In this post, I’d like to talk about something I’m passionate about — good coffee. I travel a lot, I’m often jetlagged, and I’m an early riser, so I’m going to keep this focused on the core of the blog, and talk specifically about good airline and hotel coffee (which on the surface seems like an oxymoron, since you’ll usually get the best coffee at local cafes).
The thing is, there’s such massive variance in terms of quality when it comes to airline and hotel coffee, so I think it’s a fun topic to address every so often. Let me note upfront that I don’t claim to be an expert on coffee, and I suspect a lot of people will strongly disagree with my preferences, and they’re every bit as right as I am (or maybe even more right).
Still, I’ll share what makes me happy with airline and hotel coffee, and then I’m curious to hear what OMAAT readers think, or if you even care about coffee when traveling.
For me, coffee is ritualistic
In my life, the importance of coffee goes way beyond caffeine — drinking coffee is ritualistic.
When I’m at home, my most productive hour is the very first one, where I’m sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee next to me. There’s just something about the experience that I look forward to every day. Often it’s the little things in life that make us happy, and my morning coffee ritual is one of those things.
Is it logical? Probably not. But it’s one of those little joys in life, and something I care about way more than I should.
Coffee is even more important when traveling
My morning coffee makes me so happy at home, but in my opinion it’s even more important when traveling.
First of all, to me there’s all the more need for coffee when on the road and jetlagged. I’m a very early riser no matter where in the world I am, so the value of that first cup of coffee is all the greater when it’s 4-5AM in a new environment.
Second of all, it can often be tough to be productive when on the road, and like I said above, coffee is ritualistic to me. Having a cup of coffee next to me somehow puts me in the mindset to be productive.
Whether I’m waking up in a hotel or am waking up on a plane, I look forward to that first cup of coffee. Yeah, it really is that important to me… maybe this blog should actually be called One Cup at a Time?
A little bit of coffee effort goes a long way
That gets me to the main point of this post. I’ve long argued that hospitality happens at the margins. Often it’s the little things that stand out to me most about a hotel stay or flight, or that I remember long after I’ve returned home.
For me coffee is one of those things. If an airline or hotel has a really great coffee experience, that’s very likely going to be one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about the airline or hotel.
More concretely, what impresses me?
What I look for in hotel coffee
For me hotel coffee is about ease of having access to it, and quality. The first thing I love is when hotels make it easy to get coffee early in the morning.
I’m not opposed to using in-room coffee machines, but the problem is that:
- Often the machines aren’t cleaned very well, and/or don’t work properly
- Sometimes the pods aren’t refilled correctly during a stay, so you run out (and you might not notice until you want your first cup)
- The quality of the coffee varies significantly; Nespresso is pretty good, while some other hotels use much lower end machines and pods
- Sometimes there’s no milk or creamer option, and this drives me nuts, because a large percentage of people don’t drink their coffee black, and this seems like such an easy, missed opportunity
For me the ideal setup is complimentary coffee in the lobby for early risers (and ideally actually for early risers — we’re not talking coffee starting at 7AM). There’s a lot of inconsistency here, but in my experience, Four Seasons is the only major hotel group that does this consistently.
As an alternative, I’ll seek out an airport hotel that has some sort of proper coffee shop in the lobby, especially if it has extended hours. Several Heathrow hotels have this, for example, and I sure do appreciate it. The Le Meridien Cairo Airport also deserves credit for having a coffee shop with barista coffee 24/7… too bad I won’t get to stay there again.
Then of course there’s coffee quality. I’m always disappointed when I stay at a nice luxury hotel, only to find out that their coffee and espresso-based drinks aren’t great. C’mon now!
I’m very happy at breakfast when espresso-based drinks are made by a barista rather than a machine. At a “true” luxury hotel I sort of expect that it will be made by a barista, while at a non-luxury hotel I don’t expect it, but am delighted when it happens.
A nicely presented smooth cappuccino makes my day.
Conversely, a bitter and watery one makes me… bitter.
Also, while it’s not ideal, I do appreciate club lounges when it comes to easy coffee access. While they usually “only” have machines with bleh coffee, at least you have easy and free access to it all hours of the day, which is better than nothing.
Fogo Island Inn is one of my favorite hotels in the world, and one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of the property is the daybreak basket (okay, the truth is that the amazing people are the first thing that comes to mind, but this is a close second).
