An in-home coffee bar serves as a personal oasis on quiet days and a gathering place when you’re entertaining. It’s where you can go to make the perfect cup of coffee, and where you can entertain and educate friends about your favorite beverage. If you’re thinking about making a coffee bar in your home, we at Driftaway Coffee have a few tips to help you create a space that will be both a conversation piece and a functional place.
Choose Your Coffee Bar’s Location Wisely
Before looking at coffee makers and accessories to include in your coffee bar, you first need to select a place for it. The space should be large enough for a grinder, coffee maker and a few dishes, but these don’t need to take up a lot of room.
More importantly, your coffee bar should be located somewhere where guests will see it and you can use it, but also where it won’t be in the way. The kitchen might seem like a logical choice, but setting up your coffee bar in the kitchen will reduce how much counter space you have. If you’re kitchen’s already full of gadgets and appliances, consider setting up your coffee bar:
- on a sideboard in your dining room
- in a screened-in porch or sunroom (if you live in a nice climate)
- in a study
Only Stock One or Two Coffees
Some people are tempted to stock their coffee bar with lots of coffees. They like having a choice and giving their guests choices. Unless you’re regularly hosting large parties and also have a grinder collection, however, you should only have one or two coffees available at a time.
If there are too many coffees at your coffee bar, two problems may arise.
First, you can only grind one coffee at a time. While you can try four different coffees at once, grinding each one will take time. Coffee tastings with just two coffees will let you attend to your guests more than to your coffees.
Second, when there are lots of coffees, you won’t go through them as quickly. Coffee tastes best when it’s enjoyed within two weeks of roasting. In order to ensure you’re always brewing freshly roasted coffee, you should only stock a two-week supply at any given time.
Have One Grinder, Two Brew Methods and a Few Accessories
As far as coffee-brewing equipment goes, your coffee bar should have at least the following:
- one grinder (so you can freshly grind coffee)
- two coffee makers (so you can experiment and have fun)
- coffee-making accessories (e.g. a gooseneck kettle and scale)
- a few mugs
These don’t need to be too fancy or expensive. For instance, a french press and pour-over are perfectly fine brew methods to feature. If you have the budget and room, though, you can include more and larger equipment, such as an espresso machine.
Once you have everything, set it up so your coffee bar looks beautiful. After all, coffee is as much an art as it is a science.
Tag Us In a Photo of Your Coffee Bar
Do you have a coffee bar? No matter how large or small it is, add it to Instagram and tag us #driftawaycoffee. We may just ask to share it with other coffee lovers on our Instagram feed.
