The Best Office Coffee Machines
For most workplaces, the days of a kettle, a jar of instant coffee and a box of tea bags being enough are long gone. People have become used to having better coffee wherever they are, and that expectation doesn’t disappear when they walk into the office.
A good office coffee machine can bring that coffee-shop experience into your business, without employees having to leave the building every time they want a decent cup of coffee. For many businesses, a bean to cup coffee machine is the simplest way to achieve this.
Quick Overview: Are Bean to Cup Machines the Right Fit?
Bean-to-cup machines grind fresh coffee beans for each drink and can prepare a range of coffees instantly. Depending on the machine, they can also offer fresh or powdered milk, hot chocolate and other drinks, making them suitable for everything from a small office to a busy shared workspace.
But choosing a coffee machine isn’t simply about finding one that makes good coffee. The right option needs to fit the size of your business, how many drinks you serve each day, the space you have available and how much variety your employees or visitors expect.
In this guide, we’ll look at some of the best office coffee machines available from Liquidline and what makes each one a good fit for different business environments.
Benefit or an Essential?
Is a coffee machine in the office still considered a workplace benefit, or has it become something employees simply expect?
Walk into most modern offices, and you’ll find some form of commercial coffee machine, whether that’s a compact instant machine in a small office or a high-volume system serving hundreds of drinks a day. Coffee has become an established part of the working day, and the way businesses provide it can have a surprisingly big impact on the everyday experience of being at work.
Of course, providing coffee isn’t going to solve every workplace challenge. But a well-designed refreshment area gives employees somewhere to take a proper break, grab a drink and have a conversation away from their desks.
Better breaks
A good coffee break gives people a reason to step away from their screen and reset during the working day. Having quality coffee readily available can make those breaks feel more worthwhile, rather than employees simply grabbing an instant coffee and heading straight back to their desk.
More opportunities to connect
The coffee station can become a natural meeting point within an office. A quick conversation while waiting for a drink or catching up with a colleague can help create the informal interactions that are an important part of a connected workplace.
A little everyday appreciation
Small things can make a difference to how people experience their working day. Providing good-quality refreshments shows that you’ve thought about the everyday needs of your employees and want to make their time at work more comfortable.
Less time spent leaving the office
If employees regularly head out to the local coffee shop for their morning drink, those trips can quickly add up. A coffee machine gives them a convenient alternative, keeping refreshments on-site while reducing the need to leave the building.
Our Top Picks
Here is a selection of some of the most popular and recommended bean-to-cup machines for offices, offering a mix of style, functionality, drink varieties, and capacity.
Schaerer Soul 12
Best for: Larger, busy offices looking for variety and a premium self-service experience
The Schaerer Soul 12 is designed for busy environments where coffee is an important part of the refreshment offering. With capacity for up to 250 drinks per day and more than 100 drink configurations, it gives employees and visitors plenty of choice without requiring a barista behind the machine.
Its large 12.1-inch touchscreen makes the machine easy to navigate, with three different user interfaces available. The Soul 12 also includes Best Foam™ technology and two separate 4.5-litre fresh milk tanks, allowing businesses to offer two different milk options. It can also be configured to serve both hot and cold drinks, with an optional syrup station for even greater variety.
As a fresh milk machine, the Soul 12 requires daily cleaning, with a deeper clean needed weekly to maintain hygiene standards. Some elements of the daily cleaning process are automated to make routine maintenance easier.
Coffetek Vitro S1
Best for: Smaller offices where space and budget are key considerations
Not every business needs a machine capable of producing hundreds of drinks a day. For smaller offices, the Coffetek Vitro S1 provides a more compact and economical option.
The Vitro S1 is designed for offices serving up to 60 drinks per day and takes up just 30 x 43cm of worktop space, making it a practical choice where space is limited.
Its simple light-up button panel makes operation straightforward and can provide up to eight drink selections. It has a generous 1,200g bean hopper, helping to reduce the need for frequent refills and uses powdered milk rather than fresh milk.
Cleaning is also designed to be straightforward. The liquid waste tray can be removed from the front of the machine, while the coffee waste drawer can hold up to 60 drinks’ worth of waste and can be removed for emptying and dishwasher cleaning.
This machine offers a practical balance between cost, convenience and drink quality.
Schaerer Coffee Club
Best for: Small to medium-sized offices looking for more drink choice and flexibility
The Schaerer Coffee Club is a fully automated bean-to-cup machine designed for offices and shared spaces serving up to 80 drinks per day.
It offers 15 drink selections and a choice of fresh milk or powdered milk, including the option to combine the two. Its 7-inch touchscreen provides a clear interface, while a touchless coffee app gives users another way to interact with the machine.
One of the Coffee Club’s strengths is its approach to cleaning. The machine has built-in cleaning guidance and a weekly cleaning cycle designed to meet HACCP hygiene requirements, while the CleanIT function helps with the daily switch-off process and steam valve cleaning.
With a compact footprint, flexible milk options and straightforward operation, the Coffee Club is well suited to businesses that want more from their office coffee offering without moving into the capacity of a high-volume machine.
Liquidline Q1 Evo
Best for: Smaller offices that want fresh bean coffee with flexible installation options
The Liquidline Q1 Evo is a compact machine designed for businesses serving up to 60 drinks per day.
Its narrow footprint and integrated 4-litre water tank mean it can be installed in a wide range of locations without requiring a complicated setup. It can be manually filled with water or plumbed directly into the mains, giving businesses flexibility depending on their space and installation requirements.
The Q1 Evo uses fresh beans and features precision grinding and brewing to deliver consistent coffee from cup to cup. Its intuitive touchscreen interface makes choosing a drink simple, while the dual powder system allows the machine to prepare a wider selection of drinks, including milk-based coffees and hot chocolate.
Using powdered milk rather than fresh milk also simplifies the cleaning process, with removable components that can be taken out, cleaned and reassembled without significant disruption.
For a smaller business that wants the experience of fresh bean coffee but has limited space or doesn’t want the additional requirements of a fresh milk machine, the Q1 Evo is a practical option.
Schaerer Soul 10
Best for: Busy offices looking for premium drinks and flexible ways to serve them
The Schaerer Soul 10 brings many of the capabilities of the larger Soul range into a slightly more compact format, making it a strong option for busy offices serving up to 250 drinks per day.
With more than 100 drink configurations, it offers plenty of flexibility for businesses that want to provide more than a standard selection of coffees. It can serve both hot and cold drinks and includes Best Foam™ technology for creating premium milk-based beverages. The machine also features a 10.4-inch touchscreen and three user interfaces.
Like the Soul 12, the Soul 10 is a dual fresh milk machine, so it requires daily cleaning and a weekly deep clean. The cleaning system is designed to make these processes as straightforward as possible.
For a busy office that wants a broad drinks menu, premium milk-based coffees and a self-service experience, the Soul 10 offers a combination of capacity and flexibility.
Find Your Best Fit
The best office coffee machine isn’t necessarily the biggest, most expensive or most advanced machine available. It’s the one that fits the way your business actually works.
For a smaller office, a compact machine such as the Coffetek Vitro S1 or Liquidline Q1 Evo can provide a significant upgrade without taking up valuable space. The Schaerer Coffee Club offers greater drink choice and flexibility for offices with a higher level of demand, while the Schaerer Soul 10 and Soul 12 are designed for busy environments where high capacity and a wider drinks menu are important.
These are just some of the machines available from Liquidline. We have a wider range of machines and refreshment solutions, and our team can help you find an option that fits your space, drink volumes, budget and requirements.
Take the Next Step
Ready to find the right coffee machine for your office? Explore our Machine Finder or speak to our team today.
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