We look at the pros and cons of the new Flavia drinks system.
In this latest article of our 'Coffee in the Office' series we take a look at the Flavia filter-pack drinks machine.
The Flavia range of drinks machines work in an unusual and ingenious manner to serve a wide variety of top quality delicious drinks to the end user. After the drink choice has been made the appropriate drink foil pack is inserted into the machine, a cup is placed underneath and a button is pressed. Hot water is then forced into the foil pack to release the full flavour of the drink as it is dispensed into the cup.
Each drink is individually made and there is no cross contamination of flavours between different drink types. The machine has very low maintenance and can be plumbed in or just topped up with fresh water as required. Since no cup is dispensed the user has the choice to use their own cup or use branded Flavia waxed paper cups that can be provided by your supplier together with sugar sticks, stirrers, cup holders etc if required.
The Flavia machine is best used in a supervised environment as the ingredients are selected from a display case and there is no security. It is also best used in a low volume office type environment where drink choice and quality is paramount rather than serving a large number of people.
The main advantage of this type of machine is the sheer quality of the drinks produced and the amazing choice of drinks available. A huge number of fresh ground coffees are offered of different types of coffee beans and roasts, fresh leaf teas, speciality drinks, speciality teas, chocolates and even fruit infusions and green teas. Note however that the drinks are usually sold from the supplier in cases of 80 so in reality most offices will want to limit the range of drinks offered although they can of course order different products each time they order.
Although the cost of the machine is relatively low when compared to other types of drinks dispensing machine (allowing the possibility of multiple machine sites) the individual drink cost is quite high and can prove prohibitive.
The Flavia option is not the solution for high volume sites, sites requiring security of ingredients nor for those requiring a coin controlled system.
However in the right environment the Flavia drinks system can be the perfect high quality solution for satisfying discerning drinkers at all times of the day.
