Creating A Guest Ready Coffee and Tea Bar

Having people over and doing it with grace does not always come naturally. Usually with a little prior planning and effort, you can become the hostess with the mostess.

Meaning doing a notably well done job of hosting, paying attention to detail and making your guests feel honored.

One way to prepare is to make a list of things you might want to serve, specifically catering to the type of guests who are coming.

One thing is for sure, it’s nice to have a coffee & tea bar always at the ready. If anyone happened to drop in, you would be ready to serve in a matter of minutes.

Friends and neighbors all have their favorites and knowing some of these things ahead of time helps you to be prepared. Not only to have the favorite teas on hand, but the add ins that they prefer as well. You may have friends who like half and half or heavy cream, you may have friends who like turbinado, honey, stevia, or coconut sugar.

Then you have those people that like to have Bulletproof Coffee which requires grass-fed butter. I will say I do not have all of those crazy little things on hand. I think it’s a little bit over the top. What I do keep on hand is half and half, turbinado, honey and regular organic sugar. 

What You Will Need For The Coffee Station

Different people use different machines with which to make their coffee. Some have single brew stations like a Nespresso or Keurig. This makes for a very tasty and handy cup of Joe. Some have espresso machines that come with a frother like a Breville or DeLonghi. Others have a drip machine like a Cuisinart.

Currently I am using a stainless steel French Press which I love! I find it takes up minimal space, makes great coffee, and has a nice sleek look.

In addition to my French Press, I have a milk frother & warmer as well as a heavy duty handheld frother. I froth half and half and not milk, although if I were wanting to watch my fat intake, I would switch to milk, almond milk or pea milk. I’m also one of those people one might say to, “I thought you liked coffee, turns out you like cream,” as I’m a little heavy handed on the cream.

In addition to your coffee maker, you will of course need your favorite coffee, ground to match the machine ahead of time, or as you go. Or the pods to match the maker.

I have a Cuisinart electric tea kettle, which makes using my French press extra quick. I would not want to live without it as it’s one of my favorite things. It heats up in under 2 minutes. Yay! Good drinking water is obviously a necessity too. I have a reverse osmosis filtration system under my kitchen sink for handy purified drinking water.

What You Will Need For The Tea Station

An essential for me is my electric tea kettle and purified water, but you can also use a stove top style.

Now all you need to do is to pick your favorite teas or a variety to have on hand. I am quite passionate about tea. I drink it every night before bed. Sometimes I want to detox, especially if I have a headache. Sometimes I want to relax. Different teas help with different things.

Making Homemade Teas

I love to make some of my own teas. I find I can do this from picking up some loose teas at places like Sprouts, or ethnic grocery stores. I use a little screen tea ball infuser with these. Some of my favorite mixes are chamomile lavender, green tea with jasmine flowers, green tea with baby rose buds, green tea with burdock root, dried elderberries, & rosehips, butterfly tea (which is made of butterfly pea flowers that make a purple tea) A special treat tea is Jasmine pearl. It unfolds and makes a beautiful presentation, especially if you have a clear teapot. One of my staples is Rooibos.

Selecting Teas

Having some things on hand for guests if they don’t like little floating tidbits from the loose teas is a good idea. Teavana, Mighty Leaf, Harney and Son’s, and Numi are among some of my favorite brands as they have great quality products. Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime is another staple and it’s always nice to have a standard Breakfast Tea or Earl Grey on hand. I like to keep individually wrapped teas in my drawer, as they stay fresher.

Once you go into a tea shop and see and smell all of the different options, it will open your eyes to a whole new world. Tea is huge. It’s beautiful, delicious, and healthy. I recommend exploring some new things and treating yourself to a new experience.

Some people like to sweeten their tea, so again, it’s nice to have some options for this too.

Lighting

Lighting is a personal preference as is everything else. I have a dimly lit rooster light on my coffee and tea station. Some people have a counter area or bar they use for this. Sometimes installing an under counter light really jazzes up the space.

Either way, I think it’s nice to be able to see what you’re doing, especially since sometimes in the morning we’re a little groggy before having our first cup of Joe.

I have also seen an old entertainment/TV cabinet converted into a coffee/tea bar. So innovative!

Details

Adding some personal touches and style to this area is what it’s all about. Maybe hanging a funny sign or an old mirror, that you can use a dry erase marker on to write funny sayings adds a little personality to the area.

Sometimes having cups hanging on the wall or a stand looks super cute. Figuring out the look you are going for and implementing it is key.

I happened to come across some old silver tea containers and jumped on the idea for my coffee and tea area. I set it on a silver tray, added a silver sugar bowl filled with turbinado and bam! Coffee bar! I know not everyone is going to decorate like this, but it works for me.

I have seen people who use the coffee pods storage drawers or put them in clear canisters. Both look nice and keep things orderly.

On my coffee station, I like to have my paper towels at the ready for any mishaps, but you can streamline this area as much as you like.

When guests arrive, you can set out some cups and napkins and be ready in minutes to enjoy your visit together. Having fun beverage napkins, or in this case cloth napkins, makes for a special experience for you and your guests.

This should go without saying, but having a clean coffee area is much more appealing for guests. Nobody wants to drink coffee with the thought of the cleaning having been overlooked. 

The Gift of Hospitality

Having the gift of hospitality means you want to serve others. It means you want them to feel welcome and special. Paying attention to detail and preparing in advance will help you to be the hostess with the mostess.

It will help you to enjoy your guests instead of being frantic and trying to prepare for them during their arrival instead of in advance. Prior planning is key. No one can be prepared for something they did not prepare for.

Make A List

Take the time to make a list of essentials, cross off the things you already own and go pick up the extras to make your coffee/tea bar complete.

Invite some people over and enjoy their company. You could even host a tea party and serve dainty little foods. This, of course, would require some additional planning and possibly acquiring some lovely tea cups and saucers for the occasion.

The sky is the limit. This is just the beginning of being a great hostess. Cheers!