Office Tea Station: Sizing a Staff Kitchen
A staff tea station is a small piece of infrastructure with a disproportionate effect on the working day. Done badly it produces a queue at 10 a.m., a permanently dirty sink, and someone's mug going missing weekly. The two numbers that fix it: one kettle per 15 staff, and 1.5 mugs per person.
Sizing by headcount
| Staff | Kettles | Mugs | Glasses | Flasks | Water per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 (1.7 L) | 8 | 8 | 1 | 8 L |
| 10 | 1 (1.7 L) | 15 | 15 | 1–2 | 15 L |
| 20 | 2 | 30 | 30 | 2 | 30 L |
| 40 | 2–3, or an urn | 60 | 60 | 3–4 | 60 L |
| 75+ | Water boiler / urn | 110 | 110 | 4+ | 110 L |
1.5 mugs per person covers the ones sitting unwashed on desks. Order one mug each and by Wednesday the cupboard is empty while the mugs are scattered around the building.
Above roughly 30 staff, kettles stop working — the 10 a.m. queue becomes the problem. A water boiler or urn that holds hot water continuously removes the bottleneck entirely, and the flask approach below solves it more cheaply for mid-size offices.
The flask trick that removes the queue
Boil once, decant into large vacuum flasks, and the kettle is free. Staff pour from a flask in seconds instead of waiting three minutes for a boil.
- Fill flasks first thing, and again after lunch.
- Two flasks for 20 staff, three or four for 40.
- This also cuts electricity noticeably — one boil of a full kettle instead of fifteen partial boils.
- It works during a power cut, which is the other reason to do it.
For most offices between 20 and 60 people, flasks are a better answer than a second kettle.
What the station needs
Core
- Kettle sized to the headcount, or a boiler above 30 staff
- Vacuum flasks
- Mugs — identical and stackable, not an assortment
- Glasses for water
- Spoons — many more than you think, they vanish fastest of anything
- Tea, coffee, sugar, and a milk option in sealed containers
- A tray for carrying
- Water dispenser or a filled container with a tap
- A bin with a lid, emptied daily
Keeps it usable
- Washing-up basin, sponge, dish soap, drying rack
- Cloths — colour-coded so the same cloth is not used on the sink and the table
- Airtight containers for tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits — this is ant prevention, not tidiness
- A wall-mounted mug rack or hooks to free the counter
- A small fridge if milk is provided
- A visible cleaning rota
Layout that prevents the queue
Bottlenecks come from layout, not from the number of people. Separate the station into three points that do not block each other:
- Hot water point — kettle or flasks, with mugs and tea beside them.
- Cold water point — dispenser, positioned away from the kettle so someone filling a bottle is not standing in front of the tea.
- Washing point — sink, rack, bin. Away from both, so washing-up does not block service.
The single most common layout mistake is putting the water dispenser directly beside the kettle. Two different queues then form in the same square metre.
Consumables and how fast they go
| Item | 10 staff, per month | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tea (loose or bags) | ~400–600 g | Assumes two cups a day each |
| Coffee | ~500 g | Higher if you provide good coffee — usage rises |
| Sugar | ~2 kg | Varies enormously by team |
| Milk (UHT) | ~15–20 L | UHT avoids fridge dependency and waste |
| Drinking water | ~15 × 20 L bottles | Set a standing order rather than reacting |
| Dish soap, cloths, bin liners | Monthly restock | The items that quietly run out |
Put one named person in charge of restocking, with a standing order. "Whoever notices" is how an office runs out of milk on a Monday.
Keeping it clean without a cleaner
- A written rota, visible at the station. Unassigned shared spaces do not get cleaned.
- Wash your own mug as the stated rule, with a nightly sink-clearing duty rotating weekly.
- Dry the sink at the end of the day. A permanently damp sink is what invites cockroaches.
- Empty the bin daily, without exception. Milk and teabags in a bin overnight is the fastest route to a smell and to pests.
- Wipe the counter at close, not at open.
- Descale the kettle monthly in hard water areas — a scaled kettle boils slower, which lengthens the queue.
Making it welcoming without much effort
- Identical mugs look deliberate; mismatched mugs look neglected. It costs the same.
- Provide a non-milk option and a herbal or black tea — small inclusion that gets noticed.
- Keep a couple of spare mugs aside specifically for visitors, and a tray to serve them properly.
- A jug of water and glasses in the meeting room saves interrupting meetings.
- Label the containers. People should not have to open three jars to find sugar.
Frequently asked questions
How many mugs does an office need?
About 1.5 per person — 30 mugs for 20 staff. Order one each and the cupboard is empty by midweek.
How many kettles for 20 staff?
Two, or one plus two vacuum flasks. Above roughly 30 staff, use a water boiler or urn.
How do I stop the 10 a.m. queue?
Boil once and decant into large flasks, and separate the hot water, cold water and washing points so they do not block each other.
How much drinking water does an office need?
Roughly 1.5 litres per person per day including tea, so about 15 twenty-litre bottles a month for ten staff.
Should we provide fresh or UHT milk?
UHT is more practical unless you have a reliable fridge — no dependency on power and far less waste.
Why do office kitchens attract ants?
Sugar and biscuits in opened packets, and a bin left overnight. Use airtight containers and empty the bin daily.
Who should manage restocking?
One named person with a standing order. Shared responsibility means running out.
Set up the station
See mugs, vacuum flasks, kettles and water dispensers, glasses, airtight containers, office accessories and cleaning equipment. Kitting out an office? Tell us your headcount on WhatsApp and we will size the order.