Espresso or not espresso ?

[Andrew3898]

We are thinking of providing a proper espresso coffee machine in our places. We supply pod coffee presently but it really is not very good coffee and the pods are too small in my opinion and are an environmental disaster. I'd never have a pod machine at home. Does anyone have experience of providing a proper espresso machine with grinder? They are not inexpensive to buy but they make a far superior coffee!  My Breville dual boiler at home makes better coffee than most cafes. Should we provide pre-ground coffee or fresh beans ? Do guests generally know enough about how to use them or do they get trashed? Is it an expensive mistake to provide them in and Air BnB?

[Guy991]

You got to the right place, @Andrew3898 !

A few months ago we removed our pod coffee machine and installed a fully automatic coffee machine. We just fill the water container, add fresh beans to the top and that is it.

The quality is much better and guests are always impressed with what we offer.

I strongly recommend it. You will never look back. It is also much easier for guests to operate a fully automatic machine.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Choose a simple machine with as few buttons as possible, preferably with pictures of the coffee options. Keep it simple as not all guests are rocket scientists.
2. Print easy instructions and place them near the machine explaining what to do if the “no water” light comes on or when the used coffee grounds container is full.
3. Search for local coffee roasters. This is the best part. Find one you really like. You will also be supporting local products. The smaller the better.
4. Add a sign to explain to guests the effort you make to provide them with the best coffee possible.
5. Choose a machine that is easy to maintain and has large containers for water and beans.
6. Avoid machines with a built in milk system. If it is not heavily used and maintained it will clog and the milk will spoil. These are best only in high volume places where someone is always looking after them.

I wish you the best. In my opinion offering fresh coffee takes hosting to a whole new level.

Here is my coffee corner for inspiration.

 

[Elisa]

Hi @Andrew3898 😊, 

Thank you for bringing up this topic and highlighting some valid points.

Have you ever thought about Moka?

Our host shared a great comment, I'm also tagging a few other hosts to hear what they think about it: @Lujain3, @Elena4390, @Andrea6232 and @Karen114.

Thank you in advance, everyone!

[Andrea6232]

@Elisa @Andrew3898 @Guy991 

The problem with a fully automatic coffee machine is that it takes up a lot of space. At home we replaced ours with a Nespresso machine because it took up the entire kitchen counter!

[Jo1044]

That's an interesting point, Andrew. We have a pod coffee machine at our Airbnb, but a bean-to-cup machine at home—something I hadn’t really thought about before. I’ll definitely reconsider now. Thanks for sharing!

[Alex]

Interesting, @Jo1044. Did you notice an increase in bookings after you added a coffee machine? I’m sure your guests love being able to make their own coffee in the morning. ☕️

[Karen114]

@Andrew3898  I think this is a great idea if you have the bandwidth to trouble shoot.
I love a good cup of coffee and don’t like K cup or pods. I also am not a fan of the cheap Mr coffee type machines.  I use a nice Cuisinart with a stainless thermal carafe so no burnt taste and shuts off automatically. 
You of course have to know your audience. Will they be able to operate it or be intimidated by it. 

As we all know, most guests don’t read so leaving instructions will not matter. These are also expensive so if it gets broken will you have another one on hand for next guests ? 
All that being said I personally would not do it just because I see how things are treated and often broken. Simple is best in this business. Simple doesn’t mean cheap, just easy to operate and understand. My primary guest audience would probably not use it. 

[Tara0]

@Andrew3898 I personally wouldn't do it unless my listing had a huge kitchen and I wanted another thing for guests to complain about if the machine broke or they didn't like the coffee beans and/or grounds provided.

I am not a coffee drinker, but I do know that committed coffee drinkers, the people who really care about coffee, have very particular tastes about which beans etc, which you cannot hope to satisfy.

Also if they are obsessed they might bring their own equipment (I have a friend who brings her coffee kit and grounds, sourced from a particular provider in London, available nowhere else, when she visits me). 

Totally agree about the environmental damage of coffee pods.

What I do is provide a cafetiere/'French press', plus a tub of superior instant coffee. No-one in 11 years has complained about coffee provisions/amenities. 

[Frances3408 · Accepted solution]

@Andrew3898 . Great question Andrew. In my 4 years hosting I've only twice had guests ask in advance about the coffee facilities. Both times they were staying a week so I explained what choices they had (ground machine or pod) and sent photos. I then also let them know where all the good coffee places were (even if that meant a drive). I supply plenty of either ground coffee (less mess) or pods, milk etc. Also instant coffee as a back up if they cant work the press button espresso machines. 

So I've learnt not to jump at shadows. By that I mean our tendency to over cater for our guests.

[Donna559]

@Frances3408 Over catering ends up taking too much time as then it continues to add more questions from what you can do for guests. We are renting to adults we shouldn’t have to spoon feed them. Less sometimes I find is more. 

[Micha7196]

I love a good cup of coffee, and I'm always excited to find the ability to make one in the flat when I travel, but I also co-host for a friend who offers an espresso machine, and it's a huge pain. People often complain that it's not working because they don't understand how to use it. Overall, it's great in theory, but in reality, from what I've seen, it leads to a lot of guest frustration.

If you want to up your coffee game, you could provide a simple-to-use burr grinder (I like the one from OXO) with local coffee beans in it, an electric kettle, and a French press and/or pour-over set up. That covers you for the tea drinkers as well.

Best of luck!

Micha

PS. On a side note, just in case you didn't know, the aluminum Nespresso pods from Peet's Coffee are recyclable. There are also reusable stainless steel pods that you can buy and fill yourself. Just more options. 😉