How To Improve Coffee at Your Office?

How To Improve Your Coffee at the Office?

By 03/07/2016Coffee cademy, Random

Everyone has their opinion on their office’s coffee. Few people, however, praise their office’s quality. Most people find the coffee too weak or too strong. At best, people describe it as “adequate” or something similar. Thankfully, upgrading the quality of coffee at your office is easy. Here are some basic steps you can take towards improving your office’s coffee.

Clean the Coffee Maker

Office coffee makers often go neglected, being cleaned only rarely. If your office’s coffee maker is covered in coffee stains and dirt, you should clean the machine before you do anything else. Regardless of whether your office has a $10 drip pot or a $1,000 espresso machine, cleaning off old coffee oils and grime will significantly improve the taste of future brews. You won’t be tasting last week’s (or last year’s) coffee but only the fine notes of your freshly brewed pot.

After cleaning out your coffee maker, you should rinse it out each time a new pot is brewed.

Brew Coffee Correctly

Whoever brews coffee at your office should confirm that they’re doing it properly. Even though many people brew coffee regularly, a number of coffee drinkers follow a recipe they learned years ago — which may not be the best one to use. If you brew the coffee at your office, check to make sure you’re using the right water temperature, grind setting, water-to-coffee ratio and brew time. If someone else takes care of the coffee making, look this information up and gently mention what you learn during a water-cooler (or coffee-pot) conversation.

Store Coffee at Room Temperature

Coffee should never be stored in the freezer or refrigerator because condensation can form inside the bag of coffee. Any water will quickly deteriorate the coffee’s flavor.

If your office currently keeps coffee in the refrigerator or freezer, move the coffee to an airtight container that’s room temperature. This will keep both air and water from destroying the coffee’s delicate flavors.

Brew Coffee Fresh

Often in offices, coffee is made and then kept warm until it’s consumed. A fresh pot isn’t brewed until the previous one is gone.

Coffee should be brewed fresh every time you want another cup, though, as keeping it hot can lead to distorted flavors and over-extraction. (Coffee also shouldn’t be allowed to cool and then microwaved.) If it’s impractical to make coffee each time someone in the office wants a cup, get a thermal carafe to keep coffee in. Thermal carafes keep coffee warm without actively heating it, so the coffee doesn’t become distorted or bitter.

Grind Coffee Before Brewing

Each time coffee is brewed, it should be made with freshly ground beans. Grinding coffee fresh releases volatile aromatics and flavor compounds.

If your office is currently using pre-ground coffee, switching to whole bean coffee and grinding it in the office will drastically improve the office coffee. Grinding coffee doesn’t take long, and grinders are easy to clean and maintain. There are several good yet affordable grinders that would be great for an office setting.

Use Freshly Roasted Coffee

Finally, you should also switch to freshly roasted coffee. Coffee’s flavors, like those of many agricultural products, degrade over time. Beans that have been roasted within the past two weeks will taste much better than those that are old and stale.

Find Freshly Roasted Coffee for Your Office

If your office is currently brewing old coffee, let us send you a package of freshly roasted coffee. Sign your office up for a sample pack of our four current coffees, and we’ll ship them to you right after we next roast them. Everyone in the office can see which ones they like, and we can customize a coffee subscription specifically for your and your coworkers’ tastes.

Author Scott

Scott is a professional writer for Driftaway Coffee. He worked as a barista for eight years, but today prefers to enjoy his beverages from the other side of the counter. When not drinking Driftaway Coffee, Scott usually has a mug of his own roasted coffee nearby.

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