Now whilst we are firm advocates of bean to cup machines for the office, we also appreciate that sometimes, especially for small areas like a reception or meeting room, commercial capsule/sachet machines provide a viable coffee solution.
These types of coffee machines have grown in popularity in recent years, as they provide offices with a compact, quick and convenient way of producing a variety of great tasting drinks. They also have a very low capital outlay, low maintenance cost and minimal cleaning is required, if at all!
Below we outline our favourite offerings from three top manufacturers:
1. Mitaca
Mitaca, an illycaffe-owned company, provides offices with an authentic pressurised Italian espresso offering, with the stylish and compact Mitaca i3 machine. The illy IES capsules that are compatible with the machine are 100% Arabica, providing medium, decaffeinated and long black coffee. A milk frother is also available for those who prefer white coffee specialities, like a latte. The machine has a cup warmer on the top, with a separate switch and also has an energy saving mode for when it’s not in use. The machine has 3 programmable volumes available.
Users place the IES capsules in the holder at the top of the machine, when the lid is closed the contents of the drink is then combined with hot water, once the drink has been made, the capsule is ejected into a small container at the bottom of the machine, which is easy to remove and clean.
We would recommend the Mitaca i3 for any office that appreciates drinking high quality, branded, pressurised espresso.
You can find out more information about the Mitaca i3 by clicking the image below:
2. Keurig
Introduced in 1998, Keurig’s® single-cup brewing system lets office workers brew a delicious cup of gourmet coffee in less than a minute and at the press of a button.
Users lift the brew handle and place their chosen K-Cup® pod into the holder (with the foil lid facing upward) when the brewing handle is pushed back down, it pierces a hole in the top and bottom of the pod. Users than select the required brew size (180ml recommended) and press the flashing 'Brew' button, which then forces hot water through to dispense the desired drink.
We would recommend the Keurig brewing systems to anyone after a wide range of branded filter coffee and tea from office favourites such as; Starbucks® and Twinings™. The Keurig K-Cup® K140 Pod Machine is tank fed only, so it is ideal for areas with low volumes and limited space. The Keurig K-Cup® K150 Pod Machine has a larger water tank, therefore it is able to cope with higher volumes and can be tank fed or plumbed into the mains.
To find out more about the Keurig brewing systems, click on the images below (the K140 is pictured on the left and the K150 is shown on the right):
3. FLAVIA®
MARS DRINKS UK LIMITED is focused on the needs of people at work, wherever they work. Therefore the company’s latest single serve brewers, the FLAVIA CREATION® 500 and the FLAVIA® barista have been designed with this in mind.
Users select their desired drink from the display panel on the system, which then automatically pops open the drawer, so that the chosen sachet can be inserted with the red nozzle at the top. Once the drawer has been closed the system brews the drink within the filterpack and then dispenses the drink directly into the cup. Therefore the contents of the pack never comes into contact with the brewer, and so there's no risk of cross-contamination between drinks and no cleaning required!
We would recommend the FLAVIA® single serve brewers, for those after a low maintenance and user-friendly system at an economical price, offering a variety of drinks. The FLAVIA® machines can operate as a two-pack drink solution, whereby if you’re looking to create a speciality coffee like a cappuccino, you insert a milk frother sachet first and then a coffee sachet of your choice. The FLAVIA CREATION® 500 offers a wide range of filter coffee, leaf/herbal tea and chocolate from owned brands and proprietary favourites. For those who are after even more variety, the FLAVIA® barista also offers authentic pressure brew espresso.
To find out more about FLAVIA® brewing systems, click on the images below (the CREATION® 500 is shown on the left and the barista on the right):
It is important to be aware that although the upfront cost for these types of machines is typically lower than a bean to cup machine, the cost per cup is more. This is due to the fact that ground coffee, is cheaper to produce than capsule/sachet coffee. Generally, this is why we recommend these machines for smaller areas within the office, as the volumes of drinks per day are likely to be lower.
Still not sure which machine is best suited to your office infrastructure? Not a problem. Request a consultation, and one of our experts will get in contact shortly and answer your questions.
