Ever struggle with making great coffee at work? Whether it’s coworkers buying the cheapest decaf coffee possible or just lack of a proper kitchen for a coffee setup. I had this problem when I switched offices, the coffee pot was in a spare cubicle and the microwave was in the vestibule!
Which coffee maker should you choose for a cubicle? The best option is one that is small, not breakable, and easy to clean. The Aeropress is a great option that can fit in most desk drawers!. Other great options include Chemex for its plastic free construction or a french press for its deep flavor!
Read on to discover more great picks and tips from my years of brewing coffee in my cubicle! And it your in a hurry, here’s a quick summary table!
- Least Breakable-Aeropress
- Best Flavor-French Press
- Plastic Free-Chemex
- Easiest to Use-Autodrip
- Fastest Clean Up-Keurig (k-cups) Not Recommended
Top Picks for Barista Level Brewing at Your Desk!
The aeropress is my top pick for great desk coffee because its easy to use, compact, brews a mean cup of decaf and is virtually unbreakable. I have dropped mine a dozen times already and just picked it up without missing a cup.
Just in case your not sold on the idea of the aeropress whether its the all plastic construction or because your barista friend scoffed and told you to get a french press, I’ve listed some other great ways to make exceptional decaf at work. After all no one wants to drink the “sale” decaf that Deb in accounting buys because no one drinks it anyway 😉
First up is the Chemex brewer. This is a hourglass shaped pot that requires a filter in the top. As a pour over method, it makes one of the cleanest and smoothest cups of coffee around. Clean up is simple by discarding the filter and giving it a quick rinse.
Next a French Press is also a very simple and delicious method. Often touted as the most flavorful method because it uses a screen to trap the grounds and doesn’t filter out the flavors. The one disadvantage is the grounds sit in the bottom and does require a sink to rinse out.
Then there are maligned but necessary Autodrip pots. Many employers are banning these in cubicles due to the heating plate being a fire hazard! Since many offices no longer allow coffee pots at desks, this makes the Aeropress, Chemex and French press perfect for any cubicle.
Finally the most common problem for decaf drinkers in the office is being an afterthought of the coffee clubs. Most coffee clubs I have participated in buy one cheap can of decaf that tastes terrible to appease the one or two decaf drinkers.
Choosing a coffee maker for your desk
The biggest factor to deciding what coffee maker to choose for your cubicle is whether you have access to a kitchen (clean sink at least) or not. If you have an awesome kitchen with the latest and greatest water cooler you will have the broadest choices. Only have a dirty sink in the mop closet? Some of these methods will not be advisable I’ve had both and still always made great coffee!
If your office has no kitchen area so you can only brew at your desk, the Aeropress is your best friend. As long as you can have a electric kettle at your desk it’s easy to make great Aeropress coffee with no mess! Simply add your coffee, hot water, steep and press. To clean up merely unscrew the cap and press the coffee into your trashcan. A quick wipe with some paper towel and your finished. If you really want it sparkling clean then rinse it at home after work.
The Chemex also makes a very clean cup of coffee (taste and mess wise)! Being filter based the grounds are very contained and cleanup is simple by throwing the filter away. I would probably use this method only if you do have a sink available though as I find the need to rinse the old coffee out. You could wipe out the bottom when your done with a towel as well to remove any residue. This probably is a second choice to directly rinsing it out. One other thing to consider with this method is it’s generally pretty expensive per pot to brew as the filters are about 10 cents a piece vs 3 cents for the Aeropress.
Next the french press, often argued as the most flavorful brewing method by aficionados and weenies alike 😉 This method brews great coffee and is super easy for the office with one consideration. Since the grounds are only trapped by a screen you do need some way to rinse it out. I find just dumping it out leaves a large amount of grounds in it. You could probably wipe it out but this is likely going to be very messy for your desk. With a kitchen sink, no problem. I tried this in my office by using the water cooler water and found it did not get hot enough either so I abandoned this method except for at home.
Coffee makers without plastic
One big consideration for a lot of people is plastic in their food and drink containers. Especially when heating is involved plastic parts can be a concern. I don’t worry about this so much but I understand people that do.
If plastic leaching is a concern for you then the Aeropress is not for you. It’s all plastic and you directly pour hot water into it.
Obviously this is where the Chemex or French Press will be the best option. The Chemex pots will never have any plastic parts in contact with the brewing water. Some french press, especially cheaper ones, do use plastic parts that are in direct contact with the hot water/coffee. My first french press actually broke due to a plastic part that connected the stem to the screen from coffee shop like use!
How not to annoy your cube mates being a desk barista!
Another big consideration with picking a coffee maker for your desk is to not annoy people you share your cubicle with. Nothing was worse in my last office then the one guy who fresh ground his coffee with an electric grinder. It sounded like a leaf blower was running at his desk. If you will be grinding beans daily be sure to get a quality manual grinder with broad adjustment, so you can grind as quiet like a coffee ninja!
Noise is just one consideration but it’s also good to be aware of both your trash such as wet grounds and filters as well as water sources that can leak. If you do keep water or a kettle at your desk make sure its in a place that if it leaks it won’t destroy your neighbor’s computer or leak on the bosses new shoes 😉 I had a water bottle start leaking that could have ruined my work computer but I found the leak in time. Try convincing your boss your $5k workstations lack of waterproofing obviously was a design flaw!
What about k cups or coffee pods
OK, the elephant in the room is why not K cups or coffee pods? Simply they just don’t make good coffee. I have only found one that really tastes like brewed coffee, namely Green Mountain Dark Magic (decaf of course).
If you already have one of these in your office then it might be worth trying out if you really don’t drink much coffee in a day. One final thought this pods are generally crazy expensive per ounce. Often you could buy premium coffee for the same price per pound as a coffee pod. And please don’t get suckered by those fill your own reusable k cups. They generally just make equally bad k cup coffee and are a pain to clean.
Grinding your coffee ahead of time
This is something I advise to do ahead of time and outside the office. A lot of coffee aficionados boast about grinding fresh daily beans for the best coffee. But really the honest answer is it probably doesn’t matter that much if you drink pre-ground coffee. How often do you finish a whole bag of pre-ground coffee in a day or two. Ok I do every now and then but some days you just need a lot of coffee. Point is much like my barista coworker a loud electric grinder will drive your coworkers nuts. Especially when you never offer anyone any coffee, Scott!!
Related questions
Should you buy a personnel coffee maker with mug?
In my opinion, no, this is a seemingly convenient option that just makes marginal coffee. While its a safer autodrip style machine it really just makes a single serving cup of coffee that generally is not very hot. I had one of these years ago and liked it at the time but it really limiting. If you wanted to heat it up it your only real option is to use a microwave with the plastic mug.
How long does fresh ground coffee last?
Arguably the most important aspect of the coffee brewing process having fresh ground coffee is key to making great coffee. I find that coffee that I grind myself and store in airtight containers usually stays pretty fresh for at least a week. Some will argue a few days but I haven’t noticed a great difference in quality to a bout a week. After that it does seem to start to get stale. Once you pick your brew method you can get a estimate for your weekly consumption and grind fresh at home for the week.
What are some other items for a sweet coffee setup?
After you picked your brewer of choice the next considerations are filters, water/water bottles, cleaning supplies, mugs, creamer, sugar, or stirrers. My big one must have is cream or milk. This can be annoying to keep as it goes bad quickly or you might not have a refrigerator to store it in. I solved this problem by both bringing milk in a smaller container to work that would last the week and keeping non perishable creamers in my desk just in case I ran out. You can always try it black you might find you like that better!