Coffee Machine for Small Office

[TwistingMyMelon]

Our office needs a coffee machine, around 12 staff, so a fair bit of use, I can no longer put up with the pish poor abomination that is "Gold Blend", especially as I love espressos and decent coffee normally.

At home I have a nespresso machine, which does me proud, however I am a bit loathed to purchase one @ work due to the amount of capsules needed and the waste capsules, so therefore I think a ground or bean machine would be better than a capsule machine

I want espressos,some staff want hot chocolate and Lattes (not on my watch)

It also needs to be robust, I don't want to have to fix it every other week

Only looking to spend £100 - £200 , what do you recommend? I could buy a separate milk frother to accommodate hot choc and latte drinkers

Cheers

[RizzoTheRat]

We have a company provided Nespresso machine, and employees provide their own capsule. Usually someone e-mails round and organises a group buy. With around 30 people using it I think the first machine had to be replaced after about 3 years.

A site I was working at a while back had a Delonghi Magnifica bean to cup machine, looked like this one but I've sure Iv'e seen them down below £250 before http://www.thehut.com/kitchen-appliances/de-longhi...
Again probably 30+ people using it and it was 2 or 3 years old and still going strong, does need a proper clean and descale occasionally though.

We also have a twin jug filter machine which is better than drinking instant but not a patch on a decent machine or aeropress.

[jamiebae]

We have an office full of dead coffee machines - they kept buying domestic bean-to-cup machines and they CONSTANTLY need filling, cleaning and then broke and got replaced.

With 12 people you're on the verge of needing a professional machine really, but something like a Nespresso Latissima machine would fit the bill and as suggested above you can get people to buy their own pods or just keep drinking the Gold Blend if they're not fussed.

[z4RRSchris]

We have a nespresso gemini. Does the job. We lease ours with capsules and service but you can pick them up on ebay for not much.

[SwissJonese]

We used a Nespresso DE'LONGHI LATTISSIMA in our office of about 10 people. Worked out fine and bought the capsules in bulk so not too expensive. We recycled the capsules at the end too.

[RizzoTheRat]

RizzoTheRat said:

A site I was working at a while back had a Delonghi Magnifica bean to cup machine, looked like this one but I've sure Iv'e seen them down below £250 before http://www.thehut.com/kitchen-appliances/de-longhi...

As if by Magic, Amazon's clearly spotted I've looked at the recently and popped this advert up this morning
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001EOMZ5E/ref=dra_a_c...

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Friday 3rd February 12:57

[TwistingMyMelon]

Thanks all for the advice, thought I would give some closure, I actually forgot how bad the coffee was at work until I had a 06:30 start then Gold Blend had to go

After taking on board what everyone said (kind of) and what staff wanted, I went with a Ninja coffee bar: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ninja-Coffee-Auto-iQ-Brew...

I wanted something that could do a jug or a cup, froth milk and not too pricey , not keen on capsules either

It got lots of good reviews on Amazon and Argos and was only £130 if it didnt work

First impressions really good, used loads of machines in the past and love my nespresso machine, set it up in a few minutes, instructions really clear and well thought out.

Made the first cup of coffee in about the same time a kettle took to boil and a jug of coffee in about 6 minutes

In regards to taste, my first sip I suddenly realised it aint espresso (which is to be expected) , however I really enjoyed the taste, much more than any Costa or Starbucks and I could actually "taste the coffee" instead of previous filter coffee machines (this is drip) which just tasted ok, but no real taste

You also get a handheld frother for lattes (not for me)

Overall seem pretty impressed , although will see how it lasts

More importantly all the women I work with didnt all shoot me down when I gave them a demo...

[urquattroGus]

Mellita is a good brand, although at the pricier end of the scale. I have the caffeo Bistro and its been good in the past 1.5 years I've had it so far.

Get a decent one or don't bother in my view, or just go for one of the cheaper nespresso ones, but those capsule are expensive.

[Blown2CV]

get a regular bean delivery and a bank of aeropresses. Posh espresso machines are for fannies.

[Trabi601]

How about a bigger investment over a longer period, rather than up front purchase?

Speak with the cafe service companies (eg. Tchibo) - as they can do you a fully serviced package including all consumables aside from milk for a reasonable monthly cost.

[uncinqsix]

TwistingMyMelon said:

In regards to taste, my first sip I suddenly realised it aint espresso (which is to be expected) , however I really enjoyed the taste, much more than any Costa or Starbucks and I could actually "taste the coffee" instead of previous filter coffee machines (this is drip) which just tasted ok, but no real taste

I don't think you can really make decent espresso without a reasonably significant outlay. However, a filter or drip setup (or Aeropress), combined with good, fresh beans, can make excellent tasting coffee - it's not espresso but it's much better than anything a bargain-basement bean to cup machine can spit out.

I have a fairly good espresso machine and grinder, but I also use a Chemex on weekends as it produces a drink that is excellent in its own right.

The best thing you could add to your office setup is a grinder (doesn't need to be anything flash - something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002OHDBQC) and grind immediately before brewing. Get hold of some good lightly-roasted beans and enjoy.

[Blown2CV]

i'd be tempted to get a beans to pot machine and then ensure you get good beans. B2P machines are loads cheaper than B2C (cup) because they don't make espresso, so they don't require pressurised brewing. Also you can make 12 cups at once so it's far more office-friendly. Filter made with good beans sts all over espresso made from poor beans, or pre-ground, or (shudder) those horrific pod machines. People that like pod machines go on endlessly about how they don't make a mess, and they aren't that bad... but a B2P machine makes less mess anyway. Also you can only get the same handful of coffees from the manufacturer. Honestly don't go there.