Panica Coffee

10/10/2026

Every office kitchen has one: the spot where the coffee queue ends up blocking the fridge, the sink and the doorway at 9am.

It is rarely a bad machine. It is usually a machine in the wrong place.

Before a commercial coffee machine goes in, three things are worth checking:

1. Where will people stand? The queue forms right in front of the machine, so that floor needs to be clear of walkways, doors and the fridge.
2. Is there room above it? Bean hopper lids open upwards, and overhead cupboards often get in the way.
3. Is a sink close by? The daily clean is quicker when it is a few steps away, and far less likely to get skipped.

Panica Coffee confirms the position, power point and water supply before installation, so the machine works from the first morning.

Full guide: https://panica.com.au/office-coffee-machine-placement-melbourne/

09/10/2026

Is your office coffee machine running off an extension lead or a power board?

If it is, it is worth moving. A commercial machine is not a kettle that boils once and stops. The boiler reheats over and over through the morning, so it draws current in bursts for as long as people keep ordering. Extension leads, double adaptors and power boards are rated for a lot less than most people assume, and they are a common cause of overheating.

A continuously heating appliance should go straight into a wall outlet. If the outlet is in the wrong place, the fix is to move the outlet rather than stretch a lead across to the machine.

Two other things worth knowing. Most machines run from an ordinary 10 amp power point, but some higher output models come fitted with a 15 amp plug that physically will not fit a standard socket. And if the plug or the outlet is ever warm to the touch, or you notice a burning smell, stop using the machine and call a licensed electrician.

Panica Coffee checks the power point and the position before installation, so this gets sorted before delivery rather than after. Full guide here: https://panica.com.au/office-coffee-machine-power-requirements-melbourne/

07/10/2026

Has anyone at work told you the office coffee tastes stronger, or more bitter, than the cafe they go to on the weekend?

There is usually a simple reason, and it is not the machine. Most commercial espresso blends include some robusta alongside arabica. Robusta is denser and more bitter, carries more caffeine, and produces a much thicker crema. That extra body is what lets a shot hold up through a flat white instead of disappearing into the milk.

A workplace blend is built for a different job than a specialty cafe blend. That is a design decision, not a fault.

Where it does go wrong is a very high robusta percentage chosen purely on price, usually covered with a dark roast. That is the one that genuinely tastes burnt, and the machine normally gets blamed for it.

So if you are comparing bean suppliers, ask for the arabica to robusta ratio, ask how dark the roast is, and taste it as a flat white rather than a black espresso.

Panica Coffee rents, sells and services commercial superautomatic coffee machines across Melbourne and supplies the beans that go in them. Full guide here: https://panica.com.au/arabica-vs-robusta-office-coffee-blends/

06/10/2026

Someone will ask for cold brew this summer. Your coffee machine cannot make it.

That is not a fault. Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for many hours, usually overnight, then filtered. A commercial superautomatic does the opposite, pushing hot water through fine grounds in under a minute.

Iced coffee is a different story. The machine brews the shot, and somebody adds the ice and the cold milk. Brew it shorter and stronger than usual, or the melting ice turns it into dishwater.

Full guide here, including where the ice actually comes from and what changes in the cleaning routine over a hot Melbourne summer: https://panica.com.au/commercial-coffee-machine-iced-coffee-melbourne/

Panica Coffee rents and services commercial superautomatic coffee machines across Melbourne.

04/10/2026

Gym members do not drink coffee the way an office does.

In an office the fridge is mostly dairy, with a carton of oat for the two people who ask. In a gym it flips. Oat, almond and soy do most of the work, and members notice straight away when the result comes out thin or split.

So if you are putting a machine into a gym, plan the milk system around plant milk from the start rather than treating it as the exception. They do not all behave the same way through a milk line either, which is worth testing before you commit.

The other half is storage. The fridge has to sit within reach of the machine, and somebody has to check it before the early peak rather than after it.

We have written up the whole thing, including unstaffed hours and where the machine should actually sit:
https://panica.com.au/gym-coffee-machine-melbourne/

Panica Coffee rents and services commercial superautomatic coffee machines across Melbourne. Call 1300 529 505.

01/10/2026

A school lunch area is not a staff room, and the coffee machine has a different job in each.

In a staff room it sits behind a door and ticks over all day. In a lunch area it sits in a shared space, so the first question is where it goes. Behind the servery counter, or in a staff side recess. Not in the middle of a walkway, where students move past with hot drinks at arm's reach.

The second question is who cleans it. A staff room machine gets looked after by the people who use it. A lunch area sits between the canteen, the cleaners and the office, so the daily milk rinse needs a name against it before the machine arrives.

The third is the bell. Recess and lunch are two short peaks, so the number that matters is how many adults want a coffee in the same ten minutes, not how many work at the school.

We have written the whole thing up, including open days and whether one machine can cover both spaces:
https://panica.com.au/school-lunch-area-coffee-machine-melbourne/

Panica Coffee rents and services commercial superautomatic coffee machines across Melbourne. Call 1300 529 505.

29/09/2026

Not everyone in the office drinks coffee.

