Take back the coffee break!

Working in an office environment has the potential to become monotonous for even the perkiest and most optimistic employee. With so many aspects of your working day systematic and regular, even cheeky perks like a nice, hot office coffee can lose their sparkle.

If you’re an employee looking to bring a little flavour to the workplace, you’re in luck. There are a tasty variety of ways that desk or warehouse workers can rekindle that office coffee love, whatever you fancy.

Keep it simple:

First off you need to know your starting point: what do you currently drink? It may taste like dish water now, but we can do better!

• Americano – simple coffee and water with or without milk (this is probably what you have been drinking).
• Flat white – coffee and milk without water.
• Latte – milky coffee with a touch of foam on the top.
• Cappuccino – coffee, milk and foam in equal measures with a sprinkle of coco on the top.
• Mocha – coffee, drinking chocolate powder, milk and foam for that little pick me up.

Splashing out with syrups:

Rather than buying expensive syrups to add to your coffee, try making your own at half the price. Simply combine 1 cup of water with 1 cup of white sugar – plus your flavour of choice. Boil then lower to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Here are a few favourites that you can take into work to give your coffee a cheeky kick.

• Caramel – ¾ cup sugar, ½ cup water and ¼ cup caramel sauce
• Cinnamon – 1 cup water, 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• Hazelnut – 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract.
• Peppermint – 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons peppermint extract

There are so many more lovely flavours out there, so feel free to experiment until you find the perfect pick-me-up.

Chilling it:

During the summer a hot coffee isn't going to do it for you, so we’re going to need to lower the temperature a little. Bring on the ice coffees:

• Pre-made – brew a pot of coffee, pour the coffee into an ice cube tray and freeze. Next time you leave a coffee too long on your desk and it lowers to room temperature, just throw a few lovely ice cubes in for an instant ice coffee.
• 5-minute job – brew a cup of coffee as usual and add half the amount of water. Place in a mug and fill to the top with ice cubes. Leave the melt. Once at room temperature, add a few more ice cubes and start drinking – leaving it in the fridge at the office works just as well.

Coffee is important within an office environment, as it can stimulate the brain – both waking it up and improving its focus – but falling into a dull routine can have the opposite effect. Using these simple ways to jazz up your java can help to release endorphins and give your productivity a nice boost. Everyone loves a bit of choice and with these quick and tasty recipes, you’ll have both the means and the time to brew some beautiful beverages that’ll have you counting down the minutes to your next coffee break for the right reasons.