<p>A lot of good recommendations here, but I think some of them miss what is likely the problem.  A lot of restaurants use a machine like that; it can make good coffee.  As Tim Post suggested, it should be serviced once in a while.</p>
<p>There's nothing wrong with fresh Maxwell House Original Roast coffee.  It's popular for a reason, and many restaurants use it.</p>
<p>Taste the tap water you're putting in.  If it tastes good to drink, and doesn't have any weird smells or taste, it should be fine for making good tasting coffee.  If you wouldn't want to drink it, try bottled water that tastes good to you for making the coffee.</p>
<p>Most paper coffee filters should be fine.  Satisfy your curiosity by brewing three nested filters with no coffee and about one cup of water.  That will produce a much stronger concentration of any paper flavor you would get in normal brewing.  With some cheap filters, you might notice a paper taste if that's the only thing adding flavor.  But unless it produces a strong off-flavor, it will be overwhelmed by the coffee flavor unless you have a very discerning palate.</p>
<p>If the machine is clean and the water is good, the two most likely culprits for coffee that tastes like burnt water is stale coffee and too little grounds.</p>
<p>A big canister of ground coffee smells and tastes great when you first open it, but it degrades very quickly.  Within a few days, very little of that great aroma will be there when you open the canister, and by the end of a week, what aroma there is will be of grounds that have started to oxidize.  At least buy coffee in a canister size that the office can go through in a few days.  Restaurants use prepackaged coffee pouches (including Maxwell House).  It isn't just for portion control and to save employee time.  The pouch is opened and then used immediately, so the coffee is like when you first open the canister.</p>
<p>The amount of coffee is a common source of weak flavor.  People often use way too little coffee.  It will be more expensive to buy the coffee pouches, but if you do, and buy the appropriate size (they are sized for different machine capacities), the pouch will provide an appropriate amount of fresh coffee.  If you spoon out ground coffee from a canister, target the industry standard 16:1 water to coffee ratio.</p>
<p>Coffee scoops are typically either one or two tablespoons.  A level measure will be about 5 grams per tablespoon.  The markings on the carafes are usually either 5 fl oz or 6 fl oz cups.  For easy calculation, figure 30 grams per fl oz of water, so 150 or 180 grams of water per marked cup.  At a 16:1 ratio, that's roughly two level or rounded tablespoons of coffee per marked cup.  People often use one tablespoon per marked cup, which produces watery coffee.</p>
<p>Another source of the burnt flavor is making more coffee than can be consumed within about half an hour, then keeping the carafe warm on the built-in hotplate.  If you are measuring your own grounds, you don't need to make a full carafe at a time if that's more coffee than the office can quickly consume.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-02T23:40:38.717Z
2022-07-02T23:40:38.717Z
fixer1234
<p>My suggestion would be that you stop using the machine and take a pour over cone or french press and your own grinder to work.  The reality that I have found is that most people are willing to drink horrible coffee so long as it is free.  And that given that choice, most people would rather drink free horrible coffee than good coffee they have to pay for.  I tried for a long time to have a "coffee pool" at my office.  What I found is that a couple of people payed me money every now and again, but mostly, my good coffee just got poached by people that didn't notice the difference between it and Folgers.  I am much happier making my own cup of coffee when I want and not dealing with anything political or financial with my fellow employees. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-04T16:47:53.560Z
2015-02-04T16:47:53.560Z
Suspended User
<p>If you think you can get some money but not a lot, I'd start by switching to whole-bean coffee and purchasing both a grinder and air-tight containers to store the coffee in. Even cheap coffee tastes much better when it's fresh and freshly ground. Buy a mid-range grinder and two airtight containers (one for whole beans, and one for grounds). At the start of every day, you can grind enough to get you through the day. Coffee is best when it's used within about 2 weeks of being roasted and ground, though it'll still be drinkable longer than that, especially if stored properly. </p>

<p>The other thing you can do that doesn't cost any money is to experiment with how much coffee you use per pot. I've been in a lot of offices where people assume that more grounds automatically means better coffee, but adding too many grounds can lead to a very unpleasant bitter, metallic, or acidic taste. So try adding slightly less coffee when brewing a fresh pot and see if that helps, even if you don't change anything else.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-04T17:19:50.207Z
2015-02-04T17:19:50.207Z
Laura
<p><strong>Coffee beans</strong> - I mean the type of coffee you actually drip. Exchange the coffee for 100% arabica coffee. it does not have to be even single source coffee. Good start for <em>decent</em> cup of coffee is ... You bet, it is Starbucks.</p>

