Practice Hospitality. Make the World’s Best Cup of Coffee.

People have always liked the coffee at our house.

With the holidays coming up, we'll probably have more friends and family coming through than usual. There will be meals, people hanging around the kitchen, and plenty of coffee. So it seemed like a good time to write about one small part of hospitality I've gotten pretty good at: making a good cup of coffee.

I should give my wife most of the credit for the hospitality part. She's naturally good at inviting people over and making them feel at home. I mostly make the coffee.

I’m Not a Coffee Expert

I'm not a coffee expert, but I did go through a period when I got pretty into it. About 13 years ago, when our kids were little, I started roasting coffee beans in our garage. I needed a hobby that kept me close to home, and apparently roasting coffee beans was it.

I eventually stopped roasting my own beans, but I learned a lot along the way. Mostly a few simple things that make a noticeable difference.

Making coffee has been part of having people over ever since. Friends come over, I make a pot, everyone picks a mug, and we sit around and talk.

Scripture tells us to “seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13, ESV) and to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9, ESV).

Hospitality doesn't always need to be a big production. Sometimes it's just opening your home and making something good for the people who are there.

For me, that's usually coffee.

Start With a Burr Grinder

If you're going to buy one thing to make better coffee at home, I'd start with a burr grinder.

It doesn't need to be fancy. Ours isn't.

A burr grinder gives you a much more consistent grind than one of those small blade grinders that basically chops the beans into random-sized pieces. It also lets you control how coarse or fine you want the coffee depending on how you're making it.

I think this is one of the easiest ways to take your coffee up a level without overdoing it.

You don't need a $700 grinder. Just get a decent burr grinder.

How We Make Coffee

We've accumulated several ways to make coffee over the years. Which one I use usually depends on how many people are over and what we're doing.

Hario V60: One or Two People

The Hario V60 is a simple pour-over and probably the most hands-on method we use.

You put the coffee in a filter and slowly pour hot water over it. It takes a little more time, but you have a lot of control, and it makes a really good cup of coffee.

I like it if I'm making coffee for myself or maybe one other person.

If eight people want coffee, I'm not standing there making eight V60s.

Chemex: A Few People

The Chemex is another pour-over, but you can make more coffee at once.

It's good when a few people are over, and there's no rush. The thicker filters tend to make a really clean cup of coffee, and you can put the Chemex right on the table and let everyone pour their own.

It's probably our middle ground between making someone an individual cup and making a full pot.

French Press: The Best All-Around Option

If someone asked me what they should buy to start making better coffee at home, I'd probably tell them to get a Bodum French press.

They're inexpensive, simple, and make really good coffee.

Put the coffee in. Add hot water. Stir it. Let it sit for about four minutes. Press it down and pour.

That's about it.

A French press makes a fuller cup of coffee because the grounds are sitting directly in the water. You can also make enough for several people at once.

If you don't want coffee to become a hobby but want to make good coffee when people come over, this is what I'd buy.

Espresso Machine: Something Different

We also have an espresso machine.

It's fun when someone wants an espresso, Americano, cappuccino, latte, or something besides regular coffee.

But you absolutely don't need one.

It means more equipment, more cleanup, and more chances to turn making someone coffee into a side quest.

We enjoy ours, but I'd put it pretty far down the list of things you need to make good coffee at home.

Technivorm Moccamaster: When Everyone Wants Coffee

Our regular drip coffee maker is a Technivorm Moccamaster.

It's basically a very good version of the coffee maker most people already have.

And honestly, when we have a bunch of people over, this is often what gets used.

Grind the beans. Add water. Push the button. A few minutes later, you have a pot of good coffee.

When friends are over, I don't really want to spend 20 minutes in the kitchen demonstrating my pour-over technique anyway.

I want to make coffee and go sit down.

If You Only Buy One, Get a French Press

Of all those options, I'd still tell someone starting out to get a French press.

You don't need filters. It doesn't take up much room. They're affordable. You can make coffee for yourself or several people. Once you figure out how much coffee to use, it's hard to mess up.

Simple is good, especially when you're having people over.

The more complicated we make hospitality, the easier it is not to do it.

I Like Coffee-Flavored Coffee

This is how I usually explain how strong I like coffee.

I like coffee-flavored coffee.

I don't want slightly brown water. I also don't want it so strong that it tastes burned.

Some of our friends would probably say our coffee is strong.

I would say it's properly made.

The biggest thing here isn't buying better coffee. It's figuring out how much coffee to use.

Use the Same Scoop

You can get very precise with coffee.

You can weigh the beans. Weigh the water. Calculate ratios down to the gram.

