Which commercial coffee machine should I choose?
“I will start working when my coffee does” – Anonymous. If you are looking at getting a coffee machine for your coworkers, then we salute you! We all know that coffee makes the world go round and keeps staff focused and productive. Yet, It can be time-consuming to consider all the options when it comes to selecting the right model. We’ve made it a little easier, with our top four factors to think about when choosing a commercial coffee machine for your company.
How to choose a commercial coffee machine
Our focus in this article is on how to choose the right machine for your business. Each section below can be looked at individually but one area of choice can change another area so it’s good to look at all four features together. Combining the options will help you find the perfect coffee machine.
Types of Office Coffee Machine
One of the first things to consider is the different types of commercial coffee machines. The most common commercial coffee machines found in offices are:
- Bean to Cup coffee machines
- Traditional Espresso machines
- Filter coffee
- Coffee pod systems
Each coffee machine type works in its own way and they each have different benefits and disadvantages.
| Bean to cup | Espresso | Filter | Pod | |
| Advantages | Large selection of drinks Easy to use Consistent quality |
Excellent drink quality | Quick and easy to use | Easy to use Good drink range |
| Disadvantages | Weekly maintenance needed | Training required More involved maintenance |
Only one drink type Refilling can cause employee friction |
Expensive Unsustainable |
We have talked about these features in more detail in our article, How do commercial coffee machines work.
Size of office
The machine you choose will need to have a capacity that fits your company. You want to look for a commercial coffee machine that isn’t too large as this could lead to waste. On the other hand, you don’t want to pick a machine with a capacity too small for your company. This will result in staff needing to refill too regularly and running out of coffee more frequently. Heaven forbid running out of coffee!
The most simple way to understand your volume needs is to do a headcount of staff. Consider how many people will use the office coffee machine every day and how many cups the average employee drinks. Most people have a set amount of drinks they usually consume in a day. Why not ask people to let you know how many this number is and you can tot this up. This might be a little bit more work than estimating but it means your capacity needs will be more accurately calculated. Don’t forget to bear in mind how frequently you have visitors to your site. Round up the figure to make sure your staff are never without their favourite hot beverage.
Drink options
Did you know you can get over a 100 different drink options if you choose some automatic bean to cup commercial coffee machine? If you want to offer your staff a bit more variety in their day, think about the number of drink options you’d like with a coffee machine. Some machines will have a handful of options for smaller businesses that don’t need as much variety. Whereas some machines can offer a much wider range to include more employee preferences.
Larger bean to cup models can offer built-in milk coolers, allowing them to provide froth cappuccinos, silky lattes and other milk-based coffee drinks. Many machines can also offer hot chocolate style drinks for those sweet-toothed employees who aren’t the biggest coffee fans. Offering a wider selection will allow more employees to enjoy the benefits of an office coffee machine.
Ease of use and staff turnover
Unless you are in the catering or hospitality sector, you will not need a barista-style espresso machine. A coffee machine for the office needs to be simple to use, easy to maintain and requires little training.
If the machine can be operated with just a few clicks of a button and requires no other manual actions then it’s going to be accessible to everyone in your team. If you have high staff turnover or hot-desk employees, this is vitally important.
It’s good to remember that a hardworking machine shouldn’t be hard work to clean. Simple to remove drip and waste trays will ensure these tasks are completed regularly. Being able to easily refill the coffee or any milk canister should also be stress-free. The easier it is to do these simple tasks the more likely employees are to do it.
How to choose a commercial Coffee Machine [Summary]
- Choose your type of machine
- Work out the number of drinks staff have in a day
- Decide what coffee options you want
- Find a machine that’s easy to use for all
Time to choose a coffee supplier
If you know the type of coffee machine you want, you should now consider the coffee machine supplier you want to get it from. There are many options to weigh up; price, service level, coffee choice, which we explain in our article, how to choose a commercial coffee machine supplier. Here at the coffee desk, we provide a free 7-day trial for all our machines, allowing you to test out all the features. If you’d like any advice on the right coffee machine, please do get in touch with our friendly team at the Coffee Desk by submitting the below form, or by giving us a call on 0114 345 6045.
