Archive for December, 2009
What is a Coffee Service and Why Are
They Beneficial?
A coffee service is commonly touted as
one of the best perks that you can offer
your employees; and one of the best ways
to add positively to the company
experience for your customers and your
clients. Why a coffee service? And
precisely what IS a coffee service?
Coffee Services Come in Many Flavors
When working with a coffee service,
run-of-the-mill flavors such as French
Vanilla and Cinnamon Hazelnut coffee
flavors are just the beginning. There
are several different standard kinds of
coffee services, and each coffee service
provides different services and
equipment to your office. Each of them
also offers benefits, both in general
and specifically for your office.
Full Office Coffee Service
Most coffee service companies provide a
free coffee machine ? or more than one
machine, depending on the needs of your
company, as part of their service
contract. You pay nothing for the coffee
machine as long as you purchase a
minimum specified amount of coffee and
other supplies from the coffee service
company. The coffee machines supplied
run the gamut from basic Bunn
Coffee-matic pour-over coffee pots to
elaborate high-end espresso machines
that make multiple kinds of hot drinks,
usually dispensing one cup at a time.
If you opt for a full coffee service
contract, the supplier will generally
set up an automatic delivery schedule of
coffee, teas and other beverages,
commonly referred to as consumables.
Some may also include such supplies as
water filters for your coffee machine,
bottled water, automatic coffee machine
cleaner, coffee filters, disposable
coffee cups and napkins. Most likely,
you will be assigned to an account
manager who will be available to discuss
your coffee service needs if you find
that you are ordering too much or too
little coffee.
When you use a coffee service to provide
coffee for your office and customers,
you reap some very tangible benefits,
and a few intangible ones. Here are just
a few of them.
1. Your coffee expenses are far easier
to track when you use a coffee service
If you are providing coffee to your
employees and customers for free, it is
a legitimate business expense. When you
use a coffee service, you only have one
expense stream to track, the bills from
the coffee service. Compare that to
tracking the receipts from the food
service, from the supermarket, the
replacement coffee machine when the old
one failed, the box of tea. It will save
your bookkeeper a lot of aggravation and
time, and probably save you some money
on your taxes.
2. You don?t have to worry about
running out of coffee or coffee supplies
when you use a coffee service
When you sign up with a coffee service,
you could set up automatic regular
deliveries of coffee and supplies. No
one has to think about ordering coffee,
and you should never run out of coffee
again. That means no sending out your
secretary to pick up filters at the last
minute so you can serve coffee to an
important client, or rooting around in
the break room cabinets to find a
leftover coffee pod.
3. It costs you nothing for coffee
machine maintenance
Since you do not own the coffee machine,
you do not have to worry about
maintenance. In many cases, the coffee
service supplier will attend to routine
maintenance chores, or at least remind
you when it is time to do them. More to
the point, if the machine just quits
working, the coffee service provider
will generally replace or repair it
almost immediately. The same holds true
if the coffee carafe gets knocked off
the counter, no more hunting around for
hours, or buying a new coffee maker
because the carafe broke.
4. You have a wide choice of coffee
machine options with a coffee service
Most office coffee services feature a
full range of coffee makers and coffee
machine options. The most popular are
single-serve coffee makers that allow
each of your employees or customers to
make their favorite kind of coffee, tea
or even hot chocolate. They can supply
machines for any size office or retail
operation.
Even if your company decides that it
can?t foot the entire bill for your
employees? coffee habit, there are
coffee services that can provide you
with vending machines, but not the ?old
school? vending machines that dispense
watery brew. The new coffee vending
machines dispense gourmet coffee in
different flavors, as well as hot
chocolate and hot water for tea. Using a
vending machine in conjunction with a
coffee company allows you to offset the
cost of providing coffee for your office
by collecting a small fee for the coffee
sold.
If the thought of using a coffee service
sounds intriguing, coffee services can
be found in just about every city as
well as online. Contact a sales agent or
account representative from a local
coffee service to find out more about
the benefits of using a coffee service
for your office or business.
Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer
who writes about tips for living and
saving money, often offering suggestions
about certain services to try such as
office coffee.
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A coffee service is commonly touted as one of the best perks
that you can offer your employees; and one of the best ways
to add positively to the company experience for your
customers and your clients.Coffee Services Come in Many
Flavors.There are several different standard kinds of coffee
services, and each coffee service provides different
services and equipment to your office. Each of them also
offers benefits, both in general and specifically for your
office.
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The Many Dangers Of Comsuming Coffee
Coffee has become part of our every day
meals. In fact, most Americans wouldn’t
be able to wake up properly without a
jolt of caffeine to their systems. They
need that steaming cup of coffee to
start the day with energy.
While coffee boasts of several
advantages, it is also poses several
dangers to the body especially when
taken in excessive amounts. Acidic
content Although coffee is basically
coffee granules, some water and
sometimes sugar or milk, it is a potent
drink especially when combined with the
body’s natural acids. Unknown to many,
caffeine, which is the main component of
coffee, can combine with the stomach
acids to form a toxin in the body called
caffeine hydrochloride.
When this toxin reaches the liver, the
body naturally produces a bile that will
help remove the toxin. This is the
reason why some people think that coffee
can aid in their digestion because of
bowel regularity.
Harmful Chemicals Coffee contains the
chemical trichloroethylene in large
concentration due to the use of
pesticides in coffee plantations. The
chemical is used mainly as a solvent and
a cleaning agent in the clothing
industry. It is also used in the metal
industry as a degreasing chemical.
Trichloroethylene has been linked to
some types of liver cancer.