Every morning the hotel places a basket in front of your door with a pot of coffee, freshly squeezed juice, and warm scones. How much can this really cost the hotel to do? Maybe a couple of bucks. But it literally rocks my world, and leaves a lasting impression. When I’m having dinner at Fogo Island Inn I’m already thinking about the daybreak basket. Heck, I’m thinking back longingly on this right now, and I haven’t visited in years.
The Four Seasons Boston is probably the best hotel in the United States when it comes to coffee. The hotel has a complimentary coffee shop in the lobby for hotel guests, where you can enjoy anything from a cold brew to a barista-made cappuccino.
I also appreciate luxury hotels that offer complimentary coffee or tea delivered to your room. For example, this is a standard for St. Regis, though policies vary — some properties only offer it to suite guests, some only offer it once a day in the mornings, etc. I just wish they were a bit more consistent with when it’s offered, and also communicated it more proactively.
What I look for in airline coffee
For me, airline coffee is about quality, variety, and presentation. Let’s be honest, in general the drip coffee on airlines isn’t going to be good, given that they’re using water from the plane’s tanks, and they’re often not using great beans.
I am happy when airlines have espresso based drinks. Of course they’re not all created equal. ANA’s first class cappuccinos? They are watery as could be.
Qatar Airways cappuccinos, on the other hand, are quite good.
I also appreciate when effort is put into presentation. I love the silver tray on which Etihad serves coffee in first class. Do I need half a dozen sweets every time I order a coffee? I most definitely don’t. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy them. 😉
I even appreciate when airlines have unique mugs. I love Japan Airlines’ coffee mugs, and I may even have one or two of them at home…
But beyond espresso and cappuccino, I like when airlines have other options as well. Emirates used to have french press coffee on many routes, though that’s no longer offered due to lack of demand (I think people largely just didn’t know it was being offered).
I love that Austrian Airlines has an amazing coffee menu that’s a focal point of the business class service (then again, this is more of a dessert than an actual coffee).
I love that that EVA Air has iced coffee in business class.
Heck, I love that in JetBlue’s Mint business class, you can even have an iced cappuccino with oat milk.
While I get that iced coffee and cold brew is more of an American thing, personally I wish we’d see more airlines offer this, or at least put more effort into non-alcoholic drinks. United is the only one of the “big four” US carriers to serve cold brew consistently (complimentary in premium cabins, or for purchase in economy). I wish we’d see more airlines follow United’s lead.
And I guess an espresso martini on Emirates at the bar is one way to get your caffeine as well. 😉
Also, I love when an airport lounge has barista made drinks, whether we’re talking about a Qantas Lounge or Alaska Lounge.
I generally expect barista made drinks in first class lounges, while I’m delighted when I get one in a business class lounge. But some things also just puzzle me.
For example, they’ll serve me $100+ per bottle champagne in the Chelsea Lounge New York, but then coffee will just be from a crappy machine.
Bottom line
Thanks for indulging me and letting me share my coffee preferences here at One Cup at a Time. I realize I care about this more than most, but I can’t state enough how memorable a good coffee experience is to me, whether on a plane or in a hotel.
Thanks to the airlines and hotels that go the extra mile to keep us caffeinated. And to those that don’t, it’s never too late to up your game. 😉
To fellow coffee lovers — what do you like and what do you dislike when it comes to airline and hotel coffee?
"Every morning the hotel places a basket in front of your door with a pot of coffee, freshly squeezed juice, and warm scones. How much can this really cost the hotel to do? Maybe a couple of bucks."
Probably a bit more than a couple when you factor in the labor costs.
I'm a coffee snob and have learned the easiest way to keep myself happy is to always travel with some high quality...
"Every morning the hotel places a basket in front of your door with a pot of coffee, freshly squeezed juice, and warm scones. How much can this really cost the hotel to do? Maybe a couple of bucks."
Probably a bit more than a couple when you factor in the labor costs.
I'm a coffee snob and have learned the easiest way to keep myself happy is to always travel with some high quality steeped coffee bags. Taylors of Harrogate is my current brand of choice, but many others are available.
Swiss First uses nespresso machine
Espresso. Done right. Earns loyalty every time.
No espresso means go elsewhere.
Bad espresso means consider changing hotels unless thre is a good espresso nearby.
Agree a good cup of coffee makes the day. Onboard, my expectations are lower than on the ground, but most airlines could do way better. A brand affiliation does not make a good cup of coffee.
Love the shoutout to Fogo Island Inn. We went a year ago. I've wanted to go since your first report on them. It was wonderful, and I'm eager to go back. Getting there was super fun, too.
barista is female ; baristo is male ; baritso is so-so ; burrito is heavy ; bumbito is a small bum .