<p>While I personally am in movement away from Starbucks, it should be good choice for decent cup of coffee for reasonable price</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-02T23:19:05.810Z
Most drip coffee, including Maxwell House, is 100% arabica.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-04T14:53:41.980Z
2015-02-04T14:53:41.980Z
Pavel Janicek
<p>The easiest step would be to swap out the Maxwell House coffee for something of higher quality.  If there are local roasters nearby, check to see if they do wholesale or bulk orders, and then order some 5lb. bags of coffee from them.  Since the idea is to keep costs low, they should be able to grind it for you ahead of time so that you won't have to add the cost of a grinder for the time being.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-10T19:52:47.067Z
@StephenCollings - Go rogue; drop 20 quid and do a test: replace one day's supply and tell just a couple friends that you've done this. Buy a couple pounds of decent arabica beans from anywhere; pick a roast and grind to look as close as possible to what you're using now. Put them in the Blue canister. Hang out near the coffee maker more than usual, and listen for chatter. If you hear positive feedback, you've got traction and currency. If you hear complaints or nothing, re-po the coffee and learn to enjoy making pour-over at your desk. :) +1 for suggesting local.
hoc_age
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-10T19:59:48.730Z
@StephenCollings Is [this "Bean Central" place](http://beancentral.com/about-us.html) near you? Found from your profile page + Google Maps for "coffee roaster".
hoc_age
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-05T11:35:38.723Z
Why buy 5lb bags at once? Buy enough to make a few cups, see if it tastes well, and then go for bulk. What if he buys a lot and then discovers it wasn't the coffe that was the problem?
Ludwik
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-05T12:50:40.870Z
This is an interesting idea. Is there a directory anywhere of local roasters?
Stephen Collings
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-04T14:53:02.053Z
2015-02-04T14:53:02.053Z
John Michel
<p>I work at a company of about sixty people. Like most offices, there's a communal coffee machine in our break room. It's what I understand to be a typical drip machine, pretty confident it's a <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000BN7W8O" rel="noreferrer">Bunn VPS 12</a>.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/MCNGt.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>The <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00I8GC9E8" rel="noreferrer">grounds</a> used are Maxwell House.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/x1Kd4.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>The filters are pretty generic looking, and the water is straight from our local tap.</p>

<p>The end result of all this could charitably be described as burnt water.</p>

<p>I know you can spend pretty much any amount of money on beans, roasters, grinders, presses, additives, and everything else that could possibly be coffee-related. But I'm not trying to make the <em>best imaginable</em> cup of coffee. I'm trying to make about 200 <em>decent</em> cups of coffee a day, for relatively little investment.</p>

<p>I've cleaned out the machine with <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00CHNK5XA" rel="noreferrer">Goo Gone coffee maker cleaner</a>, to no significant effect. Past that, everything I can think of involves permanent changes to the process, and I want to have some way to justify that before I push for it. Where would my investments of money and political capital be best directed?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-04T15:16:46.367Z
I don't have an answer, but I will say don't hate on the tap water. Some offices mistakenly use water from large jugs delivered to the office. If that water was cleaned using reverse-osmosis then the minerals have been removed and it makes the coffee even worse. US tap water is actually pretty good for coffee.
Justin C
<flavor><drip-brew>
How can I cost-effectively improve the coffee supply in my company break room?
Stephen Collings
# How can I cost-effectively improve the coffee supply in my company break room?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-04)

I work at a company of about sixty people. Like most offices, there's a communal coffee machine in our break room. It's what I understand to be a typical drip machine, pretty confident it's a [Bunn VPS 12](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B000BN7W8O).

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/MCNGt.jpg)

The [grounds](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00I8GC9E8) used are Maxwell House.

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/x1Kd4.jpg)

The filters are pretty generic looking, and the water is straight from our local tap.

The end result of all this could charitably be described as burnt water.

I know you can spend pretty much any amount of money on beans, roasters, grinders, presses, additives, and everything else that could possibly be coffee-related. But I'm not trying to make the *best imaginable* cup of coffee. I'm trying to make about 200 *decent* cups of coffee a day, for relatively little investment.

I've cleaned out the machine with [Goo Gone coffee maker cleaner](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00CHNK5XA), to no significant effect. Past that, everything I can think of involves permanent changes to the process, and I want to have some way to justify that before I push for it. Where would my investments of money and political capital be best directed?

**Tags:** flavor, drip-brew

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I don't have an answer, but I will say don't hate on the tap water. Some offices mistakenly use water from large jugs delivered to the office. If that water was cleaned using reverse-osmosis then the minerals have been removed and it makes the coffee even worse. US tap water is actually pretty good for coffee.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-02-04. Score: 12 | Accepted answer

