How do you serve coffee for guests?

[hbuchtel]

Hello all,

This question is partly inspired by reading the introductory chapter (.pdf file) of the Illy "Espresso Coffee" book which talks about different regions' coffee drinking styles.

How do you all serve coffee? For a spouse, for friends, for guests . . .

Does everybody crowd around and watch? Do you go off to the kitchen and come out with the prepared drinks? Do you 'take orders' or give everybody the same drink? Do people often come over just for coffee or do serve it after a meal?

For myself, the only time I make coffee for somebody other then myself is when a particular friend (who shares this hobby) comes over. We both get involved in making a couple cups of espresso (and discuss why it tastes so bad ) then sit down and chat till other responsibilities rear their ugly heads. Not much ceremony, and the relaxed chatting happens after we finish our drinks, not over them.

I should mention that 99% of what I know about espresso was learned on the internet, and I did not grow up with a particular coffee-drinking tradition.

So, please share your stories!

Henry

[Ken Fox]

Hello all,

This question is partly inspired by reading the introductory chapter (.pdf file) of the Illy "Espresso Coffee" book which talks about different regions' coffee drinking styles.

How do you all serve coffee? For a spouse, for friends, for guests . . .

Does everybody crowd around and watch? Do you go off to the kitchen and come out with the prepared drinks? Do you 'take orders' or give everybody the same drink? Do people often come over just for coffee or do serve it after a meal?

For myself, the only time I make coffee for somebody other then myself is when a particular friend (who shares this hobby) comes over. We both get involved in making a couple cups of espresso (and discuss why it tastes so bad ) then sit down and chat till other responsibilities rear their ugly heads. Not much ceremony, and the relaxed chatting happens after we finish our drinks, not over them.

I should mention that 99% of what I know about espresso was learned on the internet, and I did not grow up with a particular coffee-drinking tradition.

So, please share your stories!

Henry

Hi,

I am sorry that I cannot give you a satisfactory answer. Try as I might, seldom do I end up serving more than a couple espresso drinks to visitors. I have a nice wine collection and enjoy cooking. The result is that people end up eating and drinking and talking to each other too much and by the time that it is time to serve coffee, it is late and people want to go home!

My cleaning lady, however, raves about my cappucinos!

ken

[HB]

Some may remember the recent poll from the front page:

I was surprised to learn that making espresso is usually a solitary event for almost 35% of the respondents. In my case, guests fall into two categories: Coffee buddies who watch and critique my every move, and my wife's friends. The latter group is extremely easy to please. They order big bowl lattes, cappuccinos, and dessert espressos; I prepare and serve, nobody pays attention to the process. Whatever I make will get "ooooh and ahhhs" along with mock complaints about ruining their tolerance for Starbucks. My coffee buddies rarely order milk drinks; hearing "pretty good" is high praise. In all fairness, I'm not easy on them when the situation is reversed.

[zin1953]

It all depends upon one's focus, I suppose, and one's machine . . .

Mostly I make espresso/cappucion/latte for my wife and I. After 35 years in the wine trade, I, too, have a relatively nice wine collection and we often spend time after dinner finishing off the bottle or over some Porto. That said, this is (in all seriousness) the primary reason I'm looking to upgrade from my Gaggia -- I can't make espresso/cappuccino for company . . . at least if we have more than one other couple over, and even then, only if I don't mind having my espresso after everyone else has finished . . .

I thought company was what the French Press was for!

And while I thought I wanted an e61, I can't get past the thought of wasting all that water "surfing" . . . .

So what's the solution? I know: either a true commercial machine (but even the La Marzoccos on eBay are ridiculously expensive), or a La Spaziale S1. After all, even with a double boiler Brewtus II, you still have to surf, don't you?

[HB]

After all, even with a double boiler Brewtus II, you still have to surf, don't you?

Dual boiler espresso machines tend to have "cold noses" after an idle period, so a short flush is required to warm them before pulling a shot. Abe covered this in his review, including a "lazy man's flush chart" (link).

[zin1953]

A little flush to cure a "cold nose" isn't a problem; it's the constant "surfing" with an HX machine (in spite of reading "How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb -- er, HXs") that concerns me.