I've done that too.

But most of the time I use a scoop.

The important part is using the same scoop every time. All spoons are not created equal.

Once you find the amount of coffee that tastes good with the amount of water you're using, you've got your recipe.

Remember it.

If it's six scoops for a full French press, use six scoops next time.

It doesn't have to be more complicated than that.

Figure Out How to Make the Full Pot

This is one thing I recommend doing a little differently.

When you're figuring out your ratio, use the maximum amount of water your French press or coffee maker holds.

Don't start by perfecting one cup.

If your French press holds enough coffee for four people, figure out how many scoops make a good full French press.

Now when people come over, you already know what to do.

I find that much easier than having a perfect recipe for myself and then trying to multiply everything while five people are standing around the kitchen.

And there's something fitting about knowing how to make more than you need for yourself.

Pay Attention to the Grind

How coarse or fine you grind the coffee also changes how it tastes.

Too coarse, and the coffee can come out weak or thin.

Too fine, and it can get bitter. With a French press, you'll also end up with a bunch of coffee sludge at the bottom of your mug.

Different methods need different grinds. French press is generally coarser. Pour-over is somewhere in the middle. Espresso is much finer.

This is another reason the burr grinder is worth having.

You don't need to know much about coffee extraction to figure this out.

Make coffee. If it's not quite right, adjust the grinder a little the next time.

Eventually you find the spot you like.

Good Beans Help, But Don't Overthink It

Once you've figured out how to make coffee properly, better beans definitely make a difference.

If you want to try different roasters and better-quality beans, Trade Coffee is a good place to look. They carry coffee from roasters across the country, so it's also a fun way to try things you probably won't find at your grocery store.

But you don't need to start there.

If you're just getting into this, buy a French press and some pre-ground coffee from the grocery store that you already like.

Then work on the ratio.

Use the same amount of water every time and adjust how many scoops of coffee you put in.

Too weak? Add a little more next time.

Too strong? Use a little less.

Once you get that right, buy a burr grinder and some whole beans if you want to improve things further.

You also don't need to order everything online. Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, World Market, and plenty of other stores sell French presses, pour-overs, grinders, filters, beans, and just about every other coffee gadget you could convince yourself you need.

Start small.

Get a French press. Get some coffee. Figure out your ratio.

You can accumulate the rest over the next 13 years, as we did.

Have Some Good Mugs

One of my favorite parts of coffee at our house has nothing to do with the coffee.

Thanks to my awesome wife, we have a pretty eclectic collection of mugs we've picked up over the years. Some are from trips. Some were gifts. Some probably came from thrift stores. I don't remember where half of them came from.

Nothing matches.

When people come over, they pick their mug.

People seem to love this. Friends who have been around long enough sometimes already have one they like.

It's a small thing, but I think homes are made up of things like this.

Someone knows where the mugs are. Someone else knows you have the creamer they like. A friend pours another cup without asking because they've been there enough times to know they can.

That's a different kind of hospitality than trying to impress someone.

It feels more like home.

Hospitality Doesn't Have to Be Impressive

Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” (ESV).

I like the phrase do not neglect. Most of us aren't avoiding hospitality on purpose. We just don't get around to it as much as we'd like.

I'm guilty of this too. My wife is definitely the hospitality champ in our house. She's much better than I am at thinking about who we should invite over, what they might like, and making people feel comfortable once they're here. I'm learning.

It's easy to come up with reasons to put it off. The house is a mess. The kids have something going on. We're tired. We don't have anything planned for dinner. Maybe next weekend would be better.

But having people over doesn't have to mean a dinner party. Sometimes it's ordering pizza. Sometimes it's having another family over when the house isn't particularly clean. Sometimes a friend stops by on a Saturday morning, you make coffee, and you sit around the kitchen or outside talking for an hour.

That's really all it has to be.

The Coffee Isn't Really the Point

Romans 12:13 tells us to “seek to show hospitality.” I think seek is important. If we're always waiting for the perfect time to have people over, it probably won't happen very often. At some point you have to send the text and invite someone.

Start small. Invite a friend over for coffee on Saturday morning. Ask another family to come by after church. Keep a few drinks around that you know your friends like. If someone always takes half-and-half in their coffee, have half-and-half in the fridge. You don't need to make a big deal about any of it.

And don't spend the whole time trying to be a good host. Make the coffee, let everyone pick a mug, and then sit down with them.

I'm still working on this myself. But I've come to appreciate that some of the best time we've spent with friends has happened this way. Nothing planned particularly well. Nobody trying very hard to impress anyone. Just people hanging around longer than expected.

And if they stay long enough, make another pot.