Are portable coffe makers allowed in the office?

robnet77

Hello,

my company won't let us use our own coffee machine (e.g. Nespresso or even an electric moka express coffee maker), because of "health and safety" reasons.

They won't allow them even if we have it PAT tested, saying they're designed for home use and would pose a potential risk in an office, also because they'd be overused... :eek:

Any advice on this, please? I spoke to our managers, HR and maintenance services, it seems nobody will listen...

wexfordman2

I rememeber our h&s guy removed our toaster!

Its a fecking workplace not a kindergarden! Its only a frigging toaster ffs!

World has gone mad!

Jawgap

I can kind of understand the toaster - we've had a few evacuations because burnt toast has set off the fire alarms!

We're not allowed coffee machines in our offices, but we did club together and buy a Nespresso which is in the small canteen kitchen we have. It's PAT tested.

RGDATA!

How about an aeropress? Makes great filter coffee, no electrics, easy to clean etc. You will need to have your own ground coffee or a grinder for beans. Or a french press?

Graham

robnet77 wrote: »

Hello,

my company won't let us use our own coffee machine (e.g. Nespresso or even an electric moka express coffee maker), because of "health and safety" reasons.

Health and safety is usually trotted out when someone can't be bothered justifying the real reason.

Who provides the tea/coffee/food in your office, outside caterers by any chance?

Mr Magnolia

H&S wouldn't be a legitimate reason for me without further detail. I can move this over to work & jobs if you wish, it's probably better suited there.

robnet77

thanks for the replies, let's see...

- currently an external company provides catering services, including an industrial coffee machine but the espresso it makes is awful... they probably have an interest in not allowing any other machines in the building...

- we would provide our own coffee powder (Lavazza) and would use the machine say twice a day, so within "home usage" limits

- we are not allowed toasters either, there is an industrial one in a small kitchen which can be used with no issues

- aeropress: I read some bad reviews on Amazon, although most are positive, but we're very fussy with our espresso and would not settle for average quality... not sure we would like the idea, but it could be a last resort...

- original idea was to have a Nespresso machine but they would not allow it either, we thought a portable machine would not pose a huge risk (small quantity of water, electric parts completely isolated...)

Gran Hermano

Go with the aeropress. I've used it in several offices over the years and it is ideal. It is easy to use and quick to clean up after.Bad reviews on Amazon sounds surprising!

I'd rather have an aeropress and a choice of a range of fresh coffees over Nespresso.

Bohrio

I use a ROK coffee machine in the office. You will only need hot water to make it work.

Excellent coffee although I am not sure how it will perform with the less quality beans such as lavazza or Illy, I have never tried them on this coffee machine

Jezek

robnet77 wrote: »

thanks for the replies, let's see...

- currently an external company provides catering services, including an industrial coffee machine but the espresso it makes is awful... they probably have an interest in not allowing any other machines in the building...

- we would provide our own coffee powder (Lavazza) and would use the machine say twice a day, so within "home usage" limits

- we are not allowed toasters either, there is an industrial one in a small kitchen which can be used with no issues

- aeropress: I read some bad reviews on Amazon, although most are positive, but we're very fussy with our espresso and would not settle for average quality... not sure we would like the idea, but it could be a last resort...

- original idea was to have a Nespresso machine but they would not allow it either, we thought a portable machine would not pose a huge risk (small quantity of water, electric parts completely isolated...)

An aeropress doesn't make espresso. However it makes excellent coffee. I would recommend using good quality coffee in it though, not lavazza

Gran Hermano

Jezek wrote: »

An aeropress doesn't make espresso. However it makes excellent coffee. I would recommend using good quality coffee in it though, not lavazza

Some, including the INEI, would say Nespresso is not true/real espresso either.

adrian522

So the current machine makes awful espresso but you will not settle for average (which is what you think the aeropress will deliver)?

It seems to me average is a big step up from awful, also if you use it right an aeropress will deliver you great coffee, though as mentioned above its not espresso.

Look at something like this if I was you:

Aeropress €28.95
Hand Grinder €44.95
Quality Coffee beans €7

problem solved, all you need then is a kettle, which I assume you already have.