40 comments in, I can't believe there has been NO discussion of the main ingredient ... the water.
I will NEVER drink anything made from airplane hold water. Not that this was really news, but a study released in January by the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, found widespread contamination issues on board many aircraft and called out American Airlines as the worst performer among large airlines for in flight water quality. No inflight coffee for me.
I always love this post. Keep brewing!
Alaska has gone from Starbucks to Stumptown for coffee and cold brew. They say it is a special roast that gives better taste at altitude.
Yeah for AS!
Of course, when Delta switched to Charbucks, I re-discovered United.
Charbucks, exactly that.
Ben and Matthew are addicts and substance abusers.
Caffeine and sugar should be schedule II drugs.
I live in Kona, Hawaii (next to a coffee plantation), but the international organization I work with is based on the East Coast of the US Mainland, so my working hours are 3 AM to 11 AM. That first cup of good coffee is what starts a successful day for me. I can’t imagine leading a 3 AM Zoom meeting without it!
Likewise, when I travel to our field offices around the world, that first...
I live in Kona, Hawaii (next to a coffee plantation), but the international organization I work with is based on the East Coast of the US Mainland, so my working hours are 3 AM to 11 AM. That first cup of good coffee is what starts a successful day for me. I can’t imagine leading a 3 AM Zoom meeting without it!
Likewise, when I travel to our field offices around the world, that first cup of good coffee helps get me past the jet lag and into a productive day. So, like Ben, I’m always evaluating my options - whether at an airport, on a flight, or in a hotel - for where and how I’m going to get that essential first cup.
And I’m particularly blessed at home. On days when I’m not working, my wonderful husband will get up, make me a freshly brewed latte, and deliver it to me in bed.
Now THAT is a fantastic way to start the day.
The first cup of coffee early morning (usually before sunrise) is very important to me. I always carry my pixapresso and a generous amount of ground dark roast - I roast my coffee at home. Usually I can take up to three weeks of ground coffee in a hermetically sealed vacuum pouch for that first morning cup which sets the tone for the day. I have my coffee with a splash of milk so this...
The first cup of coffee early morning (usually before sunrise) is very important to me. I always carry my pixapresso and a generous amount of ground dark roast - I roast my coffee at home. Usually I can take up to three weeks of ground coffee in a hermetically sealed vacuum pouch for that first morning cup which sets the tone for the day. I have my coffee with a splash of milk so this suits me perfectly. I can do with any other coffee for the remainder of the day but that first morning cup must be well executed.
You had me, until the milk.
Someone get Ben a "Travel + Coffee = Life" embroidered pillow! Or sell them on the OMAAT merch website (pending?). So much fun wandering into local coffee places when traveling.
If TSA is going to allow water for pre-check, would be amazing if they allowed coffee as well. Would love love love the ability to make my own coffee at home and bring it in a thermos for the airport / plane.
How do you make your coffee at home, and have you considered traveling with an Aeropress and bean grinder?
I don't like places that have a "barista" who is pushing a button. The United Club EWR has a barista, but she admitted that only thing different from the automated coffee station is that she can make chai and matcha lattes.
Please just give me an electric kettle in the room. I have a plastic funnel and a bag of ground coffee in my suitcase, available all hours. Much better than any bland and wasteful pod machine.
What will you do for a mug or cup ?
I'm pretty sure he has shoes!
You coffee drinkers have it better than us tea drinkers. I can't count how many times I've been served a sad, off-brand tea bag in a cup of lukewarm water with no accompanying items.
Agreed and pain understood. It’s not that difficult to have a curated collection of Darjeeling, CTC, Oolong and maybe either a green or white tea. Even some marginally decent brand like Twinings would do. My suggestion is to just carry them with you - I keep paper filter bags and a stash of Darjeeling autumn first flush and Oolong with me, especially when travelling to the new world.
My wife and I have standards that we hold hotels to.
At home she brews a litre of tea every morning and evening. It must be Earl Grey breakfast. When travel, the first thing she does is check the basket in the room. Too often it's filled with fruity concoctions. That's when the front desk gets a lashing.
Earl grey? Teas infused with bergamot are generally of lower quality. They are fine to drink but hardly considered a fine tea.
I judge hotels by coffee in the lobby early.
Most of the Kimptons I've been to usually have really nice coffee stations in their lobbies each morning. Like, they do a great job refilling, keepin' that caffeine flowin'... me like-yyy.
