Brew Better Coffee in Your Hotel Room

There are lots of fun things about staying in a hotel, but being forced to drink bitter, old, and stale coffee is not one of them.  Now you don't have to.  Most often, the coffee offered at your hotel has sat around, already ground, for months if not years.

Hotel coffee is bitter at its best, and stale and flavorless at its worst.

No one wants lousy coffee when they are trying to relax on vacation or wake-up and seize the day on a business trip. This coffee won't satisfy you, and might even start your day off on the wrong foot. But if you don't plan ahead, this might be the coffee you're stuck drinking.

With just a little preparation, you can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee no matter which hotel you lay your head.

The three things you need to make a fantastic cup of coffee are;  Good beans, Hot water, and a Brewer.

Beans

Fresh, quality coffee beans are the backbone of any delicious cup of coffee. Unless you want to bring your coffee grinder with you on the plane, you will want to pre-grind your favorite coffee beans before your trip.

Pre-grind just what you think you will use on your trip. You'll need about 2 heaping tablespoons for each 6-8oz cup of coffee you will be drinking during your hotel stay. Make sure you pack an additional serving or two. You might find that you crave extra coffee while traveling.

Remember to use freshly roasted beans for the best results. Keep your ground coffee in a sealed container to maintain the coffee's freshness, if you are flying be sure to use a screw-top container so that the pressure change in flight doesn't cause the container to "pop" open and spill your grounds all over your luggage.

Water

Once you have your coffee ground, the next part of the equation for making amazing hotel coffee is heating the water. Most hotels have one of two options for a coffee brewer; a traditional drip-type coffee maker or a single cup coffee maker like a Keurig. You will use this coffee maker to produce the hot water needed to brew excellent hotel coffee. But don't worry if your hotel doesn't have a coffee maker, you can improvise! If your hotel doesn't have a coffee maker but does have a restaurant, you can get a pitcher of hot water there.

Brewer

There are 3 home brewers to consider (plus one brewer-free option); a pour over, a French Press, and an AeroPress. Manual brewers are preferred because they are easier to travel with than typical automatic coffee makers.

Pour over

Using a pour over will be the most challenging of the three brewers to use at a hotel. The key to a great cup of coffee with a pour over is a steady stream of water poured over a 3-4 minute period. Creating that consistent stream can be difficult when you are pouring from a cup or mug, but it can be done. For tricks on crafting a cup of coffee with a pour over check out our how-to pour over post.

French Press

Brewing coffee in a French Press is one of the most forgiving ways to make coffee. The big downside of using a French Press in a hotel is the actual travel with the brewer. The majority of French Presses are made with a glass carafe. If you aren't careful, the glass carafe can break in transit. However, you can purchase a stainless steel French Press which removes this drawback. Check out our blog on how to perfect your French Press brewing method.

AeroPress

By far, our favorite coffee brewer to take while traveling is the AeroPress. Its lightweight, small footprint, and durability makes it a dream to pack. Add its ease of use, and bringing one on your next trip is a no-brainer. Become an AeroPress expert with the help of a United States AeroPress champion on our blog.

Easy Hotel Coffee Instructions:

Whichever brewer you choose to bring, you will need to use the hotel's coffee maker to heat your water.

If you are using hot water from the hotel restaurant skip step 1.

• Step 1: Rinse out hotel coffee maker to make sure it's clean. Then, fill the reservoir and run the brewer with a carafe or mug in place to catch the hot water. You will use this hot water to make your coffee.
• Step 2: Prepare your chosen manual brewer by adding the filter (if needed) and grounds.
• Step 3: Using hot water, brew your coffee.
• Step 4: Enjoy!

Whether you are traveling for business, or pleasure, enjoying a fresh cup of coffee should be part of your next hotel stay.

Delicious Brewer-less Hotel Coffee

The last option we suggest is a brand-new single-serving coffee product that we are proud to recommend. With Dancing Goats® Steeped Coffee all you need is a mug, hot water, and 5 minutes- that's it!

Have another coffee travel hack? Let us know in the comments below,on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.