The Best Coffee Machines for your Office Reception Area

 

We have heard of water-cooler conversations… employees gathered around the drinks dispenser to discuss that month’s must see TV – Line of Duty, Game of Thrones, Something Else of Something Else.  However that’s really an American concept… whereas we all know that on this side of the pond, we orientate ourselves through the working day via the noble art of fixing a brew.  And thanks to Coffee Seller, you no longer even have to fix your own drink.  If your office, or office building, boasts one of our wonderful range of coffee machines, simply let the machine do the roasting for you.

Many communal office buildings will have their coffee machine in the reception area, so that employees and visitors all have equal access to the machine, and can give themselves that welcome, and sometime essential lift, notably if the day is dragging.  However, in a shared building populated by very different businesses (themselves populated by employees with varied tastes), which coffee machine would be best for your own reception area?  In this article, we will work through the two main options, offering different experiences at varied price points, in order to help you make the right decision:

Commercial espresso coffee machines

Our range of espresso machines offer a familiar coffee shop experience.  A precise amount of hot (but not boiling) water is expressed (hence espresso, from its Italian origin) through finely-ground coffee beans. A creamy, milky foam is then added, to turn the espresso into one of the coffee styles we know and love, such as mocha, macchiato, latte, flat white, Americano and, of course, the perennial favourite cappuccino.  Of course you can also have espresso without milk, resulting in a shorter, more concentrated fix of caffeine.  Partly dependent on the size and origin of the bean, an espresso will contain around 150 milligrams of coffee which, contrary to popular belief, is actually less than a standard mug of coffee, as the quantity is so much smaller.

The quality of coffee that you can get from espresso coffee machines is second to none, as long as you have a qualified barista behind the pumps. This means that you will have to pay an additional barista, increasing your running costs, but it also means that you can charge more for a cup of coffee and stop the most discerning coffee addicts from popping down the road to a Starbucks of Costa Coffee.

If you feel an espresso machine might work for your office, have a look at the range available.  These run from the Fracino Cybercino Coffee Machine for commercial cafes and restaurants, at just over £7000 to buy, or £41 per week to lease, through to the Expobar G10, at just £12 a week to lease.

Commercial bean to cup coffee machines

For most large offices with a bustling reception area, a bean to cup coffee machine will be the better choice. Because espresso machines tend to be more expensive to lease and run (and because they take up more room), more and more offices are choosing commercial bean to cup machines to serve their most important customers.

Pour all of your ingredients including beans and milk into a bean to cup machine, select an option from the touch-screen display to create a satisfying cup. These machines have become far more advanced in the last few years and can now create hot drinks almost to the same standard as barista-quality coffee. If you are looking to lease a commercial bean to cup machine then you can choose between higher-end machine like the Franke A800, which leases for around £69.00 per week or cheaper machines like the Jura Giga X3C, which leases for £22.00 per week.

Before deciding, also consider the size of your coffee drinking audience, and therefore the size of machine you require, as well as other factors such as whether you would like to lease a machine, or buy it outright.  Finally, also decide whether the machine will be required to dispense the coffee for free, or be operated via tokens or usual UK coins.

If you have decided, or even if you would like more advice, give Coffee Seller a call.  All the evidence points to the fact that the employees in your building will be more productive, happier and satisfied, having been able to grab a cup of beautiful coffee… and discuss the latest twist in Line of Duty