a steady flow of coffee at work to keep those employees alert and working hard all day long.
Even if you settle for two coffees a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, why should you have to suffer the superstore’s basic brand that costs less than a pound for a large tin that will last several months? It’s time to make some simple suggestions to your coffee management.
1. Start by buying the best coffee
Avoiding the cheap and cheerful coffees will at least give your office the opportunity of sampling a range of quality flavours. Where your office has the facility and the funds to install one of the pod systems in a communal kitchen, employees will be able to choose their favourite coffee while making the whole process as easy and clean as possible.
2. Using filtered water only
Although the U.K.’s water is generally very good, plenty of people use a water filter either on their tap at home or with a freestanding unit that filters all of your water before you make your coffee. It’s no wonder that coffee tastes so different in your office if you’re not using filtered water like you would at home.
3. Keep your coffee fresh
Some offices choose to use a filter coffee machine, which essentially saves time because it means there is always a coffee pot ready and willing.
Unfortunately, when it is your turn to take a coffee from the filter machine, you won’t know how long the coffee has been resting there, which might be an hour or more. Fresh coffee will bring you a fuller flavour as most coffees start to lose their flavour and their freshness if you don’t consume them quickly. Where you are able to drink your coffee straight away, your overall satisfaction level will rapidly increase.
4. Tweak the whole process
Cleaning the office coffee pot can make a vast difference to the flavour of your coffee. Where water and coffee have been brewed over weeks and months, there will be a build-up inside the coffee pot which may ruin the flavour of your fresh coffee.
5. The right milk or cream is important
Some offices choose small individual milk or cream containers in the hope that the kitchen area will remain relatively clean. Other companies will choose jars of powdered milk and creamers which suffer the indignity of having spoons plunged into them time and time again, just after stirring another person’s coffee. It’s no wonder that this may have a detrimental effect on your taste buds, making the office coffee taste different to the one you experience at home.
Making a few small changes to the way that your office stores and produces coffee for your employees and visitors, can change the sour look on people’s faces to one of pure enjoyment.
Damien Higgins writes for Eden Springs, whose office coffee machines give you a delicious cup of coffee at work.
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