OT: Coffee machine for the office

secretsam

Office move approaching, we need to get a decent coffee machine but we have criteria:
1. No pods - horrible and not eco friendly
2. No milk allowed - too much effort to clean
3. Easy and quick to use

All recommendations welcome

hopkinb

SecretSam wrote:

Office move approaching, we need to get a decent coffee machine but we have criteria:
1. No pods - horrible and not eco friendly
2. No milk allowed - too much effort to clean
3. Easy and quick to use

All recommendations welcome

Compostable pods for a nespresso type machine? That's what I have at home. There are loads of suppliers, from supermarket to artisan.

Our work has this espresso machine thing into which you put what looks like a very tightly packed tea bag full of coffee, you then pull a lever and press a button. It's OK if you need a jolt.

There's also always a pot of filter on the go. If it's fresh, it's great, if it's been sat there a while, not so great.

But I am in no way a coffee geek. As long as it's black, and doesn't taste burned, I'm happy with it.

Cheeseface22

my 2p wasn't relevant after all... good luck!

keef66

We've just leased a bunch of Franke machines. Shiny, touchscreen controls and every conceivable combination of freshly ground coffee, hot chocolate and hot / cold milk. The one in the restaurant even dispenses various syrups too. I've tried nearly everything apart from the decaf and they are all delicious! Just don't ask it to make tea.

Permanently plumbed in, self-cleaning, only occasionally have to empty the used grounds container or fill up the milk vat.

I'm guessing they'd cost a few grand if you wanted to buy one

hopkinb

hopkinb wrote:

Our work has this espresso machine thing into which you put what looks like a very tightly packed tea bag full of coffee, you then pull a lever and press a button. It's OK if you need a jolt.

FWIW I've just been to get a coffee from the espresso machine - the machine and pods are by Vascobelo.

wildpig

I've had this filter, and it doesn't burn - it was excellent
https://ao.com/product/cf060uk-ninja-coffee-bar-filter-coffee-machine-black-47832-67.aspx

Recently upgraded at home to the Sage Barista Express - great machine. Maybe not the kind of ££ you want to spend on an office machine unless the business is funding it!

secretsam

Sorry

Should have said - it's for the whole company, around 40-60 people (depending on who's in on the day) - Plus clients/visitors

Pods the easiest solution but given that one of our service lines is sustainability - that's a no-no!!!!!

hopkinb

SecretSam wrote:

Sorry

Should have said - it's for the whole company, around 40-60 people (depending on who's in on the day) - Plus clients/visitors

Pods the easiest solution but given that one of our service lines is sustainability - that's a no-no!!!!!

The Vascobelo pods I'm talking about are paper, not aluminium. Otherwise though - there are loads of commercial bean to cup machines out there, they just cost quite a lot of money.

Thigh_burn

If you want filter I'd recommend the Technivorm Moccamaster Thermal Jug machines. These are basically a step up from the domestic Moccamaster which is great.

For espresso I'd recommend the Sage Oracle Touch, but it ain't cheap.

keef66

Ours appears to be a Franke A600. Just fill it with coffee beans and milk, and all it produces is a big bucket of coffee grounds which go in the compost.

I'm guessing to purchase would be north of £7.5k which is probably why we are leasing them...

thistle_

We have one of these https://necta.evocagroup.com/en/product ... hines/krea
It's bigger than in the photo because it has a base thing that it sits on - about the same size as a fridge/freezer.
It needs a keeper otherwise it will just show error messages on the screen until it's fixed/topped up.

Like keef's you just fill it up with milk/beans/chocolate powder, touchscreen interface customisable with corporate inspiration on the screensaver.
It's pretty noisy, especially when it's grinding the coffee beans.

I'm one of those controversial tea drinkers so no idea if it's any good.

k1875

Lavazza do compostable pods for their range of a Modo Mio machines. Tastes pretty good and all the packaging is recyclable.

UndercoverElephant

Compostable pods aren't really very good for the environment either, still using a lot of resources to just throw in the bin after a single use.

At our place we stick with either stove-top espresso machines or Aeropress. It's not so much that we're big into sustainability, though that is a concern, both methods make great coffee. Stove-tops use the least amount of coffee for the biggest flavour, too, which certainly helps with sustainability. Also if you have an induction hob, they're really quick to use with low energy consumption.

navt

Jura X8

Office of 20 people. Ours comes with milk dispenser which isn't a faff to clean at all. I think it can be removed if you don't want to use is.

ugo.santalucia

We have one of these at work

http://www.carimali.com/en/machines/superautomatic/

The coffee is so bad that I am a full tea convert... I can't quite figure out why it is so bad, but it's truly awful

elbowloh

Yep the waste reduction hierarchy is:

Avoid
Re-use
Recycle
Disposal.

So best is not to use a pod, recyclable or not.

georgewatersuk

We got the Jura JX8 in our office and I like it. No pods. Easy and quick to use. It's one of these bean to cup coffee machines for offices you can hire in Eden.