10 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Hotel Room Coffee

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Let's be honest, hotel room coffee's not the best. Although hotels are increasingly investing in their coffee game and bringing better and more interesting brews and blends to their restaurants and cafés, their offer still falls short in the room itself. A lot of the time, your best-case scenario is a coffee machine and some espresso pods, which can offer a serviceable, but not mindblowing cup of Joe. What's more common, though, is a couple of sachets of instant coffee, which may be good in pasta sauce, but usually isn't great to drink. Put that together with a tiny cup of milk and a cup that looks as though it's seen better days, and it's not exactly a coffee lover's dream location.

Well, folks, it doesn't have to be this way. There are actually a surprising number of ways to improve your hotel room coffee to turn what can be a pretty bland cup into something a lot more special. From the water you use to how you treat the machine, to what you do with the milk, countless little tips and tricks can extract the most flavor possible. Plus, if you're willing to pack certain items into your suitcase, you can make a barista-style cup in no time.

As you might expect, hotel room coffee machines don't get a thorough clean that often. Sure, they're likely to be wiped down and dusted each day, but their interiors can often go neglected. Unfortunately, this is bad news for your coffee. Coffee makers need regular cleaning to get rid of residual oils, scents, or flavors from the machine, which can impact the cup you're making and make it taste a lot worse. As time goes on, these build-ups can become a little more nefarious, with bacteria working their way into your coffee. Not exactly what you want, right?

The good news, though, is that it's easier to clean a hotel room coffee maker than you think. At the very least, it's a good idea to run the machine through with a few water cycles before using it, which will help flush out its system and give you a cleaner cup. If you're keen on giving it a full, deep clean, then packing some citric acid crystals, which can be mixed with water to create a powerful cleansing solution, can be a great move. You can add a spoonful or two while you run the water through. Additionally, make sure you're checking the basket and jug for any debris and removing any that could contaminate your coffee. These small moves will make a big difference — just be wary of the usual mistakes people make when cleaning coffee makers.

You may not be that keen on drinking tap water from a hotel, but for some reason, coffee makers get a slightly different treatment. Perhaps it's because coffee makers and kettles heat water to near-boiling or boiling point, which we assume will get rid of any nasties. While that may render it safe (although you should always double-check whether you can drink the water in your hotel), it may not be great for your coffee. Totally safe water can contain chemicals or mineral levels that can affect its taste, and subsequently, the taste of your morning brew.

Remember that coffee's almost all water, and so really, you should be opting for the best quality around for its primary ingredient. That's why bottled or filtered water is the best way to go. Bottled water will likely be fairly readily available, and may well come in the mini-fridge in your room. Filtered water, however, is your best bet, as its purity makes it the ideal choice for coffee.

Okay, so we understand why a lot of people might be a little hesitant to do this one, but hear us out. If you care deeply about the quality of your coffee, and you know you'll be having at least one cup in your room, then there's nothing stopping you from bringing your own coffee beans and a portable grinder. Coffee is at its most aromatic and flavorful when it's just been ground, and it loses its intensity very quickly. That's partly why ground coffee in hotel rooms is so disappointing; who knows how long it's been sitting there?

So, pack your own items, and feel safe in the knowledge that your coffee's gonna be better than the neighboring room's. Remember, though, you don't need to cart around your electronic grinder from home. You can grab a Mini Manual Coffee Grinder that can be tucked into your suitcase while taking up barely any space. Just ensure that the coffee grinder you do get has high-quality blades, or you'll end up with acidic coffee. Importantly, too, you should call ahead to your hotel, to make sure that they have a coffee set-up that allows you to use ground coffee. If they only have instant coffee and a kettle, you may need to bring some other items, so you can brew it properly.

Bland hotel coffee can be a crushing disappointment, especially when you don't have the means to make your own. Sometimes, it's simply down to the quality of the beans or grounds they use, which might not be as good as the kind you're using at home. Thankfully, though, there are plenty of ingredients you can add to coffee that can elevate its flavor effortlessly, and some of them might be slightly unexpected. A pinch of salt, orange zest, and even spices can make a regular coffee instantly more interesting, and they might be more accessible than you realize in your hotel.

If your coffee tastes too bitter, then a hint of salt can work wonders. Salt counteracts bitter flavors and can make coffee taste a lot more balanced and full. Spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, meanwhile, can give coffee a touch of complexity and help increase its aromatic qualities. You can also opt for a pinch of cocoa, which will give coffee a rich, chocolate-forward note without making it sweet. Orange zest can also heighten coffee's richness and add a bright acidity.

We realize, of course, that you may not have packed any of these things, but you can still find ways to use them. If your hotel has a convenience store nearby, see if you can pick up some salt sachets or some spices. Alternatively, call down to reception and see if you can grab any of them from the hotel kitchen.