The easiest step would be to swap out the Maxwell House coffee for something of higher quality. If there are local roasters nearby, check to see if they do wholesale or bulk orders, and then order some 5lb. bags of coffee from them. Since the idea is to keep costs low, they should be able to grind it for you ahead of time so that you won't have to add the cost of a grinder for the time being.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: Why buy 5lb bags at once? Buy enough to make a few cups, see if it tastes well, and then go for bulk. What if he buys a lot and then discovers it wasn't the coffe that was the problem?  
> **username_0**: This is an interesting idea. Is there a directory anywhere of local roasters?  
> **username_7**: @StephenCollings - Go rogue; drop 20 quid and do a test: replace one day's supply and tell just a couple friends that you've done this. Buy a couple pounds of decent arabica beans from anywhere; pick a roast and grind to look as close as possible to what you're using now. Put them in the Blue canister. Hang out near the coffee maker more than usual, and listen for chatter. If you hear positive feedback, you've got traction and currency. If you hear complaints or nothing, re-po the coffee and learn to enjoy making pour-over at your desk. :) +1 for suggesting local.  
> **username_7**: @StephenCollings Is [this "Bean Central" place](http://beancentral.com/about-us.html) near you? Found from your profile page + Google Maps for "coffee roaster".  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-02-04. Score: 9

**Coffee beans** - I mean the type of coffee you actually drip. Exchange the coffee for 100% arabica coffee. it does not have to be even single source coffee. Good start for *decent* cup of coffee is ... You bet, it is Starbucks.

While I personally am in movement away from Starbucks, it should be good choice for decent cup of coffee for reasonable price

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Most drip coffee, including Maxwell House, is 100% arabica.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-02-04. Score: 6

My suggestion would be that you stop using the machine and take a pour over cone or french press and your own grinder to work. The reality that I have found is that most people are willing to drink horrible coffee so long as it is free. And that given that choice, most people would rather drink free horrible coffee than good coffee they have to pay for. I tried for a long time to have a "coffee pool" at my office. What I found is that a couple of people payed me money every now and again, but mostly, my good coffee just got poached by people that didn't notice the difference between it and Folgers. I am much happier making my own cup of coffee when I want and not dealing with anything political or financial with my fellow employees.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-02-04. Score: 6

If you think you can get some money but not a lot, I'd start by switching to whole-bean coffee and purchasing both a grinder and air-tight containers to store the coffee in. Even cheap coffee tastes much better when it's fresh and freshly ground. Buy a mid-range grinder and two airtight containers (one for whole beans, and one for grounds). At the start of every day, you can grind enough to get you through the day. Coffee is best when it's used within about 2 weeks of being roasted and ground, though it'll still be drinkable longer than that, especially if stored properly.

The other thing you can do that doesn't cost any money is to experiment with how much coffee you use per pot. I've been in a lot of offices where people assume that more grounds automatically means better coffee, but adding too many grounds can lead to a very unpleasant bitter, metallic, or acidic taste. So try adding slightly less coffee when brewing a fresh pot and see if that helps, even if you don't change anything else.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-07-02. Score: 1

A lot of good recommendations here, but I think some of them miss what is likely the problem. A lot of restaurants use a machine like that; it can make good coffee. As Tim Post suggested, it should be serviced once in a while.

There's nothing wrong with fresh Maxwell House Original Roast coffee. It's popular for a reason, and many restaurants use it.

Taste the tap water you're putting in. If it tastes good to drink, and doesn't have any weird smells or taste, it should be fine for making good tasting coffee. If you wouldn't want to drink it, try bottled water that tastes good to you for making the coffee.

Most paper coffee filters should be fine. Satisfy your curiosity by brewing three nested filters with no coffee and about one cup of water. That will produce a much stronger concentration of any paper flavor you would get in normal brewing. With some cheap filters, you might notice a paper taste if that's the only thing adding flavor. But unless it produces a strong off-flavor, it will be overwhelmed by the coffee flavor unless you have a very discerning palate.

If the machine is clean and the water is good, the two most likely culprits for coffee that tastes like burnt water is stale coffee and too little grounds.

A big canister of ground coffee smells and tastes great when you first open it, but it degrades very quickly. Within a few days, very little of that great aroma will be there when you open the canister, and by the end of a week, what aroma there is will be of grounds that have started to oxidize. At least buy coffee in a canister size that the office can go through in a few days. Restaurants use prepackaged coffee pouches (including Maxwell House). It isn't just for portion control and to save employee time. The pouch is opened and then used immediately, so the coffee is like when you first open the canister.

The amount of coffee is a common source of weak flavor. People often use way too little coffee. It will be more expensive to buy the coffee pouches, but if you do, and buy the appropriate size (they are sized for different machine capacities), the pouch will provide an appropriate amount of fresh coffee. If you spoon out ground coffee from a canister, target the industry standard 16:1 water to coffee ratio.

Coffee scoops are typically either one or two tablespoons. A level measure will be about 5 grams per tablespoon. The markings on the carafes are usually either 5 fl oz or 6 fl oz cups. For easy calculation, figure 30 grams per fl oz of water, so 150 or 180 grams of water per marked cup. At a 16:1 ratio, that's roughly two level or rounded tablespoons of coffee per marked cup. People often use one tablespoon per marked cup, which produces watery coffee.

Another source of the burnt flavor is making more coffee than can be consumed within about half an hour, then keeping the carafe warm on the built-in hotplate. If you are measuring your own grounds, you don't need to make a full carafe at a time if that's more coffee than the office can quickly consume.


---