[Teme]

I always ask what my guests would like to have and go from there. I find myself pulling ristrettos for my guests after dinner. Many ask for another, which is nice. For overnight guests I find I'm doing lattes or cappuccinos in connection with the breakfast or brunch. Latte art always seems to have an impact. Usually people gather around in the kitchen to watch me prepare the coffee. If my guests are at all interested in coffee I enjoy helping them try and pull a shot for themselves - this usually also seems to be a hit...

Br,
Teme

[cpl593h]

If my guests are at all interested in coffee I enjoy helping them try and pull a shot for themselves - this usually also seems to be a hit...

Br,
Teme

Such a diplomat!

~

I usually make a couple of press pots of several different single origins I have lying around. It's rare that I get to serve espresso since most everyone I know doesn't like straight espresso. It's rarer still that I will make a milk-based beverage for a guest since we don't keep milk around the house.

I am moving into an on campus apartment at university on Tuesday - every single one of my 5 housemates like coffee (although I don't know to what extent) so it looks like I will be busy doing more for people than I have done in the past. If I can get them hooked on straight espresso, that will be ideal.

[Jasonian]

I'll make what the guest(s) want.. within reason.

They are welcome to watch if they like, but i don't insist on it or anything. Depending on who it's for, they may or may not watch the whole process.

My old roommate was hooked on coffee after having lived with me for a semester. I taught him to make espresso and properly steam milk. His first try was actually pretty good.

My current roommate(his replacement) used to work as a barista, so she knows the lingo and process, but she doesn't drink much coffee for fear of staining her teeth(apparently, she lost a lot of enamel from having had to wear braces for ~3years when she was significantly younger, so she's a bit paranoid).

My other roommates don't much care for coffee.

If my g/f wants a mocha, I'll make it for her, but I don't have any nice mocha powder/sauce to use, so I just end up using Hershey's syrup (it's not something I make often enough.. I never make them for myself.. to warrant stocking any in the house) and her own whipped cream (if any.. I get into the Luigi Lupi chocolate powder art pours with mochas).

[naznar]

when serving a guest i offer sugar and dairy if i have any.

I like putting out the water glasses first, one for us each.
then i make the coffee.

water is so nice, everyone should drink more of it really. Of course
as water is the only on-demand beverage i have it is always offered when people
arrive. when the coffee is made water is set out anyways.

coffee is really good times at my house now.
and i am pleased to say that my coffee friends who i send coffee home with
have been drinking more of it lately and have started to leave out the milk too.

-joel

[another_jim]

I'll serve (within taste, i.e. no instant, no Folgers etc) anything anyone wants. However, sometimes I get "educational," and the place empties out pretty quickly.

The moral of the story is if someone wants a boatload of milk and sugar, they won't be happy if they don't get it -- nowadays, if I have the overwhelming urge to get educational, they get whatever they want **and** whatever I think they may prefer. Even with this trick, I usually strike out.

[k7qz]

I hesitated whether to post this or not because it's probably going to make me look like the HB version of the village idiot... Anyway this thread of serving coffee to guests reminded me of last weeks experience- File this one under "Pride goeth before a fall".

My wife had several lady friends over this last weekend and they were oohing and ahhing over the beautiful Elektra A3 which my lovely wife has allowed me to place in her kitchen. I figured hey, I've been reading the HB site for about a year now so I must be a pretty good hand at pulling shots. Maybe I should demonstrate my expertise to this bunch! As such I offered this group of ladies the opportunity to sample my espresso "magic". I seated them at the kitchen table so they could watch the show.

Problem was, as I was chit-chatting and not paying attention as I should have been, I failed to lock the loaded PF fully into the grouphead. Pulled the lever and stood back to admire my liquid nirvana pour forth. Once my pump ramped up to 9 bar, things sounded a little funny so I bent down to see what the problem was. At that point, BAMMM!!!, the PF blew off the group head spraying everything within about a 6 foot radius with espresso slop. (A visual image of an espresso grenade would be appropriate at this point).

There I stood with espresso grinds dripping off my face. My wife's guests sat there gape-mouthed with horrified looks on their faces- All I could think to say was "well, that was a tragic waste of good coffee" which caused them all to howl with laughter. So much for my barista reputation around the neighborhood

Don't try this at home boys and girls!