The tea drinkers, the decaf drinkers and the one person who wants a hot chocolate usually end up with a kettle while everyone else queues at the machine. Most commercial superautomatic machines can cover all of them, but each drink needs a decision before installation rather than after.

Three things worth checking:

1. How hot is the hot water? Coffee machine hot water is often cooler than a kettle, and black tea drinkers notice straight away.
2. Where does decaf come from? A bypass chute takes one dose of pre-ground decaf. Two bean hoppers is the cleaner answer if decaf demand is high.
3. Can a powder canister be fitted? That is your hot chocolate, and it adds a daily rinse to the cleaning routine.

Panica Coffee can match a machine to your whole team across Melbourne, not just the coffee order.

Full guide: https://panica.com.au/office-coffee-machine-non-coffee-drinkers-tea-decaf-chocolate/

24/09/2026

Moving office? Put the coffee machine on the plan with the phones and the printers, not in the final week.

A few things that catch people out.

The machine needs emptying before it travels. Drain the tank or flush the line, empty the hoppers, take out the drip tray and milk container, and clean the milk system first.

A plumbed machine has to be isolated and drained before it is moved. That is worth booking rather than leaving to moving day.

The new kitchen needs checking before the machine arrives: a suitable power point, a mains connection within reach for plumbed machines, and enough bench depth and clearance for the hoppers to open.

Water is different in every building, so have the filter checked at the new site rather than assuming it is fine. Grind settings often need a tweak too, because water hardness changes how the machine pours.

And if the team is growing, or the new office has two kitchens, a move is the easiest time to sort out capacity. Much easier than after the first morning queue.

Panica Coffee rents and services commercial superautomatic coffee machines across Melbourne. Tell us your move date and team size and we will work out whether the machine should come with you.

Full checklist, including a six week timeline: https://panica.com.au/moving-office-melbourne-coffee-machine/

22/09/2026

One kilogram of beans makes about 110 to 140 coffees. That single number answers most of the ordering questions we get from Melbourne offices.

A commercial superautomatic doses roughly 7 to 9 grams for a single shot, or 14 to 18 for a double, which is why an office that defaults to doubles gets through beans almost twice as fast.

Something that surprises a lot of office managers: a flat white uses exactly the same coffee dose as a long black. Milk changes your dairy order, not your bean order.

So a workplace pouring 70 drinks a day lands near 10 to 12 kilograms a month. Order about four weeks at a time rather than three months, because beans are at their best in the weeks after roasting.

Two things worth keeping out of the hopper: pre-ground coffee, which defeats the grinder, and very oily dark roasts, which build up on the burrs and show as slow, inconsistent shots long before anyone calls it a fault.

Panica Coffee supplies beans alongside commercial coffee machine rental across Melbourne, and we can set a delivery schedule around real usage rather than a guess.

Full guide, with a table by team size: https://panica.com.au/how-much-coffee-does-an-office-need-per-month/

22/09/2026

One kilogram of beans makes about 110 to 140 coffees. That single number answers most of the ordering questions we get from Melbourne offices.A commercial superautomatic doses roughly 7 to 9 grams for a single shot, or 14 to 18 for a double, which is why an office that defaults to doubles gets through beans almost twice as fast.Something that surprises a lot of office managers: a flat white uses exactly the same coffee dose as a long black. Milk changes your dairy order, not your bean order.So a workplace pouring 70 drinks a day lands near 10 to 12 kilograms a month. Order about four weeks at a time rather than three months, because beans are at their best in the weeks after roasting.Two things worth keeping out of the hopper: pre-ground coffee, which defeats the grinder, and very oily dark roasts, which build up on the burrs and show as slow, inconsistent shots long before anyone calls it a fault.Panica Coffee supplies beans alongside commercial coffee machine rental across Melbourne, and we can set a delivery schedule around real usage rather than a guess.Full guide, with a table by team size: https://panica.com.au/how-much-coffee-does-an-office-need-per-month/One kilogram of beans makes about 110 to 140 coffees. That single number answers most of the ordering questions we get from Melbourne offices.A commercial superautomatic doses roughly 7 to 9 grams for a single shot, or 14 to 18 for a double, which is why an office that defaults to doubles gets through beans almost twice as fast.Something that surprises a lot of office managers: a flat white uses exactly the same coffee dose as a long black. Milk changes your dairy order, not your bean order.So a workplace pouring 70 drinks a day lands near 10 to 12 kilograms a month. Order about four weeks at a time rather than three months, because beans are at their best in the weeks after roasting.Two things worth keeping out of the hopper: pre-ground coffee, which defeats the grinder, and very oily dark roasts, which build up on the burrs and show as slow, inconsistent shots long before anyone calls it a fault.Panica Coffee supplies beans alongside commercial coffee machine rental across Melbourne, and we can set a delivery schedule around real usage rather than a guess.Full guide, with a table by team size: https://panica.com.au/how-much-coffee-does-an-office-need-per-month/

How much coffee does an office need per month? Roughly 1 kg per 110 to 140 cups. Work out your bean order from real attendance, not headcount.