Anonymous wrote:There are apparently some decent quality instant coffees these days. Get one that comes in single-serve packets.

I've been served the Starbucks Via instant coffee before and it was surprisingly good. Get the light roast, their dark roasts are over roasted.

My husband bought me an OXO pour over but it does require you to either have ground coffee or a coffee grinder and whole beans.

The better solution for your scenario would be a compact Nespresso or Keurig so that you can just keep a few pods/cups in a drawer for guests (just make sure you toss and buy new ones every year or so).

I second the French press. Easy to use and makes good coffee. Keurig is just awful. If that's all you have to offer, I would politely decline coffee.

Honestly, I have yet to taste a keurig coffee that is even halfway decent. I love our espresso original, and you just send or drop off the pods for recycling.

Anonymous wrote:You can get containers of ready-made Starbucks coffee in the refrigerator section. You just keep them in the fridge, pour into a mug and heat in the microwave. My husband loves the taste and drinks this instead of making coffee.

+1

Cold brew is delicious and easy. It's not cheap. And the plastic jugs are wasteful. But it sounds like OP just needs to have coffee on hand once a month or so.

Mr. Coffee (they make the best coffee of all the cheap machines and you can get one for $40) if you want your guests to make their own, French press if you plan on making it for them.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly if I had to choose between a Keurig and instant coffee, I'd take the instant. At least I can control the strength then and get it as hot as I like. I dislike Keurig coffee.

SAME. Or tea.

When a host has a keurig I tend to skip coffee. A French press is much better in every way.

Anonymous wrote:otherwise buy a nespresso machine with a variety of pods.

French press drinker here but if I were inclined to a machine it would 1000000% be a nespresso. Keurigs are trash.

You can get containers of ready-made Starbucks coffee in the refrigerator section. You just keep them in the fridge, pour into a mug and heat in the microwave. My husband loves the taste and drinks this instead of making coffee.

otherwise buy a nespresso machine with a variety of pods.

I love the Peet's k cups for Keurig. The right k cup makes all the difference. Walmart has their own brand keurig for $20. Have bought it for travel - works well.

Honestly if I had to choose between a Keurig and instant coffee, I'd take the instant. At least I can control the strength then and get it as hot as I like. I dislike Keurig coffee.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would get a cheap small Mr. Coffee drip machine if you have space to store it. You can store a bag of coffee in the freezer and it will be OK for a long time.

A french press can be messy and challenging, and TBH your guests just want a cup of coffee.

+1 French press makes good coffee but your guests are probably not going to want to deal with it

Both of you sound annoying and lazy. Put coffee grounds in pitcher. Add boiling water. Wait. Pour. Why is that "challenging" or something someone "probably won't want to deal with"?

Just imagining being up at 6 in the morning trying not to make noise in someone's kitchen while people are still asleep, looking for the kettle, the grounds, etc. Keurigs are easy. Anyway, the coffee will be good.

I have literally done that, at my house with guests, and at other people's houses. It's a good thing to talk about the night before, so that confused people are not rummaging around at 6am. Literally leave the pieces - 1 carafe, 1 filter plunger, 1 bag coffee (pre-ground) - on the counter next to the kettle. It is not that complicated, and Keurigs are "easy" if they're what you're used to. If you're not, I don't see what is complicated or intimidating about boiling water and pouring it into a pot.

If I were OP’s houseguest I would make do with whatever setup she had (and TBH I always travel with Starbucks via packets just in case I find myself at a no-coffee house) but my preference is a standard drip.