Another potential chemical in coffee
that may harm the body is the
chlorogenic acid, which has toxic side
effects. Overworking the adrenal Coffee
also contains an oil that can adversely
affect the gastric mucosa. Because of
this, the adrenal glands are frequently
secreted, thus the feeling of always
being full of energy. However, too much
secretion of the hormone adrenaline can
result in a rise in the blood pressure,
tension in the body and low energy. The
mood may also be affected as well as the
appetite.
Counteracts medications People who are
taking drugs or any mediations for pain,
obesity, hypertension or depression are
advised not to drink coffee as all their
efforts in getting well could be wasted.
A patient with high fever can also be
harmed by coffee and is better off
drinking lemon juice or even tea.
People who drink coffee often can
develop a deficiency in Thiamine or
Vitamin B1. This can cause fatigue and
nervousness. There is also general
malaise as well as aches and pains in
the body. Headaches are also common. In
addition, drinking too much coffee may
also prevent the nutrients in the food
that you eat from being absorbed by the
intestines.
Coffee has become part of our every day meals. In fact, most
Americans wouldn’t be able to wake up properly without a
jolt of caffeine to their systems. They need that steaming
cup of coffee to start the day with energy.
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What an Office Coffee Service Provides
If you?re considering hiring an office
coffee service to provide coffee and
beverages for your office or just
beginning to investigate the options
provided by an office coffee service,
you?ll find that office coffee services
provide far more than just coffee. When
your business partners with a company
that provides office coffee service,
you?ll be able to choose from a wide
variety of services and items ranging
from coffee makers to vending machines,
equipment and supplies for your coffee
or break room, coffee and other
beverages and even snacks. Here?s a
quick tour of what you might expect a
typical office coffee service to provide
for your office or place of business.
Coffee Makers
The typical office break room has a
coffee maker that is meant for home use.
Unless you?ve only got a couple of
people drinking coffee over the course
of the day, you?ll find yourself
replacing that coffee maker far more
often than you would at home.
Professional office coffee services
generally will offer a wide choice of
coffee makers to suit the way your
office drinks coffee. Your choice of
coffee maker will vary from provider to
provider, but most offer several choices
that include standard drip coffee
makers, espresso machines, single serve
coffee machines, semi and fully
automatic coffee makers and even vending
machines.
These days, the most common coffee maker
choices are single-serve coffee systems
like Keurig, Flavia or Senseo. Single
serve coffee makers cut down on
maintenance and clean-up by brewing one
cup of coffee at a time using a
self-contained coffee ?capsule? or cup.
Some of these are connected directly to
the plumbing so that even filling the
water receptacle is a simple matter of
turning a tap. Single serve coffee
systems offer a number of advantages
over coffee makers that brew by the pot.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is that
each employee or client can make a
different kind of coffee without having
to brew up a full pot. If your secretary
loves her Rainforest Hazelnut, the rest
of the office isn?t stuck drinking up
the rest of the pot.
The cost of the coffee machine will
often depend upon two factors: the type
of machine and the volume of coffee that
you order from the coffee service each
month. Many coffee service companies
provide a standard coffee machine for
free as long as you continue to order
your coffee and other supplies through
them. Often, however, you can continue
to rent the machine for a small monthly
fee even if you buy your own coffee to
use in the machine.
Coffee
In addition to the coffee machine,
coffee services also deliver coffee to
your office on a pre-determined
schedule. If you?ve chosen a pour-over
pot or drip machine, the coffee will
usually be packaged in pre-measured
one-pot pouches. If you?ve chosen a
single-serve coffee system, you?ll be
able to order coffee in single serving
coffee pods (K-cups, T-cups or other pod
types depending on the coffee brewer
supplied by the company). In either
case, you?ll usually find that having
coffee available to your employees in
pre-measured pouches cuts down on waste
and reduces the amount of coffee that?s
used per cup.
Other Beverages
In addition to coffee, many coffee
services also carry tea and hot
chocolate, and some also provide soups
that can be made with hot water. In
fact, if you?re renting a single serve
coffee system like the Keurig from your
office coffee service, you?ll probably
be able to order their entire range of
beverages through your service provider.
Snacks for the Break Room
Some coffee service companies also offer
a range of snacks for your office break
room. The snacks offered by your coffee
service may include bags of chips and
pretzels as well as individually
packaged bagels, doughnuts, croissants
and muffins. The companies that provide
snacks may also provide other
individually packaged items like jams
and jellies, butter pats, coffee
creamers and cream cheese. Many offices
find that providing these in sanitary
individual packages cuts down on waste
and is more economical than buying them
at the supermarket.
Supplies and Equipment
What happens if your coffee carafe
shatters or your machine needs
servicing? Office coffee services
provide all service for your coffee
machine, including replacement parts and
repair. In most cases, if your coffee
machine malfunctions the coffee service
will provide you with a replacement for
it if it can?t be repaired in place. You
can usually set up a service contract
with your provider and let them take
care of regular maintenance like
cleaning, de-scaling and replacing
filters and other parts on a regular
schedule.
When choosing an office coffee service,
be sure that you ask to see their full
catalog of supplies and services.
Compare all costs of using the coffee
service with the costs of providing a
similar level of coffee service on your
own to help you decide if a coffee
service is the best option for your
office.
Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer and
blogger who writes about the office
environment and ways to improve
productivity such as utilizing an office
coffee service.
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If you?re considering hiring an office coffee service to
provide coffee and beverages for your office or just
beginning to investigate the options provided by an office
coffee service, you?ll find that office coffee services
provide far more than just coffee. When your business
partners with a company that provides office coffee service,
you?ll be able to choose from a wide variety of services.
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