How long does fresh coffee last?
Alex | March 24, 2023
Whether you prefer a strong espresso or a creamy cappuccino, there’s nothing quite like a fresh cup of coffee to perk you up and help you power through the working day. In fact, it’s an office perk that your team really values.
In one survey, 70% of people said that having quality coffee in the workplace helps them feel valued by their employers. It’s a simple and affordable perk that’s proven to encourage employee interaction and increase employee engagement.
If you’re a facilities manager or office manager that’s responsible for providing your office team with refreshments, you’ll have to make the decision about which coffee is best for you. There are lots of factors to consider from what type of coffee machine you have, to choosing from the many different blends and beans on the market.
We tend to recommend that you ask your team what they want so you can understand their unique requirements. You can choose to do this face to face if you’re a fairly small team or you could send out a quick online survey to get their thoughts and feedback. Doing this also helps to show your team that they’re valued and that as an employer, you’re supporting them with what they want from the workplace.
Bean-to-cup machines
The most popular choice for office coffee machines is a bean-to-cup coffee machine. These will provide you with a wide range of different coffee drinks – the same types that you’d expect to find in your high-street cafe.
They’re becoming increasingly popular in offices because they offer a convenient way to make fresh, high-quality coffee without the need for a barista. With a bean-to-cup machine, you simply add fresh coffee beans to the machine’s hopper, and it grinds them on demand to make your coffee – all at the touch of a button. This means your team will get a fresh cup every time, without having to worry about the coffee going stale.
Another of the many benefits of bean-to-cup machines in the office is that they can help increase productivity. When employees have access to good-quality coffee on-site, they’re less likely to leave the office to go to a coffee shop. This means they spend less time away from their desk, which can help increase productivity and reduce distractions. Plus, having one can also help improve employee morale, as it shows that the company cares about the well-being of its employees. It’s a win-win!
So when you’re looking to purchase your coffee, along with factors like taste, cost, quality, and so on, you’ll want to consider how much to order and how often. In this blog, we’ll talk about how long coffee stays fresh and what’s the best way to store it so you and your team have a fresh cup, every time.
How should you store coffee?
When it comes to coffee, freshness is key. Coffee begins to lose its flavour and aroma as soon as it’s roasted, so it’s important to use it ASAP. Whole coffee beans will stay fresher for longer than ground coffee. This is because grinding the beans exposes more surface area to air, which can cause the coffee to go stale more quickly.
If you opt for whole coffee beans, it’s best to store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid storing them in the office fridge or freezer, as this can cause moisture to build up, that’ll affect the flavour.
Similarly, if you’re storing ground coffee, it’s best to use an airtight container and store it in a cool, dark place like in an office kitchen cupboard protected from sunlight. Ground coffee will however, begin to lose its flavour within a week or two of being ground. Whole beans will last longer for around three months if stored properly.
Different types of coffee
Not only should you consider whether your coffee is whole or ground, but it’s also interesting to note that different types of coffee can stay fresh for different lengths of time. For example, light roasts will generally stay fresh for longer than dark roasts. The reason is that the roasting processes can cause the coffee to go stale faster.
Also, some types of coffee from different regions, such as Ethiopian coffee, which is known for its fruity and floral flavours, can dissipate more quickly if the coffee isn’t used soon after it’s been roasted.
If you’re tasked with ordering coffee for the office, we don’t recommend you buy in bulk for these reasons. A lot of offices have their fresh coffee delivered monthly on a subscription basis so it never runs out.
If you opt to get a bean-to-cup machine on a free loan basis, you only have to sign up for a minimum amount of coffee each month and you’ll get the machine for free! However, you can also buy your machine outright, rent or lease it. Before you get a bean-to-cup machine, be sure to have a service plan in place in case anything goes wrong. Most office coffee providers will have these. At FreshGround, we offer two levels of service plans. The first is our Essential plan and then we also have the more comprehensive plan in Total Care.
Get in touch
If you have a team of coffee lovers, a bean-to-cup coffee machine is a great addition to your workplace. Not only will it provide you with fresh, high-quality coffee, but it can also help increase productivity and improve employee morale.
If you need some help in choosing your machine or your coffee requirements, simply contact our team. We’ve been in the office coffee business for over 40 years so there’s not much we don’t know about coffee! Simply give us a call on 020 7553 7900.