I’m always watching Big Lots sales. They’re great!
I wasn’t “shaming” you or anyone. I said it was hypocritical to claim to be distressed about plastic waste but then succumb to providing it, when it isn’t necessary, it’s a choice.
If you say that it’s more important to you to provide something that guests want, rather than not contribute to the plastic waste stream, that’s honest and certainly one’s choice.
It’s hypocrisy that I object to, claiming to hold a certain attitude, when actions belie it.
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Not a good idea for holiday guests. Too complicated. We do have a coffee maker and dripper and kettle for instant. We provide tea, instant coffee sugar etc so guests can make a quick brew after they have unpacked and settled. Guests always do their own grocery shopping once they are aware of what appliances we provide. They usually buy their own ground coffee.
The coffee machine we have consumes power all the time it is switched on - to keep the water hot for a quick brew. Guests usually dont care about our power bill, so as my agent said “Everything is turned on when they arrive, and only gets turned off when the cleaners go in after the guests have departed”.
One thing re providing things guests may want, is that as hosts, not only do we try to provide what guests want, we also manufacture expectations. So if 3/4 of hosts provide some coffee maker that uses disposable pods, or anything else wasteful, then that’s what guests will come to expect, just as they expect to find little plastic single use bottles of shampoo and such in a hotel room.
None of us are perfect when it comes to not creating garbage, we just do our best. But I just don’t think we need to provide things for guests that run counter to our values, if there is a choice.
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I had a French press, in addition to a Keurig, in my airbnb.
For three years, the French press, which was provided with a selection of high-quality coffee grounds, was never used. Repeat, never. When people are ready to get a cup of coffee at the start of your day all that preparation etc. is probably weighed against pushing a button and getting, in 30 seconds vs. prep, 4 mins of brew, and cleanup, a cup of coffee that’s ‘good enough’.
I think coffee is one of those things that we all have aspirational ideas about but in reality is a commodity that is used rather than embraced.
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Coffee is one of those personal things. At home I have a fancy machine that at a push of a button grinds the beans and brews either coffee or espresso or if you push the cappuccino or latte button it will also steam milk.
When I’m traveling I’ve found all sorts of ground coffee machines: Keurig, mr. coffee, etc in my hotel room or STR. I don’t use them. I head off to a nearby espresso place and get coffee or a latte.
That said, when I host I offer Keurig and mr. coffee. I don’t leave coffee other than the Keurig pods, but people like to bring/buy their own. Though mostly they either use the Keurig or walk to the nearby square and go to a coffee shop.
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I don’t see anything wrong with a fancy machine that brews coffee quickly at the push of a button. Not all fancy machines use disposable pods, or disposable filters, so they aren’t creating any waste.
I see that many Hosts here provide coffee. We have not done so generally because it always seemed to me that: 1) If I bought this and ground it, it would not be fresh for many guests, and 2) I can’t know what kind of coffee the guests prefer.
So it seemed that a guest who cared about coffee would buy their own, along with whatever else they would buy at the grocery store. [We also offer to take in groceries that the guest orders through a delivery service like Instacart.]
Yet I must be missing something because so many Hosts here seem to provide coffee.
What am I missing? Should I be providing a ‘starter’ amount of ground coffee for guests? [As it happens there usually is coffee left over from a previous guest, though there are pros/cons on leaving that. I have thought of a shelf labelled as “Foodstuffs left by previous guests.” What do you think of that?]
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I provide a Keurig and pods for space saving reasons. I don’t particularly like the coffee or the concept but it’s what works best for my rental. In my part of the home, I use a simple 5 cup Bonavita machine with metal carafe. If I had a kitchette with room for a larger machine I’d put the exact same thing in the rental and my machine would be the “spare” if the guest machine broke.
I consider coffee and creamer to be essentials although I’d say that about half my guests don’t use the coffee I provide. Maybe they don’t drink coffee or they don’t drink bad coffee. Personally, I need coffee so I can go get coffee.
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I have been interested in the debate here about both coffee quality (something that is purely abstract to me since I don’t drink coffee, which makes it hard to figure out what to provide for my guests, so thank you everyone for this discussion!) and the environment.
I remembered reading somewhere that Nespresso has aluminium pods that are much better for the environment than many other options since aluminium is infinitely recyclable and the pods use much less than you’d find in a can of soda.
So I went poking around online and found an article on WIRED, reporting on research from the University of Bath, which concluded says that THE most environmentally-friendly way of brewing coffee is first, instant coffee, followed second by, capsule coffee – both are better than drip, and considerably better than barista-brewed coffee.
Their calculus takes into account greenhouse emissions from boiling water, so the point would be moot if the energy to boil your water came from solar or wind etc., but it concludes that the waste from producing aluminium for the pods pales in comparison to all the environmental impacts of coffee, most of which happen at the source, where it’s grown (e.g. fertilisers). That’s why they conclude drip coffee is the worst, because it uses the most beans to produce the same cup of coffee, and more beans = more environmental impact at the source where it’s grown. They look at all stages of the coffee making and distribution process, including water and energy use, impact on ecosystems, and pod waste.
