Best Coffee Machine for College: What, how and why – explained.

Before we go even one step further – we have used the term “college” as an umbrella reference. This review is for schools, staff rooms, colleges and college tutor rooms and the likes thereof. We look at what your best fit is – and why. We also look at your worst fit – and why. You know how we roll 🙂

Cost of Coffee 

Cost, price, value… the list of terms we can use is infinite, but this has proven to be the number 1 deciding factor in almost all purchases nowadays. See, cost can be influenced by many things, for many reasons. Let’s look at a common college / school set-up. You need a large amount of coffee to be available quite quickly – and you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it. Now that we’ve filtered (thank you to everyone who puts up with my terrible puns) through your requirements, let’s go through your best options below – including their very own set of pro’s and con’s.

Filter Coffee Machine 

This is likely your safest, cheapest and most reliable bet. Filter Coffee machines can be sourced form retailers – but in circumstances where high usage and consumption are the case – it is always recommended that you use a commercial / industrial strength filter coffee machine. The upside? Super cheap. The machine itself – as well as the filter coffee. It requires very little maintenance other than daily washing and filter changing, it’s as easy to use as a kettle. The downside? You’re quite limited in terms of drink options. Other than filter coffee, well, yeah. That’s about it. Although the coffee and machine are super cheap, you’ll still have to provide fresh milk and sugar. It comes down to what you value more.

Coffee Vending Machines 

It’s there – ready to be used at any given time. You have a world of choice at your fingertips – all the way from a Cappuccino to an Espresso. It’s easy to use – push a button and your favourite drink gets dispensed into a cup. Amazingly useful for high volume area’s, cost control (your ingredients are all safely locked up) and of course – variety. Not-so-useful if you prefer high-quality coffee or fresh milk, as vending machines generally use instant coffee and powdered milk. Also, you will need to consider your water source – will you use a large bottle and have your water pipe fed in, or will you plumb the machine in? If you are catering for less than 10 people a day, consider other options as this could turn out to be more of a costly exercise than it’s worth.

Capsule Coffee Machine 

Ooh, the allure of a capsule machine is sometimes a bit overpowering. What’s better than popping a brightly coloured capsule into a little machine, crunching it closed and being greeted with a steaming hot cup of speciality coffee? Not much, if you ask me. Is this a good fit? Yes and no. If you have a small staff complement who can behave themselves – go for it. You’ll also have to fund the fresh milk and sugar though. However, if you have a large staff complement to handle – this is possibly the worst choice – as capsules can be quite pricey when purchasing in bulk.

Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machines 

This is a bit of a grey area; a Bean-to-Cup coffee machine can overlap into the best idea and simultaneous worst idea category. If you need great coffee, have a sufficient water supply, can provide fresh milk and sugar and aren’t too worried about cost – this is a great option. Trying to control your hot drink spend and need to cater for more than 20 people each break time? No. Emphatically no.

What it comes down to is this: How many people are you catering for? Do you appreciate good coffee or cost saving more? How often will this machine be used and by how many people? Do you need to control consumable spend? What is your budget? Lastly – do you enjoy what you get from your machine?

Once you’ve answered all of these – you’ll be in far better standing to make the best choice fort your palette and your pocket.