BREWING COFFEE FOR BUSINESS
The five main types of machines you will find
POD COFFEE MACHINE
A pod machine is a type of single serve coffee machine that uses coffee pods or capsules to create one cup of coffee. The pod contains ground coffee and can easily be inserted into the machine which will automatically produce a cup of espresso. Coffee pods tend to be more expensive per cup of coffee so if you are thinking of buying this for office use, it will only be practical if you have a small team of less than 5 people. The portable design can also make it convenient to bring to meetings as well as small events.
PUMP COFFEE MACHINE
Coffee pump machines are more commercial espresso makers. Since most coffee variations use espresso as a base, you can prepare a cup of a silky espresso and manually make a latte, Americano, or a cappuccino. The quality of the coffee produced by pump machines is lauded by espresso purists. Training is required in order to operate these machines so they are more suited to café and restaurants than office break rooms.
BEAN TO CUP COFFEE MACHINE
Bean-to-cup machines are a popular choice, especially for office use. They are very user-friendly and you don’t need to train your staff to use these machines making them perfect for office coffee breaks. All the users need to do is place their cup on the designated cup holder and with a push of a button, the machine will do all the work. Another great advantage of this type of machine is that it can make different variants of coffee. You can have the classic espresso, latte, cappuccino, black coffee and other coffee creations.
FREE STANDING COFFEE MACHINE
If you want to provide coffee to high-traffic areas like universities, hospitals, offices, or business centres, free-standing coffee machines are more suitable for your needs. This type of machine also uses coffee beans to dispense different customizable coffee recipes. You can have the option to make the coffee free if you’re providing it to employees or you can install a payment system to sell a cup.
This is a popular coffee maker in the USA because, as you might have guessed already, it only dispenses black or American coffee. If the coffee drinkers in your home or office prefer simple, zero hassle coffee then this is a good affordable option. Generally, you will be required to use pre-ground coffee and place it on a paper filter. It works by dripping water through the beans into the pot below. Since it only makes one type of coffee, you would need to add sugar or milk separately if you prefer. Although this is simple to use, it has its limitations. First, you need to manually brew this which takes more time than a push-button machine. The pot also serves only a number of employees at a time which means if you have a high number of employees, this can cause a delay in the break room.
Here you can find best commercial bean to cup coffee machines.