Here’s a relevant quote:
Colonna-Dashwood says that despite the many studies showing that drip coffee and espressos are actually worse for the environment than capsules, the broader public simply doesn’t take any notice. People are just focussing on how capsules are killing the planet. “So a lot of work is going into making capsules more sustainable — because there is a sales opportunity in making them more sustainable, as people think they are bad — and not because that’s actually a really unsustainable way of drinking coffee. It’s all very ironic,” he says.
Of course, it all depends on how you weight the different environmental harms (fertiliser at the source vs. greenhouse emissions from its brewing vs. plastic waste post-consumption) but it made for an interesting read: Turns out coffee pods are actually pretty good for the environment | WIRED UK
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As far as many supplied items are concerned, it’s not important whether they are used by the guests.
What matters is that the guest can think 'my goodness, the host has thought about everything I might need or want. What great hospitality".
For example, bathrobes. Each of our apartments has two bathrobes hanging in the closet. these are pointed out during the house tour.
I’d say that fewer than 50% of guests use them but it’s a wow factor - an extra step.
So is supplied coffee, decaf, tea, herbal tea etc. Yes, coffee aficionados bring their own, as do those who prefer herbal tea, but they appreciate the thought.
Side note: After twenty-seven years in the States and seven years of posting in the forum I have never understood exactly what a french press is.
Finially I’ve got it. A cafietiere, right?
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I had to look up cafietiere but looks like that’s correct! Basically, a glass flask that you fill with coffee grinds and hot water and after they mix, then you insert a plunger that is a metal filter, and you slowly press down, pushing the grinds down to the bottom and leaving the strained coffee on top to pour out.
What I don’t understand as a non-coffee drinker is how long the coffee grinds should steep in the water. Can anyone enlighten me in case I ever need to make a cup of coffee for one of my friends? I suppose there’s some sort of calculus around cooling water, but does steeping it too long make it too bitter or anything?
Also, I have another coffee-related question for folks here. Does putting grinds down the drain risk clogging the drain? I’m always wondering whether that’s something I need to worry about guests doing.
Coffee grounds should not go in your drain.
Put in compost pile, on plants [plants like coffee too], in trash compactor, in trash. Not drains.
Write this out in your house manual.
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Another reason not to use grounds with guests. Those whiners who cry ‘chores’ when they are asked to wash their dirty dishes will NEVER accept the responsibility of putting grounds into a compost pile, and making sure no grounds go down the drain.
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That was an interesting article. Now I know why my environmental scientist friend drinks instant coffee at home.
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Me too!!!
When traveling I take a couple instant coffee sticks, few Splenda & some nondairy creamer. Regardless of the type of coffee maker, I can brew hot water for my instant coffee. Later I can toddle to the lobby or to Starbucks for better coffee.
Years ago I adopted sleeping in scrubs or yoga pants & a tee so I could leave the room if needed. It is really handy when I travel with dogs.
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Just a few minutes. I think the directions that came with my French Press, many many years ago (I’ve had it for like 30 years) said 4 minutes.
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Everyone, this is a fantastic discussion! Thank you for chiming in. I’m going to read the Wired article and look up some of the ideas you’ve offered.
One of the fun parts of starting this Airbnb has been thinking about how to set up the best experience for our guests. Over the years. we’ve hosted friends and family in our casita and it’s been a good spring board (I hope) to Airbnb.
Funnily, off topic, we have fluffy bathrobes for our friends that stay with us and I wasn’t sure that would work for strangers in our rental. But now I think I might try it out!
I also “need coffee to get coffee” so I love the idea of providing instant. Nothing is more frustrating to me than having NO coffee to start off the morning. I’d rather have bad coffee than none!
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I would like to provide bathrobes too, but 2 fluffy bathrobes would be another full wash load in our small washer so I’ve been hesitant. I’m going to look around for a knit bathrobe that isn’t bulky (knit so it can tumble dry and I don’t have to worry about ironing it). If anyone has a recommendation, please let me know!
Coffee grounds down the drain- I always dumped them down the drain when I lived in Canada. I don’t where I live now because my kitchen sink water goes out to an area of the garden, but they clog up the pipe, which just has quarter inch holes drilled in it and a removable cap on the end.
I had read that coffee grounds are good for keeping your drains running free and bind to any oils in the drain, scrubbing them out. My drains never got plugged up in the 20 years I did that.
However, I have always used a French press and when I wash it out I fill it with water, so the grounds are floating free in a lot of water. If someone emptied a filter or pod, or the coffee container of an espresso machine, it would be in a clump, and I suppose that could plug up the drain.
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