For a cream tea where guests will make coffee one cup at a time using a kettle, three 80-bag Taylors of Harrogate Rich Italian catering boxes provide 240 individually wrapped portions, according to Business Beverages. Bulk ground filter coffee suits batch service when you have a compatible machine and someone to prepare it, but its cup yield depends on your recipe and serving size.
If guests will prepare their own coffee alongside the cream tea, individually wrapped bags make portions straightforward to count. Business Beverages lists Taylors Rich Italian catering boxes with 80 bags each, so three boxes provide 240 bags. Decide how many guests are likely to choose coffee rather than assuming everyone will need a portion.
Taylors of Harrogate describes its coffee bags as ground coffee brewed directly in a mug, using a kettle and spoon. This format does not require a cafetière or filter machine, but each cup still needs hot water and brewing time.
For staff preparing coffee in batches, Douwe Egberts Real Filter Coffee is a bulk product designed for filter-style machines, according to JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS Professional UK. Work out the required quantity from the machine, brewing recipe and intended cup size; a bulk pack does not represent a fixed number of portions.
Start with the number of coffee portions you intend to serve, then match the format to the equipment and pace of service.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion count | Check bags per pack and the total across the order. Business Beverages lists 80 individually wrapped Taylors Rich Italian bags per catering box; three boxes contain 240 bags. | I need to know whether 240 means one carton or the combined contents of several packs, and how many coffee drinkers to allow for. |
| Brewing equipment | Taylors of Harrogate gives a kettle, mug and spoon for its coffee bags. JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS Professional UK specifies filter-style machines for its professional ground coffee; check your machine and filter requirements before choosing bulk coffee. | If guests are making individual cups, I want a format that works at the drinks table. If staff will brew batches, I need equipment and people available to do that. |
| Water and serving pace | Taylors of Harrogate gives around 250 ml of water and a four-minute brew for each coffee bag. At that volume, 240 cups would use around 60 litres of hot water; check kettle or urn capacity and the number of mugs available. | Will guests want coffee at once, or can I replenish hot water and serve cups over the course of the cream tea? |
| Coffee format and choice | Distinguish mug-brewed coffee bags from ground coffee intended for a filter machine. If offering decaf, check its separate pack count: Tesco lists Taylors Decaffé coffee bags in 10-bag packs. | I may want both regular and decaf coffee. I need to count each type separately rather than treating every coffee portion as interchangeable. |
Business Beverages lists the Taylors Rich Italian catering box as 80 individually wrapped bags. One box would therefore provide only a third of a 240-bag order.
Check the count on the listing and order three of those 80-bag boxes if you need 240 bags. Decide separately whether some portions should be decaf.
Douwe Egberts professional filter coffee is ground for filter-style machines. Unlike a coffee bag, bulk ground coffee must be measured and brewed with suitable equipment.
Confirm the machine type, filters and batch capacity before ordering, and decide who will prepare and replenish the coffee.
A batch-service plan may also require filters, serving jugs and staff time.
Taylors of Harrogate advises around 250 ml of water and a four-minute brew per coffee bag. Making 240 cups at that volume would take around 60 litres of hot water, even if the cups are prepared at different times.
Check how quickly kettles or an urn can supply water, and provide enough mugs for the expected flow of guests.
The Food Standards Agency’s guidance, published in February 2025, says food businesses must make mandatory allergen information accurate, available and easily accessible when relevant ingredients are used in food they provide.
For a food-business cream tea, check the delivered packs and current supplier information, and make the applicable allergen information accessible to guests.
These brands illustrate different coffee formats; their inclusion does not mean the packs have the same portion count or brewing requirements.
Taylors describes coffee bags as ground coffee brewed directly in a mug. Business Beverages lists its Rich Italian catering format as 80 individually wrapped bags per box.
JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS Professional UK lists Real Filter Coffee in a 6 x 1 kg bulk format designed for filter-style machines.
Lavazza UK describes ground-coffee blends prepared for different brewing methods, including filter preparation.
This coffee-bag multipack is an option for individual mug service at a cream tea. Check its bag count before using it to plan a 240-portion order; it is not the 80-bag catering box discussed above.
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Individually wrapped coffee bags suit one-cup-at-a-time service with mugs. This listing is for three 75g packs; confirm the number of bags in each pack before calculating how many bundles you would need for 240 portions.
No. Business Beverages lists a Taylors of Harrogate Rich Italian catering box containing 80 individually wrapped bags, so three of those boxes provide 240 bags. Check the count of the specific packs you order rather than assuming every carton contains 240.
At Taylors of Harrogate’s guidance of around 250 ml per bag, 240 cups would use around 60 litres of hot water if every cup follows that volume. Taylors also advises a four-minute brew per bag, so plan how guests will access hot water and mugs throughout service.
No. Taylors of Harrogate describes its coffee bags as brewing directly in a mug with a kettle and spoon. Bulk ground filter coffee is a different choice: JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS Professional UK specifies filter-style machines for its professional product, so check equipment compatibility if you intend to brew batches.