Gran Hermano

Hario hand grinder selling at a great price on Amazon lately http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hario-MSS-1B-1-Piece-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B001804CLY

Arthur Beesley

Political correctness gone mad.

vibe666

robnet77 wrote: »

- aeropress: I read some bad reviews on Amazon, although most are positive, but we're very fussy with our espresso and would not settle for average quality... not sure we would like the idea, but it could be a last resort...

Trust me, an aeropress is anything but average, even better after investing a decent reusable mesh filter (as long as you don't accidentally throw it out with your grinds!).

Espresso grind is too fine for an aeropress though, it needs a filter or French press grind.

Slaphead07

robnet77 wrote: »

thanks for the replies, let's see...

- currently an external company provides catering services, including an industrial coffee machine but the espresso it makes is awful... they probably have an interest in not allowing any other machines in the building...

- we would provide our own coffee powder (Lavazza) and would use the machine say twice a day, so within "home usage" limits

- we are not allowed toasters either, there is an industrial one in a small kitchen which can be used with no issues

- aeropress: I read some bad reviews on Amazon, although most are positive, but we're very fussy with our espresso and would not settle for average quality... not sure we would like the idea, but it could be a last resort...

- original idea was to have a Nespresso machine but they would not allow it either, we thought a portable machine would not pose a huge risk (small quantity of water, electric parts completely isolated...)

If you're talking in terms of Lavazza and Nespresso then you're already way below "average" espresso anyway.... get an aeropress - a short learning curve and it produces the best mug of coffee I've ever had.

sarkozy

Aeropress. Learn a recipe. Get good coffee.

And I don't think it's entirely incorrect to say it can't do espresso. It can't technically do that, but it can create a very black, strong tasting long espresso-style coffee, which hides bad quality coffee somewhat and this can always be topped up with hot water.

But what Aeropress excels at is beautiful, clean filter-style coffee that lets the coffee express itself, if it's good coffee.

French press is always a good option, too.

You always need the correct grind for both.

Pour-over is another option, but it's time consuming. Aeropress has the advantage of being really quick to brew.

vibe666

sarkozy wrote: »

And I don't think it's entirely incorrect to say it can't do espresso. It can't technically do that, but it can create a very black, strong tasting long espresso-style coffee,

The issue is with how fine the grind is for espresso, it blocks the filter in the aeropress and you'll never be able to push down the plunger without breaking something (your mug, the aeropress or wind if you push hard enough!)

You can but a reusable steel mesh filter for it that works very well and gives you decent crema and will possibly work with an espresso grind, but they're about €20 so it's an investment and one that I've ended up having to try and dig out of a bin bag (twice!) when someone threw it out with the grinds!

robnet77

I knew that posting such thread in Ireland would pose a great risk of receiving advice against Lavazza, Nespresso, Illy...

Unfortunately we don't particularly like coffee, we do like our espresso and don't want to convince anyone that their coffee is not great.

We already brew our espresso at home, bring it to work in a glass container and warm it up in the microwave oven, it tastes excellent, even better if left till the next day, however we would like to have the flexibility of brewing it at work (e.g. if we don't have enough for the day...).

Having said this, I was mentioning we would not settle for Aeropress or ROK, based on the reviews I read (mostly from coffee enthusiasts who don't like espresso and never tried a Ristretto from Nespresso before, but consider it "awful quality" nonetheless), because they don't seem to produce the type of quality we like, it's a different product and not what we're looking for.

The thread's aim was to find help with respect to law regulations, to know if we're allowed to use such portable machines in our office.
It was worth trying, thanks anyway.

Bohrio

Sorry we though you were looking for a machine that could be used at work.

You are probably on the wrong forum (not the wrong country). You company facilities department will probably be the best one to ask (if you have one).

From my experience I have never been allowed to leave anything plugged in or to use anything that could cause harm to others (like a kettle, etc). It will depend on how your coffee area is set, where the plugs are, etc.

I understand your point regarding coffee, you like what you like, the only thing I would say that this is not an Irish problem, you problem was not to post this on an Irish website but on a barista aficionado forum, you would get a similar response anywhere in the world.

And also, dont confuse quality with taste, 1 day old brewed espresso, lavazza or even Illy coffee is not even close to good quality coffee although you might like the taste this doesnt mean it is good quality.

sarkozy

robnet77 wrote: »

I knew that posting such thread in Ireland would pose a great risk of receiving advice against Lavazza, Nespresso, Illy...

