Month: November 2020

When is a coffee break more than just drinking a cup of coffee? The answer is when it happens during a work break. Even though many businesses are short-staffed or overwhelmed because of COVID-19, Louisville employers realize that encouraging their employees to take breaks is necessary.

15 minutes of employee downtime to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or healthy snack from a vending machine or micro-market results in other benefits. As a result, many employers go out of their way to encourage employees to take a coffee break.

Health Benefits

Coffee contains caffeine. The main reason most people drink coffee is the caffeine, but it can also improve one’s mood and cognitive performance. Moderate coffee intake is also shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, brain cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. A bonus when an energy boost is an employee’s primary goal.

A break room also encourages Louisville employees to move around. Sitting for long periods can cause joint stiffness and fatigue. Eye strain and headaches can happen after staring at a computer screen for too long without a break. Therefore, everyone finds multiple benefits when employees take breaks.

Breaks help employees work better, and employers see an increase in morale and output.

Coffee Gets Everyone Talking

According to Entrepreneur.com, stress levels are at an all-time high. Too much stress causes a loss of productivity and morale, and an increase in health costs, errors, and interpersonal conflicts. Today, almost everyone suffers from some degree of stress.

Encouraging coffee breaks is one way to help your Louisville area employees combat stress. Just as stepping away from one’s desk for 15 minutes helps decrease stiffness and increases circulation, walking and taking a break helps the brain relax.

Another benefit of the coffee break is an increase in communication among employees. Breaks encourage everyone to share concerns, which helps reduce stress. The break room is also a great place to relax and engage in informative conversations. These gatherings often stimulate creative ideas, improve employee camaraderie, and build workplace morale.

The Drink Menu

Coffee isn’t the only beverage that offers benefits. Many employees do not like the taste of coffee or consume limited amounts of caffeine. If an employee falls into either category, there are many other delicious and healthy options. Hot or iced tea, bottled water, and energy drinks are just a few. The goal is to create a time and place for employees to recharge so they can go back to work more focused.

For more information about our hot and cold beverage menus or to add additional vending services, please contact Total Vend at 502.451.0111. We look forward to hearing from you.

Which is better—coffee or green tea? While everyone has an opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. Both beverages are part of any office coffee service and offer a multitude of varieties and flavors and health benefits for Louisville employees. A popular benefit of both drinks is the energy boost that comes from caffeine. Traditionally brewed coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine in one 8-oz cup, while green tea has between 20 mg to 45 mg per 8-oz cup.

It’s Good for Your Health

Benefits of ingesting caffeine, whether in coffee or tea, include an increase in energy levels and a decrease in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. While coffee offers almost double the amount of caffeine, green tea offers other significant benefits from higher levels of flavanols, an important micronutrient, catechins, a natural antioxidant, and L-theanine, an amino acid.

For example, the combination of caffeine and L-theanine in green tea results in improved brain function, or stronger working memory, better attention levels, and less anxiety. Other benefits of drinking green tea include an increase in bone strength and health, improved condition of one’s skin from improved moisture retention to anti-aging, and a reduction in heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

It’s Time to Enjoy

With the ongoing stress of 2020, enjoying a beverage that offers all those health benefits is a good idea. Let’s look at four things that can help Louisville employees create a delicious mug of green tea in the break room.

Know Your Tea

As with almost everything, it’s hard to create a great result if you don’t know your ingredients. Most green tea originates in China and Japan. The Chinese variety usually has a smokier flavor because the tea leaves are roasted, while the Japanese variety has a sweeter taste because the leaves are steamed.

Making the Tea

Green tea leaves are sensitive to heat. When prepared with water that is too hot, the leaves can burn. If the leaves are steeped for too long, the leaves can burn. Both scenarios result in a bitter flavor. To prevent burning, steep the leaves for no more than two minutes and don’t use water that is too hot.

Add Flavors

Whether the goal is to mellow the natural flavor or create a new flavor combination, many options are available. Some popular additions include lemon slices, honey, fresh ginger (use sparingly—ginger can overwhelm quickly), peppermint leaves, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg, and citrus peels.

Infuse with Fruit

Fresh and dried fruit can also be added to provide additional flavor and sweetness. Fresh apples or berries are a great option as they are readily available and are also high in flavanols. Dried fruit such as mango, pineapple, peach, and papaya are also good as they mellow out the bitterness.

As the number of tea options available grows, it is essential to modify your Louisville break room refreshment menu to meet the demand. Not only will your employees enjoy the benefits of drinking a delicious beverage, but they will also be more likely to visit the break room when they want fresh food or a snack. For more information about improving your refreshment services, including office coffee service, vending machines, or micro-market, call Total Vend today at 502.451.0111.