Coffee At Work

Trust me, I know. From the stale office blend to the liquid soap flavored with a splash of milk, it’s not pretty.

But what can you do?

With so many places to grab coffee around town and such limited time in-between work tasks, it can be hard to get your daily fix without going out of bounds.

It’s an age-old workplace problem, we know it. Surely it doesn’t have to be this way. That’s where these hacks come in handy.

The Problems You Face Making Coffee At Work

Every working coffee fan has faced this same problem. You’re at work, craving a cup of coffee to improve your day, but you either lack the knowledge, tools or time to make the perfect brew.

Short Time

You’re in a pinch. You have a meeting across town that starts in 25 minutes and you need to get there. You think, there’s no way you’re going to get your 10oz cup of joe made before then, not if you want a great cup of coffee.

Keeping reading for hacks to get that coffee ready in no time.

Limited Knowledge of Coffee Brewing Methods

You don’t have the skills or knowledge to make a great cup of coffee with the limited resources you have available at home, let alone those at your desk.

It can be overwhelming and exhausting to try and steep, tamp or wash anything in the office toilet. The equipment (and room for said equipment) just isn’t there.

Lack of Equipment

Your office may have a basic drip coffee machine that makes a watery cup of joe with a hint of coffee flavor. You’re lucky if you have a drip machine at all.

This is a big problem for people that want to make coffee on their own terms, and with more control over the final product than what they can get from the office machine.

But there are ways to remedy this. This article gives you all the details on how to do that.

Old Coffee

Your office runs on a cycle where the coffee is changed every 2-3 weeks. This means the coffee might be old and stale, or worse yet, the coffee is actually rancid.

As a coffeecionado, you surely have to carry your own coffee with you throughout the day.

If that’s not an option, then you have to make do with the coffee that is provided. It’s almost like being made to drink medicine by your doctor because he doesn’t have any good alternatives in his office.

The prevalence of stale old coffee is hard for a coffee enthusiast to swallow though, especially if it affects the quality of the actual brewed cup of joe itself.

How to Make Your Favourite Cup of Joe at Work Fast

Being prepared is key. A portable, and easy to use, coffee gadget like an Aeropress or French Press is likely the easiest way to brew up your cup of joy in the short time that you have.

That just leaves you to bring in some coffee and find hot water. Sometimes easier said than done.

First, Lets Get the Ingredients Ready

1. Heating The Water

Heating the water is the first hurdle to get over.

Firstly, you need hot water. It’s harder than it sounds. If you’re lucky enough to have a kettle at your disposal, this might not be an issue. For the rest of us, it’s a mission in itself.

What seems like mundane tasks like heating the water or using the microwave to boil water can prove near impossible when you trying to do it within the time limit needed and without looking overly suspicious.

2. Grinding The Beans

Straight off the bat, the easiest solution is to bring pre-ground coffee beans.

But we’re not looking to kop out and take a sub-par coffee. We’re looking for a mug that’s well Above Average.

A burr grinder is by far the best for grinding your beans. You can grind the beans while you’re waiting for the rest of your brew to heat up.

Of course, not all workplaces will allow you to have a burr grinder. But if you’re lucky, you might be able to use an electric coffee grinder, which is still going to make things a bit complicated.

You need to grind the beans as finely as possible. You can’t really get away with using the hand-grinder or some personal grinder at your workstation.

But you can take a can of ground coffee from home and use it as a substitute every morning. That’s the best option you have.

Finally, Making The Coffee – Fast & Best Methods

You don’t have luxury of taking your time when you’re at work. With that said, you might as well try to make the best possible cup of coffee you can in the limited time you have.

This is no easy feat when you’re working against the clock.

Here are some of the most efficient methods I found of brewing a cup. Choose one depending on the type of coffee you like.

V60 / Hario Dripper Filter Cone Coffee

This is one of the most portable coffee methods that you can use. It is so portable that it can be kept in your bag at all times. It is also very inconspicuous, and can be easily washed when you need to use it again.

You can use it to make coffee on your workstation itself and nobody will know, except by the lovely aroma wafting up from your cup.

A can of freshly ground coffee and a V60 are all you need to make coffee anywhere.

For this method, you’ll need to pack the ground coffee into the filter. Once it’s in there, you need to place the filter on top of a cup, pour hot water and wait for the coffee to brew.

This is a simple way to get a cup of coffee ready quickly. It’s not the best out of the methods I’ve mentioned here, but it is a way to get your coffee quick and without having to use any hassle equipment that might need cleaning too often.

The V60 is a standard coffee filter that you can buy in the supermarket. However, the Hario Dripper is a slightly better filter.

Aeropress

Which coffee lover has not heard of the Aeropress Coffee maker?