Unfortunately we don't particularly like coffee, we do like our espresso and don't want to convince anyone that their coffee is not great.

We already brew our espresso at home, bring it to work in a glass container and warm it up in the microwave oven, it tastes excellent, even better if left till the next day, however we would like to have the flexibility of brewing it at work (e.g. if we don't have enough for the day...).

Having said this, I was mentioning we would not settle for Aeropress or ROK, based on the reviews I read (mostly from coffee enthusiasts who don't like espresso and never tried a Ristretto from Nespresso before, but consider it "awful quality" nonetheless), because they don't seem to produce the type of quality we like, it's a different product and not what we're looking for.

The thread's aim was to find help with respect to law regulations, to know if we're allowed to use such portable machines in our office.
It was worth trying, thanks anyway.

Well, exqueeze us for offering alternative routes ... the ball's in your court then (plus, the amount of people on this forum recommending Aeropress highly sould strongly contradict the reviews you've read [I mean, have you even had an Aeropress coffee from a place like 3FE or Coffee Angel?].

It seems you've already got your mind made up without exploring options.

_Kaiser_

I'd imagine it depends on the individual office

Ours is pretty relaxed (despite the size of the place) and there's even a few of those mini fridge/wine coolers around that people store cans/lunches in.

Myself I brought in a Dolce Gusto machine and use it without any problems - but then I have my own office that's locked up every night with instructions that no-one is to go in to it (IT equipment/sensitive data etc)

No issues so far.

PPC

I'm pretty sure they have the right to refuse the use of them, especially as they're legally liable if anything was to happen.
While the chances of something going wrong are minimal to none, it would still be their responsibility if it did.

robnet77

thanks, also for the additional replies, didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, we just happen to like espresso and, at the moment, are not exploring other options.

I'm not sure I would want to drink a full mug of coffee right after lunch, anyway I'll definitely try coffee from an Aeropress (thanks Sarzoky) and maybe it'll even change my mind, but as it's not just me to take this decision, for the office issue we'll try to resolve it in a different way (500W car power inverter comes to mind...)

robnet77

oh, forgot to mention we could actually settle for a handpresso (wild version), which would replicate the 16 bar pressure of a standard coffee machine, although it's a bit expensive to just try out...

Gran Hermano

16 bar? 9 or 11 for me.

sarkozy

robnet77 wrote: »

thanks, also for the additional replies, didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, we just happen to like espresso and, at the moment, are not exploring other options.

I'm not sure I would want to drink a full mug of coffee right after lunch, anyway I'll definitely try coffee from an Aeropress (thanks Sarzoky) and maybe it'll even change my mind, but as it's not just me to take this decision, for the office issue we'll try to resolve it in a different way (500W car power inverter comes to mind...)

Aeropress is great, but it's totally not the thing to use in an office, i can see that, it's more for personal/small office use. But do try it.

Jezek

robnet77 wrote: »

We already brew our espresso at home, bring it to work in a glass container and warm it up in the microwave oven, it tastes excellent, even better if left till the next day,

sorry what

vibe666

Jezek wrote: »

sorry what

what he's saying is that he takes very average coffee, ruins it by letting it go cold and reheating it in a microwave hours later, then likes to ruin it even more by leaving it until the next day, whilst simultaneously (having never used one, based entirely on a tiny minority of bad reviews) berating the aeropress for making bad coffee! :eek:

robnet77

vibe666 wrote: »

what he's saying is that he takes very average coffee, ruins it by letting it go cold and reheating it in a microwave hours later, then likes to ruin it even more by leaving it until the next day, whilst simultaneously (having never used one, based entirely on a tiny minority of bad reviews) berating the aeropress for making bad coffee! :eek:

most foods taste better the next day, regardless of "acidity develops and ruins the taste of coffee" arguments...

for reasons unknown, the five / six of us drinking that awful beverage do like it, and apparently you wouldn't like a fresh Nespresso, Lavazza or Illy anyway, so what are we talking about?

sarkozy

Jezek wrote: »

sorry what

OMG, I didn't even notice this the first time around. Mad!