If your hotel room has a coffee maker, then the kettle that usually sits next to it can feel obsolete. If you're not drinking tea, then what's the point of it being there? Well, we're here to tell you that it can work wonders for your coffee, especially if the coffee machine the management has provided looks a little, shall we say, sad. Cheaper coffee makers may not be powerful enough to reach the high temperatures required for a truly flavorful brew. Pour-over coffee really pops when the water used is around 195 degrees Fahrenheit or slightly higher, but some coffee makers can only get up to 180 degrees or so. As a result, your coffee won't extract properly, and it'll taste weak and unbalanced.

That's where your kettle comes in. If the coffee machine is a classic pour-over model, then don't turn it on. Instead, fill the basket with ground coffee, and boil the kettle. Wait for roughly 30 seconds or so for it to cool down a few degrees, and then pour the hot water over the coffee. You'll be amazed at the difference in intensity.

When you're in a hotel room, really good cold brew can feel out of reach. Unless your hotel supplies bottles of cold brew in the room mini-fridge (which can often taste flat and artificial), then you'll have to traipse down to the nearest café. Unless, of course, you make it yourself. It's surprisingly easy to make cold brew in a hotel room, and in doing so, create a balanced coffee that's way less bitter than if you had brewed it then and there.

There are several ways to do this, but in essence, all you need to do is steep coffee grounds in water for around 12 to 24 hours. The simplest method is to grab a container of some kind, spoon in some coffee grounds, and then add water, aiming for a 1:4 ratio. Place it in your hotel fridge, and the next day, strain it out using a coffee filter. If your room has coffee bags in it, you can also use those, to help reduce any mess or leftover grounds. Pour your brew over ice from the ice machine, add some milk or cream, and you're good to go.

We rely on coffee makers to work silently (well, near-silently) in the background, producing a cup of coffee while we get on with our morning tasks. Should we, though? A lot of the time, they don't work as optimally as they should, especially in hotel rooms. If your hotel stocks a cheaper coffee machine, or if it's clearly past its prime, it may not be strong enough to create the taste you crave, or may turn your coffee bitter and stale in no time.

Luckily, you can hack your machine to produce a more satisfying cup of coffee in a few ways. The first is to remove the carafe briefly while the coffee's brewing. When you do this, the coffee will collect in the bottom of the filter basket, concentrating its flavor. Then, when you place the carafe back in place, it'll drip through nicely. Alternatively, pausing your machine halfway through can create the same effect, as the coffee will steep for longer.

It's also a good idea to always remove your carafe from the hot plate once the coffee's brewed, or to only brew one cup at a time. Coffee that's left on the hot plate will develop a burnt, bitter flavor pretty quickly. Oh, and it'll make your room stink of charred coffee, too.

The problem with hotel room coffees is they often have no body at all. This can be a crushing disappointment if you're used to your morning latte or flat white. Luckily, there are ways to give your milk more thickness without bringing an espresso machine, complete with a steaming wand, with you on your travels. There are a few ways to easily froth some milk for your coffee, and the most basic is to use a Rechargeable Milk Frothing Wand. These are small enough to pack into your luggage and work just fine if your room has a kettle and some of those little containers of milk powder. Instead of adding the milk powder directly to the coffee, you can make hot milk with boiling water, which you can then froth up with the wand. Hey presto: You've got yourself the best latte ever, with barely any effort.

If the hotel you're in happens to have a kitchen area, then you can also take advantage of the microwave, although you'll need a sealable container for this one. Simply microwave some milk in the container until it's warm, and then give it a good shake. After around 30 seconds or so, the milk should be aerated and thick.

We've got news for you, folks. You don't have to leave your beloved mug at home when you travel. In fact, if you're regularly disappointed by hotel room coffee, we insist that you take it with you. The vessel you drink coffee from can make a huge difference to its flavor, both physically and on a perceptual level. Cheap paper cups, which are common in hotel rooms, can give coffee a damp, somewhat plasticky taste. Glass mugs, meanwhile, can give us the impression of less intensity when compared to white ceramic mugs. These are the findings of a study published in the scientific journal Flavour, which also reported that thinner mugs may make us feel as though the coffee we're drinking is lower-quality.

What this means is, the reason why you favor a specific mug might not just be because of how it feels in your hand, but also how it affects the way you perceive how your coffee tastes. There's a lot more at play than just the coffee itself. Packing your favorite mug can improve your sense of the coffee you're drinking, even if the quality's the same. It also gives you peace of mind that you're drinking from a truly clean mug.

Coffee bags have become increasingly popular in the last few years in hotel rooms, and for good reason. They're portable, they're easy to use, and they're way less messy than offering loose coffee grounds to customers. However, it's also very easy to make a bad cup of coffee with them, mainly because too many of us don't quite do it right. We dump the water in, wait for a minute or two, and then take it out, then we wonder why our coffee tastes so bad.

A few simple changes to how you use coffee bags can change everything. After you pour your hot water over the bag, wait for 10 to 15 seconds, and then squeeze it. This will force out the carbon dioxide that's collected in the bag, creating the "bloom" effect that develops coffee's flavor. Then, wait for three to five minutes to give the coffee enough time to properly steep. Take it out too early, and your coffee will be weak, but too late, and your coffee will be bitter. Set a timer, and once it goes off, enjoy an excellent brew.