Why coffee quality drops over time (unless you do these 5 things)

Over time, even the best commercial coffee machines can start to produce drinks that taste inconsistent. If your office coffee has taken a dip, it is usually down to a combination of five common factors, all of which you can manage to keep drinks tasting barista-level.

1. Beans lose their freshness

Coffee beans start losing their flavour within a few weeks of roasting as they release carbon dioxide and their aromatic oils break down. Even the best machine cannot make stale beans taste fresh.

For offices, the key is not letting beans sit unused for months. Keep beans in their original bag until they go into the hopper and replace with fresh stock once older beans begin to lose their aroma. We have a blog that tells you how to do this here.

2. Burrs wear down

The grinders inside commercial machines rely on precision burrs to crush beans evenly. As burrs wear, grind consistency suffers, resulting in uneven extraction and bitterness.

Regularly checking burr condition and replacing them on schedule ensures each shot is balanced. Your service provider should do this for you on routine maintenance. While it is not really possible to check these yourselves, the key is getting a professional to service your machine.

3. Water filters need attention

Our coffee machines all contain water filters, which prevent scale build-up in the unit. Over time, filters become clogged and lose effectiveness, affecting both flavour and machine performance. This is why it is important to change them every 6 months on high-traffic machines.

Replacing filters on schedule protects your coffee’s taste and prevents mineral buildup that could damage your machine.

4. Staff misuse can add up

Even small errors like stopping cleaning cycles too early, using the wrong beans or ignoring calibration alerts can snowball into bigger issues.

Training your team to follow the easy cleaning routines keeps machines in peak condition and avoids subtle quality drops.

5. Calibration drift

Temperature, pressure and dosage settings can drift over time, particularly in busy offices. Machines need periodic calibration to maintain consistency. Regular checks by a trained technician keep every cup tasting as it should.

Furthermore, using the coffee beans that your machine was calibrated with will help reduce the likelihood of this drift. It is important to use supplier-recommended coffee beans to keep your machine running as it should.

Investing in these five areas transforms your coffee from average to memorable and reduces complaints, wasted beans and frustrated staff. At FreshGround, we see offices thrive when their coffee consistently delivers. A small amount of attention goes a long way to maintain quality every day.