OK, OK, I know that there is a wide variety of categories when it comes to people and their coffee. Some people are casual, every-so-often coffee drinkers. Others are pretty intense about their coffee. Like, really intense. Like don’t-talk-to-me-actually-on-second-thought-don’t-even-look-at-me-until-I’ve-had-my-coffee intense. Some people are coffee aficionados and can actually pick out the subtle notes of vanilla, or blueberry, or bacon, or whatever other crazy thing is supposed to be in their primo cup of joe. Others, however, feel their irish cream hazelnut chocolate explosion java just isn’t flavored enough (guilty on that one). The team members here at the ABM studio fall throughout all these categories, so when I started out to set up our studio coffee cart, I wanted to have a little bit of something for everyone’s taste. Here’s a rundown of how we built our office coffee cart:
Buying the coffee: Since we are catering to some pretty different coffee tastes, it’s a good idea to keep several different kinds on hand. We love many of the PT’s Coffee options, but we also throw in a few flavored coffees (like caramel macchiato or hazelnut flavored) as well. Of course, it’s helpful to have a small coffee bean grinder for coffee that isn’t already ground. Depending on the type of coffee maker we are using, we decide if we need it ground finer than usual (like for pour-over coffee or espresso), so make sure to keep that in mind when buying a grinder. However, when we are buying our bag of coffee from a coffee shop, they’ll grind it however we need. (Thanks, Coffee Ethic!)
Making the coffee: It’s fun to have a few different ways on hand that coffee can be made. Our new photographer Sarah actually used to be a barista for a couple coffee shops in Nashville a while back, so we like to make her brew the coffee whenever we can. We have a standard coffee pot so we can make several quick cups at once for everyone, but we also have a Chemex for pour-over coffee and a french press as well. My favorite way to have coffee comes from the espresso machine where we can make lattes (we girls at the studio are pretty big on lattes). I’m hoping Sarah will drive our latte quality through the roof in the next few months. I also added some glass containers to keep the different coffee filters contained and organized.
Drinking the coffee: Of course coffee mugs are a pretty essential part of drinking coffee (duh!), so we had to have a few on the cart for easy access. We have a mixture of pretty white mugs and personal novelty mugs floating around the office (everyone knows that the cat-themed mug is mine). Since most on the team don’t like their coffee black, we stock our cart with plenty of fun additions for the coffee. We have sugar shakers filled with both sugar and stevia to sweeten the drinks, but we also have a few coffee syrups as well. While you can buy lots of different flavors of syrups, they are also really easy to make! I made vanilla, almond, stevia, and hazelnut flavors for our cart. We of course have a creamer option on hand that week in the fridge nearby (we have an adorable Smeg next to our coffee cart to keep our creamer cold). And we can’t forget the coffee stirrers!
We also keep some tea on the cart for tea drinkers. I know I don’t always feel like coffee every day, so it’s nice to have the tea option as well. As you might already know, Elsie is a huge tea fan. From time to time we also add a few snacks that go well with coffee like biscotti or shortbread cookies—yum! So far everyone has really been enjoying the different features of our studio cart. What kind of coffee supplies do you keep on hand? xo. Laura
Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman, Photography: Sarah Rhodes, Photos edited using Imogen from the Folk Collection.
Where can I buy the syrup bottles? Thanks!
lovely! what brand is your coffee maker? we’re on the market for a new one.
So glad to see you enjoying our coffee! We’re huge fans of our friends at the Coffee Ethic too. They’re such a great source of information.
You’re coffee setup is really great, thanks for sharing!
Best,
Autumn
www.ptscoffee.com
Sounds and looks AWESOME! I’d love to be part of the team!
so adorable.
grace
http://herumbrella.com
I LOVE this! Thinking about creating something similiar in our next appartment, thanks for sharing!
I can totally see this working in my own business!
Have y’all tried the Aeropress? (http://buy.stumptowncoffee.com/aeropress-kit.html)
I love espresso drinks but could never figure out how to make them at home. I bought this weird-looking plastic contraption for my sweetheart. I’m shocked at how quick & easy it is to use and clean, and I get great-tasting, never-bitter (or burnt) espresso from it every time. You kind of can’t mess it up. And it’s only $25.
I’m not affiliated with the company, I’m just amazed at how I can make excellent Americanos at home now. 🙂 Try it!!
xo,
Krissy
www.FeatherweightClothingCo.com
I love it, and it looks great against the dark wall too. I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but this is great inspiration for any kitchen cart.
xo
LesliMarie
www.linenandtulle.com
I use uncooked spaghetti to check whether my brownies are done! Pasta knows no bounds! 🙂
I’ve been trying to get my startup going and I think that maybe the thought of having this little coffee cart all to myself in my house might get me extra motivated. 🙂
That is perfect! I have an old industrial all metal Bunn from our (retired) maintenance shop on the counter next to the sink (it leaks a bit, but makes excellent coffee in 3 minutes!) and the whole cabinet above it is coffee stuff. One shelf is just mugs, the others have the different coffees we use, various thermoses, and an old cookie tin for the big filters it uses. I had to move the teas to a magnetic shelf on the side of the fridge when my DH found more coffees he likes. I finally chipped my favorite Laura Birch Cat Cousins mug, so it now sits next to my computer and holds my favorite pens and office tools.
That is about the coolest thing EVER!
I think it’s great that you try to accommodate everyone’s tastes. The set up is pretty, too!
I LOVE this coffee cart, especially since I’m not a big alcohol drinker so the drink carts are so pretty but not really useful for me. I don’t think you shared the stevia version of your syrup on the post a whole black. How do you make it?
Awesome job! I’m a big fan of coffee and I’d definitely appreciate it if my employer kept such a decked-out coffee bar. Oh wait… I work at home. Hmph.
Bailey
aka Bailey
LOVE the crazy cat lady mug! 🙂
It’s a really cute, practical and diverse cart you’ve got there! I work in a normal office (cubicle world for the win) and we have a little kitchenette with a fridge, toaster, kettle, toaster oven, microwave (2) AND a kurig. We used to have the oldest stuff around but we got all new material (except for the fridge and microwaves) during the last fiscal year budget renewal (we needed to spend our money to keep the amount in the next year budget). I would have preferred a Nespresso but……..this is a simple office, not a nice design oriented, crafty office. So I will keep the image of your coffee cart in my mind when I go to our office coffee corner.
I love everything about this! We have a coffee station in our house as well. It’s nice to have everything in one place. I also am completely obsessed with the dark wall color in these posts. So great!
LOVE this idea!!