Funny, I hate Kimptons for not having proper coffee makers in most rooms. I hate having to trek down to the lobby to pick up a cup of often lukewarm coffee. Worse, if you are not alone and need to carry two cups, try to activate the damn elevator with your key card. Hopeless. Give me room Nespresso over that experience at any time. Just interesting how different people read essentially the same experience. Works...
Funny, I hate Kimptons for not having proper coffee makers in most rooms. I hate having to trek down to the lobby to pick up a cup of often lukewarm coffee. Worse, if you are not alone and need to carry two cups, try to activate the damn elevator with your key card. Hopeless. Give me room Nespresso over that experience at any time. Just interesting how different people read essentially the same experience. Works for some, off putting the next. No winning for the hotel, whatever they do.
Yes good coffee is indeed a ritual. Roasted with care , fresh beans ground to you liking for a delightful pour over with an appropriate filtered water temperature. No UHT pasteurized half and half, no shelf stabilized dairy. Fresh answers to good taste without any enhancements of sugar or flavorings. Keep it fresh and you will need nothing more.
It’s true - a decent coffee and cocktail are the bookends to a great day!
Retired now, all our travel is leisure/personal. Seeking unique urban coffee experiences is often part of our thing. While in San Miguel de Allende recently, we found some tremendous under-the-radar coffee joints.
I think my favorite hotel coffee experience was in Pittsfield MA of all places. Hotel on North offers beans in a little jar in each room daily...
It’s true - a decent coffee and cocktail are the bookends to a great day!
Retired now, all our travel is leisure/personal. Seeking unique urban coffee experiences is often part of our thing. While in San Miguel de Allende recently, we found some tremendous under-the-radar coffee joints.
I think my favorite hotel coffee experience was in Pittsfield MA of all places. Hotel on North offers beans in a little jar in each room daily that are ground within 24 hours … couldn’t be fresher or better.
Love ya Ben, but I’m fascinated with your calling coffee a ritual, especially when you are at home and have complete control over what you drink and how it’s made. But you didn’t share nothing about it other than consuming it.
I grew up watching my father perform his coffee ritual every morning, usually around 5am. It involved grinding fresh coffee beans, and then brewing his coffee using a variety of filtered, or French...
Love ya Ben, but I’m fascinated with your calling coffee a ritual, especially when you are at home and have complete control over what you drink and how it’s made. But you didn’t share nothing about it other than consuming it.
I grew up watching my father perform his coffee ritual every morning, usually around 5am. It involved grinding fresh coffee beans, and then brewing his coffee using a variety of filtered, or French press, or moka pot coffee equipment.
I live in Italy now and enjoy my own varied coffee rituals, but it’s more about the process of making coffee, than just consuming coffee flavored caffeine, wherever it may be available.
Just like some people don't drink alcohol because it made their parents abusive, I don't drink coffee because my mom being basically unable to wake up until she had her morning shot of espresso made me way too scared of ever touching that thing. Just gimme a nice cup of tea please.
it's also amazing to my how many times housekeeping leaves all decaf pods, even at nice hotels. when this happens, i usually hide all of the pods so that i get more the next day, but often it's just another full set of decaf.
Where do you "hide" the pods ? Under the coffee machine ? Good thinking ; no one will ever think to look for the hidden pods under the coffee machine .
usually just in one of the drawers near the bed; i've found that housekeeping typically doesn't check those mid-stay (nor should they)
I have the opposite problem. I drink decaf, so I use up the decaf pods. Next day housekeeping replaces the pods with regular pods. Now I have 4 regular and no decaf. Either a trip down to the front desk or a hunt for the housekeeping cart to find decaf. Happens all the time.
If I know the hotel has a Nespresso or Keurig machine I bring my own decaf pods, problem solved.
it should not be a very difficult inference to make that if a guest is drinking only one type of capsule, the type they drank is what they want more of, not the type they left
Caffeine is definitely the most used drug as of late as people are addicted like never before.
That being said, it would be nice to see a hotel brand partner with a brand like Cometeer and have frozen coffee pods available. Still doesn't solve the problem of creamer/sweetener which those categories are getting more broad by the day.
I think there needs to be some understanding about how coffee actually works. There's this rather bizarre emphasis on "barista" coffee.
Simply having a barista aka a human make the coffee doesn't really matter.
What matters is the quality of the ingredients and the machine. Half the time the "barista" just uses the same machine as you would make manually in a self-serve lounge. In other cases, a DIY Nespresso will make better coffee than...
I think there needs to be some understanding about how coffee actually works. There's this rather bizarre emphasis on "barista" coffee.