[HB]

Thanks for sharing your sorrows, it gave me a good laugh! Actually the same thing has happened to me. When I measure basket temperatures with the "thermocouple wire over the lip" technique, I gingerly lock in the portafilter to minimize the movement of the probe. Unfortunately the portafilter wasn't always locked in securely:

Blam! (grounds everywhere)
Clatter! (portafilter hits the floor)
"Son of a...!" (me cussing)

My wife jumped the first time it happened. Now she doesn't even turn her head.

[ciordia9]

Like you said, it kind of depends on the guest. Men usually watch, I'm thinking its the tinkerer in all of us. The more corporate the man the less interest he generally shows. Women look when I say the word naked, and then generally go back to chatting with my wife. Kids pay me no heed.

-a

edit: I've never had a portafilter blow out, but we've had our finger stick to the handle of the milk pitcher every blue moon and that incites quite a few explicitives as I am _constantly_ amazed at how far milk can travel after that pitcher hits the floor.

[roblumba]

I almost always serve my lattes the same way.

1 shot in 8 ounces of milk, with 1 ounce vanilla syrup, whipped cream (from an ISO dispenser with vanilla mixed in), with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Occasionally, someone requests something different. But most people want exactly what my wife and I enjoy every morning.

After 1 year, my wife has started likely stronger coffee. Plus, my skills have improved so that my double shots are not so burnt / bitter. So now we do a double shot in 8-10 ounces of milk. I think I'll start trying this on my guests.

Usually, I'm scurrying around the kitchen doing it all myself, with the guests commenting that I should open a coffee shop. The only mishap I had was just bad espresso due to not flushing the HX, or stale beans. Believe it or not, I actually went for over 2 years with this ECM Giotto, not realizing that flushing the HX would improve my espresso considerably.

[barry]

How do you all serve coffee? For a spouse, for friends, for guests . . .

Does everybody crowd around and watch? Do you go off to the kitchen and come out with the prepared drinks? Do you 'take orders' or give everybody the same drink? Do people often come over just for coffee or do serve it after a meal?

take orders, run to the basement, come back with drinks or make someone come with me to carry drinks. if alties are involved, the attitude is usually, "there's the marzocco, help yourself."

[cpl593h]

Such a diplomat!

I am moving into an on campus apartment at university on Tuesday - every single one of my 5 housemates like coffee (although I don't know to what extent) so it looks like I will be busy doing more for people than I have done in the past. If I can get them hooked on straight espresso, that will be ideal.

I think I've been able to pull 3 shots for my actual housemates this quarter. It just hasn't clicked with them. One time I got "this espresso is too strong" and haven't offered it to that particular housemate since. I bought a Baratza Virtuoso, a Swissgold, and a pourover apparatus so the two other housemates that do drink coffee regularly (turns out not all of them like coffee enough to drink it outside of finals week) can take advantage of my homeroast. The intention was to get them to do the grinding and pouring themselves, but that hasn't clicked either. The girls in the household just can't get away from their Folgers and cheapo drip machine (one broke and was quickly replaced with another that was already on hand). They love my coffee, just as long as I offer to make it for them before they get their hands on the Folgers.

Nowdays I invite friends over for just espresso and that is always a treat for me, but most of my coffee for other people is pourover in the morning for a couple of my housemates.

[roblumba]

My wife thinks espresso tastes like cigar ashes. She does acknowledge that my cigar ashes taste much better these days (due to improved technique), but nevertheless, cigar ashes.

[HB]

My wife thinks espresso tastes like cigar ashes.

It's a very vague recommendation, but ashy flavors suggest to me either (a) your blend is too darkly roasted for her taste - consider a lighter roast and higher brew temperature, or (b) drop the temperature several degrees (one degree above sourness) and avoid pulling the espresso too short. It could result in a "boring" monodimensional shot, but may be more appealing to her palate.

[barry]

It's a very vague recommendation, but ashy flavors suggest to me either (a) your blend is too darkly roasted for her taste - consider a lighter roast and higher brew temperature, or (b) drop the temperature several degrees (one degree above sourness) and avoid pulling the espresso too short. It could result in a "boring" monodimensional shot, but may be more appealing to her palate.

heh-heh-heh... my first thought was "use fresher coffee".