6 Reasons Why an Office Coffee Subscription is a Game-Changer for Your Workplace
Buying in bulk for office supplies makes sense. It saves time, is cheaper, and the team can access items as needed. But stocking up on notepads, printer paper, and pens isn’t quite the same as stocking up on consumable goods like coffee beans.
The previously humble cup of coffee has become more than just a caffeine boost. It’s a sensory experience for many - an everyday indulgence, and an essential ritual to get the ball rolling for a busy, productive day.
Here are 6 reasons why you should consider an office coffee subscription:
1. Securing a constant office coffee supply
There is little worse than going to make a much-needed coffee and finding only traces left in the container. That sad little pile of coffee debris could have been someone’s pick-me-up, but now they need to run out to get more or wait until the next office supermarket order.
With a coffee subscription service, your coffee is delivered to the door at regular intervals, and you can adjust your order if you need to if your team grows. There are options for your subscription cycle as well to find your optimum delivery rate - fortnightly or monthly, for example.
No more going without or just grabbing whatever you can find… These days, great coffee can come directly to you.
2. It’s fresh (and tastes better that way)
Long gone are the days of sachets with a splash of milk and enough sugar to disguise the acrid taste of an inferior brew. Whether you have a full rig set up with a barista-quality machine or use pods, pre-ground - or even instant coffee - the quality of the coffee you buy will ultimately determine how good the final cup is.
When it comes to coffee, you don’t want to have bags of beans sitting around unused. Even the best, state-of-the-art sealing techniques can’t indefinitely halt oxidisation. The older and more oxidised it is, the less your team will be able to enjoy the full aroma and taste.
Take note of the date the bag is opened.
You should try and use the coffee within a week or so of opening the vacuum-sealed bag to best enjoy the flavour as intended. You can use it beyond this of course, but this is when it’s at its freshest.
3. Subscriptions save time and money
It’s easy and economical. With a specialty roasted coffee subscription, you can set and forget. Delicious coffee shows up at your door on an auto-recurring schedule that works for you, and you can scale that order up or down at any time to suit your needs.
Every roaster will have their own deals, and that can change between products depending on the type.
If you are a larger business looking to keep a lot of people fueled with in-house brews, you could also ask your supplier about wholesale coffee options to see if this would be a better fit for your needs.
4. You can try different blends with flexible options
With a subscription, you typically have more options to customise your order than you would buying coffee off the shelf. You can order a mix of blends to keep everyone happy with the flavour intensity, add in some decaffeinated options for those who want the taste and aromatic experience of coffee without the energy kick; or, find a crowd-pleaser and stick with it.
Look for coffee that is 100% Arabica. Non-specialty roasters will often use cheaper options like Robusta beans to ‘fill in’ their blends and keep pricing lower, as Arabica is more expensive to source. This isn’t a great option for the resulting cup; Robusta beans are high in caffeine and can add a bitter, acrid taste, even in small quantities.
Arabica beans are comparatively lower in caffeine, producing smoother, more well-rounded aromas, with complex tasting notes including caramel, chocolate and nuts.
For more information on the differences between Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, see Arabica vs Robusta Beans Explained.
The specific flavour of the finished coffee blend depends on a few different factors. To help you determine which one might be to your liking, here’s a small glossary:
Growing region:
Each region will produce variations in sweetness, aroma and body, much like how wine takes on nuanced flavours in different microclimates. Single-origin coffee beans are where regionality shines. A good blend creates a complimentary flavour profile from a combination of origins.
Body:
This is often confused with ‘strength’, as in, how much caffeine the blend has. Body refers to how rich and full the taste is. When specialty coffee roasters describe the body of the blend (full-bodied, for example), they are referring to the depth of flavour.
Grind:
Buying whole beans and grinding them on site is preferable, but not always practical for every situation. Keep in mind your brewing method if you are ordering pre-ground beans - the coarseness of the grind makes a difference to the final cup. Buying smaller bags will help make sure the coffee itself isn't exposed to oxygen for too long before being used.
5. It’s more sustainable
Specialty roasters tend to have better, more transparent connections to growers, creating a more ethical supply chain. If your business has been making an effort to ‘go green’ or focus more on CSR, looking at where any goods for the office are coming from is an easy place to start.
Because you’re only ordering what you need, you can reduce wastage as well. A major downside to buying in bulk is that to avoid running out, you tend to over-order to make it ‘worthwhile’. Then things end up getting shoved in cupboards and found years later, long after they should have been used.
By having full, adaptable control over how much coffee you get in, and how often, you don’t have to worry about over or under-supply. No more stale coffee clear-outs are required…
6. Consistency in every cup
Coffee roasting is both an art and a science. By signing up for a specialty coffee subscription service, you know that more care is going to be taken to make sure every batch is how it should be.
Look for quality assurance information regarding:
Coffee roasting method: Slower and more controlled practices will yield a more consistent flavour profile, so you know each new batch sent to you will be the same as the one prior.
Sealing method: Is the coffee vacuum sealed? Nitrogen flushed? Does the packaging have a one-way valve system to let gases escape without letting oxygen in? All of these will impact the in-pack longevity of the beans.
Variable testing: During and after the roasting. This includes colour, moisture content, grind, and taste testing the end product to ensure it meets quality standards. There are many variables when it comes to roasting the perfect blend, so source your coffee from a specialty roaster that will account for these.
Is a Coffee Subscription Service Worthwhile?
Definitely! When it comes to saving time, money and effort, a subscription service is the way to go.
With premium options easily sourced online from specialty roasters, it is as easy as a few clicks to set your office up with a steady supply of quality coffee. Your team will thank you!
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