For some of us, coffee is as essential as air. This dark, rich, fragrant brew fuels us and binds us together. Whether we are on our way to an early meeting, an afternoon presentation or a quick briefing with a colleague, a steamy cup of coffee is usually part of the ritual.

There are so many options, when it comes to the type of coffee or the brewing method, it can be difficult to choose the right coffee machine for your office. Before making a purchase, make sure you consider how many employees in your office enjoy coffee. Some machines are designed to output over 5000 cups of coffee a day, others aren’t.

You’ll need to decide whether you will be using coffee beans, ground coffee or coffee pods. Some coffee machines can take ground coffee as well as pods and others have integrated grinders for coffee beans. Consider your office budget and take into account factors such as the cost of coffee pods versus ground coffee. You will find pods can be an expensive proposition and may not be suitable for your office or budget.

Let’s break it down to the three most popular types of coffee making machines, suitable for office use.

• Drip Coffee Machines
• Fully Automatic Coffee Machines
• Bean to Cup Coffee Machines

Drip Coffee Machines

Drip coffee machines nowadays are smart, sleek and integrated with technology to deliver optimal results. Some models have a traditional design with buttons, while others have touch screen menus. Many have built in infusion time control and precision temperature control. You can brew up to 14 cups of coffee in approximately 10 minutes with most drip coffee machines. The selection is rich, with programmable models made by Braun, Cuisinart and De’Longhi, to name just a few. Suitable for a small office.

Fully Automatic Coffee Machines

Fully automatic coffee machines have several advantages in an office environment, The first being the machine does everything from grinding and brewing to frothing milk. This solution is more expensive than a drip coffee machine, however you will get the return on your investment when you consider what it can deliver and most importantly, they are cheap to run. For as little as 15 cents a cup, your employees can enjoy a hot chocolate, short or long espresso, cappuccino or latte.

Bean to Cup Coffee Machines

So called bean to cup coffee machines are the right choice if you have a medium to large company. These are user friendly with LCD displays, have a high capacity and low maintenance. They cost more, which is to be expected as these coffee machines are autonomous, from grinding to brewing, frothing and self cleaning. All you need to do is choose from any coffee you fancy, on the screen, and pronto, your coffee is ready. If you are considering a bean to cup machine, be sure to pick one suitable for the number of coffee lovers in your office. Brands such as Simonelli and De’Longhi offer a selection of bean to cup coffee machines designed for small and medium sized offices.