It is one of the most popular coffee brewing methods and for very good reason. It’s a simple device that combines the ease of making coffee with an espresso machine and the deliciousness of a French press.

This coffee maker is incredibly easy to use. You simply pack the ground coffee into the filter, put on the plunger, and pour hot water.

You need to let it sit for about 10 seconds before pushing down on the plunger and taking out your cup of joe.

This is one of the most easy ways to make coffee on the go.

It is also very easy to clean. You just need to rinse it with hot water and then chuck the filter into the dishwasher (if your workplace allows that).

French Press

You might have heard of the French Press, but you may not know this little coffee maker has a lot of great benefits over coffee machines. It’s cheap, takes up very little space and is very easy to clean.

The French Press is a simple device that simply requires you to pour ground coffee into the filter.

You need to stir it a bit to ensure even distribution and then add hot water.

You need to let it sit for at least four minutes before you can stir it and take a cup of coffee.

You’ll need to decant the coffee before serving, but that’s about all. This is one of the easiest ways to make coffee on the go, and you don’t need any special skills to use it.

Chemex / Pour Over Coffee Maker

The Chemex is one of the most popular ways to make coffee on the go. It’s portable and not easy to forget at home. You simply need to pour ground coffee into the filter, stir it a bit and then add hot water.

It is not as portable as an aeropress or V60 filter cone. But it still has a very low profile, and can be carried around anywhere. It is also easy to clean and makes a great cup of coffee.

You don’t need much to make the coffee with this device either.

All you need to make a cup of coffee is a Chemex filter, a can of fresh ground coffee and hot water.

You can also use this device to make iced coffee, which is a really nice feature to have.

1. Pour hot water into a kettle and let the water sit for 30 seconds or so. While you’re waiting, put the filter in the Chemex carafe and pre-wet it with hot water.
2. Add the filter, then add the ground coffee and stir it to ensure even distribution.
3. Pour in hot water, stir well and let it steep for 3 minutes.
4. Take it out, give it a quick stir and serve immediately.

This is the best way to make coffee on your grind and can also be used to make other types of filter coffees.

Moka Pot – Best Espresso Maker for Office

If you are lucky to have a hot plate or induction top at office, then this is the device for you. Just add water, coffee, keep it on the stove and go away to your workstation. It will brew the coffee in minutes and when your hear the coffee bubbling, it’s done.

It is a little bit more complicated than the Aeropress and V60. However, it produces a much better coffee and takes up very little space.

It’s a simple device that requires you to ground coffee, pour hot water in and then sit back to enjoy. It is also very easy to clean and can be used with almost any type of coffee you like.

Why Should You Drink Coffee At Work

1. It keeps you alert

As we all know, caffeine is one of the most common stimulants readily found in many domestic products. Caffeinated coffee keeps people awake and provides their central nervous systems with a boost that helps keep them productive throughout the day.

2. Coffee breaks improve productivity

In early 2015, a study was conducted on the effects of coffee breaks on productivity in an office setting. The study found that those who had access to a coffee machine were more productive than those that did not.

Additionally, those who had access to water refills were more productive than those who did not. These results suggest that ensuring employees have access to their own caffeine can improve their productivity and that coffee breaks improve overall productivity.

3. It can reduce pain for desk workers

Another study conducted by the National Institute for Health concluded that consuming caffeine before performing pain-inducing computer work resulted in attenuated pain development versus subjects who did not consume caffeine.

Admittedly, the sample size of the study is small, but the results show the possibility of prescribing caffeine as an everyday pain moderator.

4. It can reduce sleep-deprived stress

If you are sleep-deprived, the mere aroma of coffee has been showing to reduce stress levels. A study at the Seoul National University compared the expression of certain genes and proteins in rats’ brains when exposed to the aroma of coffee.

According to the study, those exposed to the coffee odor presented proteins that have healthful antioxidant properties known to protect nerve cells from stress-related damage whereas those not exposed to the coffee smell did not show these gene expressions.

If you are sleep-deprived, the mere aroma of coffee has been shown to reduce stress levels

5. It keeps you trim

Numerous studies have linked the consumption of caffeine to increased metabolic activity. As such, it should come as no surprise that most commercial fat-burning supplements contain caffeine.

While the metabolic impact of caffeine may not be enough to eat away at that beer gut single-handedly, it doesn’t hurt to know that your body is burning fat at a higher rate as you sit at your desk and sip your cup of Joy.

Final Words

See, its not difficult to make a good cup of coffee in the office! As long as you pack the fresh ground coffee and can use these devices, it’s easy to make a great cup of coffee on the go.

Let nothing stop you from making a great cup of coffee at your workplace, even if you are short on time.

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