How to Make Good Hotel Room Coffee
You’re on the road, and you breathe a sigh of relief when you see that your hotel room has a coffee maker waiting for you. But when you go to brew a cup to enjoy in the privacy of your room, the product is quite…disappointing. Before you speed down to the local coffee shop and squander another fraction of what could be your retirement fund on a latte, try these tips and tricks for better hotel coffee.
Steps
Understand where many coffee makers fall short.
Some coffee makers do not allocate enough wattage to the heating element, and fail to reach the ideal coffee brewing temperature range (195-205 degrees Fahrenheit, 90.5-96 degrees Celsius).[1]
Another problem is when coffee makers take too long to brew the coffee, which can result in bitter and harsh flavors. Ideally, the process should only take 6 minutes.[2]
Run water through. This will allow the coffee maker to heat up, which will help the water get closer to that ideal brewing temperature. Once it’s done, pour that hot water right back into the coffee maker and immediately run it through again, this time with coffee.
Add a pinch of salt. Actually, only a few grains. Throwing in a little bit of salt with the coffee grounds will tone down the bitterness and may bring out more of the coffee’s better flavors. Some people add it after the cup has been brewed.[3][4] If you’re skeptical, or worried about ending up with a salty cup of coffee, follow all of the other steps, and only add salt if the coffee leaves something to be missed; sprinkle a little bit, taste, and add more salt as needed. It may take a little experimentation to find out how much salt is needed to “fix” a cup of coffee, and it may vary by brand and coffee maker.
Jump the gun. Set a timer. When around 6 minutes have passed, pull the pot (or glass carafe) off the burner and serve whatever coffee is already made. Put a mug in the pot’s place so that the remainder of the coffee being made (which will probably be pretty harsh, and worthy of being dumped) doesn’t drip everywhere. This cuts off the brewing process before the coffee gets bitter. Even though you won’t have as much coffee, at least it’ll be good coffee, and you can always start a new batch.
Another option is to use only half of the amount of water to brew (which shortens brewing time) then add hot water to the coffee afterwards to dilute it. Depending on how you obtain the hot water, this might result in lukewarm coffee.
Drink immediately. Don’t leave brewed coffee in the pot or glass carafe on the burner. Pour it out into a mug or cup as soon as it’s finished, and start sipping before the coffee starts to taste like hot ashes!
Tips
Use bottled water to eliminate the chlorine taste.
If you don’t have bottled water, then put water in the carafe the night before and leave the lid off and the light on in the bathroom. Overnight the air and light will reduce the chlorine smell and/or taste.
Don’t use those Styrofoam cups provided to you in the hotel room. Those can often be the breaking point when it comes to a decent cup of coffee. Instead ask the front desk for a ceramic mug or, if you’re the only one being served, use the carafe from the coffee maker itself. It’s typically a “4 cup” – which is actually 2 good sized mugs.
These instructions can also be useful if you have a bad coffee maker at home, or if you have a stash of bad coffee to work through.
If you have the time and the inclination, cleaning the coffee maker could make a big difference.
If the coffee isn’t strong enough, try putting both the regular bag and the decaf bag in the basket, or ask the front desk for a packet or two extra of regular.
The quality of free hotel coffee often leaves much to be desired. If you bring a small package of your favourite coffee from home, you’ll be one step closer to a more enjoyable brew.
Better yet, bring your own freshly ground beans and a one-cup drip apparatus and filters that fit over a mug, then heat bottled water in the coffee maker and pour over your own coffee.
Putting a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg in the coffee before it’s brewed can put a spark of life in even stale motel coffee packets.
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[...] from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit These are tips for making a superior pot of coffee using a standard drip coffee maker (presuming you already know the basics. Try these suggestions at home or at work. If you’re on the go, however, you may want to read How to Make Good Hotel Room Coffee [...]
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