Whether it's in a ceramic mug at home, in a travel tumbler in the car, or in a paper coffee-chain cup at work, coffee is the number one beverage in the United States, and the vast majority of us drink at least a cup of it a day.
Though there's no shortage of opinion out there when it comes to the best coffee-making method, roast, or type, most of us can agree that coffee shops have some pretty stiff competition in the form of the many commercially available coffee makers. Many of these great do-it-yourself devices are available for use at shared offices, workspaces or coworking locations such as Metro Offices.
Below, we give you the lowdown on what are the top three coffeemakers you're likely to find in a workspace or shared office space setting. Plus, we tell you how to get the most out of them.
Keurig K155 OfficePRO Commercial Coffee Maker
You can't go to many places that serve coffee without running into the now-ubiquitous single-serve coffee machine, and there's a good reason for that. These gadgets are easy to use, relatively cost-effective and give choice and on-demand freshness to each coffee drinker. At less than $250, the Keurig K155 OfficePRO offers many of the bells and whistles you'd find on higher-priced competitors. It's programmable in a choice of three languages, offers four cup sizes and adjustable brew temperature, and has an office-appropriate 90-ounce reservoir and a user-friendly color touchscreen.
Pro Tip: Worried about waste with all those pods piling up in the trash? You have a few options. Keurig offers a recycling program for workplaces, but you can also remove the foil top from your pod yourself, discard the used coffee grounds and recycle the plastic cup with your other plastic recyclables.
Breville Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine
For those who take their coffee a little dolled up, there's the Breville Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine, which offers both coffee and espresso drinks (OK, espresso-like, drinks, to purists). This gadget is like having a barista in your office. If your office springs for the "aeroccino," you'll get frothed-milk-like finishes to your cappuccinos and lattes, but without the accompanying noise and mess of a true espresso machine. The Vertuo offers five beverage sizes and heats up in a mere 15 seconds. Plus, at less than $170, this gadget is truly affordable for even the smallest of workspaces. True, it only works with Nespresso Vertuo capsules, but the kinds of liquid desserts you can concoct with this machine are amazing.
Pro Tip: For the best flavor cup after cup, the Vertuo should be cleaned at least once a month. If you aren't sure whether cleaning is warranted, try 'brewing' a plain cup of hot water, no capsule. If the H20 that comes out is clear, you're good to go. But if it's brown and/or contains grounds, it's time to clean it, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Cuisinart PerfecTemp 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker
If 'pods' or 'capsules' aren't for you, good old-fashioned drip coffee can still be had. Our pick: The Cuisinart PerfecTemp 14-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker. Despite costing a wallet-friendly $87.50, this coffeemaker has far-better-than-budget capabilities, including temperature control, brew-strength settings, 24-hour programmability, brew pause, and auto-shutoff.
Pro Tip: Not a hot-coffee drinker? Brew a pot for your fellow coworkers, then pour cooled-down coffee from the carafe into five or six compartments of a dollar-store ice tray. Store in the freezer, and later in the day when you're ready for a pick-me-up, throw the cubes in a glass with some creamer and/or sweetener, let sit and voila -- you've got an easy iced coffee, no ice required.
Metro Offices has excellent, always-fresh coffee at each of our nine locations. Browse our spots in and around DC to find your perfect office today!