Simply having a barista aka a human make the coffee doesn't really matter.
What matters is the quality of the ingredients and the machine. Half the time the "barista" just uses the same machine as you would make manually in a self-serve lounge. In other cases, a DIY Nespresso will make better coffee than a "barista". Starbucks has "baristas" as well, yet many will cite their coffee as terrible because they have inferior product quality.
The emphasis needs to be taken off of the barista and on the actual coffee beans and machines themselves.
yolo - Exactly correct . French Press with freshly ground Kona beans , in Kona , with a view of the ocean and with the ocean breeze , and a freshly-baked cinnamon roll , cannot be duplicated anywhere .
Why you care? Because caffeine is one of the few substances acceptable to (almost) abuse.
And yes, some coffee is better than no coffee, but some coffees are far better than others.
I’ve wanted to experience Fogo Island Inn; now even more reasons to have it on my list!
1990 - "some coffee is better than no coffee" is incorrect . Kona coffee is the only way to go ; otherwise forget it .
Huh, interesting 'preference.' I remember visiting Kauai Coffee, back in the day. I thought Hawaii was the only US state that grows coffee; then I read someone in Santa Barbara, CA, started growing; and, Puerto Rico (I know, just a territory) also grows it. Also, USVI, American Samoa, Guam, etc., could grow it as well, but haven't really done so. What's up with that!
1990 - volcano soil on a mountside makes all the difference .
Guam is, pretty much, a military base with modcons. Any land that is likely to be good for growing coffee has likely been claimed by (or polluted by) the military.
American Samoa would have to have locals make this decision. Their connection to the US is slightly different...
VI is a tiny economy and probably couldn't support a coffee plantation.
Just because a place has a big fancy espresso machine doesn’t mean anyone knows how to use it. Hotels are the worst places to get coffee because no one knows how to use or maintain a cofeee machine. I’ve never had so much under extracted or burnt brown garbage than in hotels. I can probably count on the fingers of one hand, hotels I’ve stayed in that actually can make a decent espresso drink.
...Just because a place has a big fancy espresso machine doesn’t mean anyone knows how to use it. Hotels are the worst places to get coffee because no one knows how to use or maintain a cofeee machine. I’ve never had so much under extracted or burnt brown garbage than in hotels. I can probably count on the fingers of one hand, hotels I’ve stayed in that actually can make a decent espresso drink.
First thing I do when I check into a hotel is work out a few likely place I might be able to get some good coffee and make my plans around having my breakfast there.
You're 100% spot on, Ed! Out of all the places I've stayed at, I too can count on one hand of a property with a legitimate coffee program. Just because coffee is "barista prepared" it doesn't mean that they know what the f they're doing or they're using charcoal disguised as coffee. The Rosewood Amsterdam is a great example. They advertise using beans from a pretty good roaster from The Hague. My V60 pourover came...
You're 100% spot on, Ed! Out of all the places I've stayed at, I too can count on one hand of a property with a legitimate coffee program. Just because coffee is "barista prepared" it doesn't mean that they know what the f they're doing or they're using charcoal disguised as coffee. The Rosewood Amsterdam is a great example. They advertise using beans from a pretty good roaster from The Hague. My V60 pourover came out in a French press carafe looking like muddy water with grinds floating around.
I always arrive at a property knowing where nearby I can get a decent cup of coffee!
I think you're spot on about luxury starting with the little things around the margins. I'm old enough to remember the Smisek Era at United, and the switch to Ily, which isn't even great but was so so much better than the cigarette butts Smisek was using to brew. On a per-cup cost, you're talking about a dollar marginal cost on a hundred-dollar ticket while bragging about record profits, and while United isn't Singapore Airlines,...
I think you're spot on about luxury starting with the little things around the margins. I'm old enough to remember the Smisek Era at United, and the switch to Ily, which isn't even great but was so so much better than the cigarette butts Smisek was using to brew. On a per-cup cost, you're talking about a dollar marginal cost on a hundred-dollar ticket while bragging about record profits, and while United isn't Singapore Airlines, it has been noticeably better since Oscar and now, miraculously, Scott Kirby have been in charge and decided to invest in those little things.
I also like coffee or cappuccino with chocolate . However , pay attention to the danger of stomach gastritis - it is not fun .
Why would adding some chocolate make the gastritis worse vs only coffee. I know it adds some extra chemicals/theobromine/ stimulant but not that significant. Am I missing something?
Yep , missing the extra taste of chocolate .