Many offices across the USA will go with the easiest solution of a Keurig for their coffee. After all, you can buy a bunch of different types and flavors of coffee and please everyone, right!?!
Not so fast… Having so many flavors pass through a single needle inevitably means flavor contamination is going to occur. Your team is likely drowning that poor taste in extra sugar and creamer, which isn’t ideal. Keurig pods contain approx 3 grams of coffee in about 6 grams of plastic per pod; when you start looking into the amount of trash these little pods create, not to mention the environmental impact of those pods, the appeal quickly disappears.
But let’s say you already have a Keurig and it’s not in your budget to buy a new coffee machine just yet; there are options that have a lower trash and environmental impact.
San Francisco Bay Coffee is stored in a 95% recyclable pod. The coffee is decent but I would strongly suggest storing it in ziplocks or sealed containers as the recyclable pod means the coffee grounds are more exposed and it seems to cause the grounds to lose intensity and flavor over time.
For a smaller office of 20 or less, a Mr Coffee is a good choice. This model gives the option of an optional thermal carafe so you can brew a pot and take it into a meeting or keep it out for guests. You’ll need filters and a decent brew for your Mr Coffee; luckily there’s plenty of coffee brands on Amazon – Starbucks, Peet’s or Kicking Horse are a few. You can easily keep your entire team happy with any of these options. You can also grab some ground coffee from your local coffee house (bonus points if you bring it fresh from your local coffee roaster!)
If you have some coffee drinkers that refuse to go with any of these options, consider a small brew option such as a Coffee Gator. They can bring their own ground coffee and make themselves a small pot of their favorite coffee. (They’ll need access to boiling water to use this, ideally a Goose Neck Kettle).
If you have a big office with lots of people, a Bunn commercial brewer might be the answer you’re looking for. Pour over with 2 warmers, meaning you pour the water into the unit then turn it on, or there’s a model you can connect directly to the waterline so you never have to even think about filling it! The only thing you need to watch out for is overfilling of the coffee grounds and turning it off when you’re done (there’s no auto off on these units).
Whatever you decide to do with your office coffee, remember this is the fuel that drives most people in the morning. It’s worth putting money and effort into making sure your team is sufficiently caffeinated.
Chaos and Beer 
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