Top 10 Coffee Etiquette Tips & Tricks

1. Never serve coffee alone

If having guests over, always serve your coffee with something alongside it. Homemade biscotti is a wonderful surprise in the morning. Or if serving coffee after dinner,  buy nice chocolates or meringues to serve with your delicious coffee. It's a little touch that goes a long way.

2. Build a coffee bar

Coffee is such a fixture in our lives, it only seems right to set aside a special place for the satisfying ritual of preparing it. A well stocked coffee bar should have an assortment of coffee mugs, canisters for storing coffee, sugar & milk servers, and different pieces of brewing equipment (French press, drip, and espresso maker for example). Here is an excellent source of inspiration to start DIY'ing your own coffee bar: http://www.brit.co/coffee-bar/

3. Drip coffee in the morning, espresso or French Press after a meal

Drip coffee is the lightest coffee so it is best to serve in the morning. After a meal you often want something a bit stronger. This is when it's best to enjoy a strong espresso or rich French pressed brew.

4. Taste your coffee before adding milk or sugar

Just like you shouldn't salt your food at a restaurant before trying it, you shouldn't add sugar or milk to your coffee before tasting it. Good quality coffee can be naturally sweet. For example, our coffee from Burundi is naturally sweet and has vanilla & bourbon flavor notes! You would never know this if you don't try it out first.

5. Know your coffee's origin

Just like wine, coffee tastes incredibly different based on the region that it comes from. Never buy coffee that doesn't tell you where it's from because it's probably a blend from 100 different farms. Knowing the source of your coffee is not only interesting, it tells you what type of flavor you can expect. 

6. Properly store your coffee

To keep your coffee fresh, always store in your cabinet, never in the fridge or freezer. Why not? The coffee will absorb the moisture and the flavors, so whatever flavors are floating around in your refrigerator can easily end up in your coffee. So unless you want fish & broccoli flavored coffee, keep it out of the fridge!

7. In warmer months, try cold brew

It's always great to have some fresh cold brewed coffee on hand in the fridge. Pour it over ice or use it in a cocktail. It's simple to make cold brew using a French Press!

8. Curate a coffee mug collection

Coffee mugs make for good conversation pieces. Do you collect them from your travels? Do you have an assortment of mugs with funny quotes or inspirational sayings on them? It's the simple things that make your morning cup of joe even better. 

9. Coffee makes a great hostess gift

Bringing coffee over for the host to enjoy days after the event is a very thoughtful gift. The only crucial part is knowing the type of coffee the host drinks. We think our sampler collections make the perfect gift. 

10. Ditch the paper filter