Keurig vs. French Press vs. Drip vs. Bean-to-Cup: What's the Best Coffee Maker for Airbnb?

Keurig vs. French Press vs. Drip vs. Bean-to-cup: What's the Best Coffee Maker for Airbnb?

While coffee makers aren’t on the list of essential Airbnb amenities, they’re certainly an extra convenience that your guests will appreciate. Coffee is what wakes up most Americans, so you’ll want to add it to your kitchen to help guests start their day. Don’t know what’s the best coffee maker for Airbnb? Here are 4 brewing systems that you can consider, their pros and cons, and the factors that you should think about when choosing.

How to Choose the Best Coffee Maker for Airbnb

There are hundreds of kinds and brands of coffee brewers out there. But in order to choose the right one for your Airbnb, you’ll have to consider a variety of factors. Do you want one that’s simple yet reliable, able to give the caffeine fix your guests crave in a jiffy? Or do you want advanced features that can satisfy more of the coffee snobs and aficionados out there?

Good coffee makers don’t come cheap, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re making the right investment when you buy one. Here are important things to consider when choosing a coffee maker for your Airbnb.

1. Type and location of your rental

Is your listing an upscale property offering luxe amenities? Is it in the city center where there’s a coffee bar on every street in the block? Is it located in a mountain or a winter destination where guests might decide to hole up throughout the day and sip hot beverages more frequently?

Do you rent only short-term or also allow medium and long-term stays during the slow season?

2. Type and number of guests

Do you accommodate individuals, couples, or groups? Are they business travelers? Families? Retirees? Millennials? Or foreigners who might like tea more than coffee? Do you draw lots of foreigners who would shun instant coffee but would be wowed to see machines that will let them make exotic brews?

3. brewing features

Simple coffee makers will only brew coffee, while the more advanced and versatile ones can also prepare espresso, creamy and frothy blends, and even serve tea, hot cocoa, or oatmeal. There are systems that will grind the coffee beans and pour the beverage into a mug for you. Others can be programmed to prepare your drink at a set time. Pod-style machines will only give you single servings, while other setups can handle large amounts.

4. durability

Short-term rentals see a large number of turnovers, and not all guests are adept at using and cleaning appliances. Choose a sturdy and long-lasting coffee machine so you can save on repairs or replacement of parts later on.

5. your budget

If budget is a huge factor, you can type the keywords “best coffee maker under $150” online to arrive at the options available on the market.

6. size and weight

Additionally, consider the girth of a coffee maker in proportion to the size of your kitchen counter. If your listing only has a kitchenette or your type of property is a glamping business, space will be restricted and you’ll want to keep your machine small.

Again, the number of guests is key here. If you accommodate mostly singles and couples, it’ll be smart to go for single-serve machines. But if you have a larger home that caters to families and other groups of individuals, you’ll do best with a larger coffee maker.

Have you thought about aesthetics? If your Airbnb has a theme, you’ll need to go for something that will blend with your listing’s overall vibe. Do you want something sleek, bold, and modern? Or one that looks discreet and somewhat homey? Imagine how it will look sitting on your kitchen counter.

There are compact coffee machines on the market that don’t take up a lot of space. There are also portable models that allow you to easily bring them out to the patio or poolside.

7. ease of use

Most guests check into Airbnb looking for convenience. Many are business professionals and travelers hurrying to start their day. If you cater to these types of guests, you’ll want to provide a brewer that’s uncomplicated, easy to use, and doesn’t make a lot of mess. You don’t want them fussing and fumbling at the counter every morning. You’ll also want something that is easy to clean so it won’t be a hassle to wash after each use.

Some guests prefer the exclusive, personalized, and sanitary nature of single-serve pods. Others make no fuss about scooping ground coffee from a canister on the shelf.

What’s the Best Coffee Maker for Airbnb?

Now that you know what to base your decision on, here’s a list of the brewing methods used by most Airbnb and short-term rental hosts. Study their pros and cons so you can make select which type will work best for you.

standard Drip Coffee maker

Also known as filter or pour-over coffee makers, drip brewers are the most common machines you’ll find in American homes and offices. They’re fully automated and easy to use. You just put ground coffee in a filter basket that comes with it, pour water in a chamber, and wait for your coffee to brew – usually 5-10 minutes. Most drip brewers will allow you to make plain, decaf, or flavored coffee or customize your favorite blend. You can also add more grounds to increase the strength of your brew.

PROS

Can make big batches of brew
Set it and leave it. Many can be pre-programmed to the settings you want for brew strength, water temperature, power shut-off, and coffee grinding.
Keeps coffee warm longer (which can also be a con. See below.)
Affordable
Easy to use, most people already know how to operate them

CONS

Coffee continues to cook on the hot plate. The longer you leave it there, the more bitter coffee gets. (An option is to get a thermal carafe so you can shut the machine off but retain the coffee’s heat.)

single-serve coffee maker

Single-cup coffee makers are one of the simplest ways to make coffee. They use capsules, cups, or pods that work as tea bags filled with coffee grounds. You just put them in a compartment, pour water into a chamber, and press a button to make your coffee. The Keurig line of K-cup brewers is by far the most popular brand of pod-style coffee makers these days. Other brands that come highly recommended are Black+Decker, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, and Nespresso Vertuo by Breville.

PROS

Speedy. These pod-style machines can brew in less than 2 minutes
Simplest, easiest to use
Hundreds of flavors to choose from. You can combine different flavors and ingredients at a time
Not much cleaning is needed, only once a month.

CONS

As the name suggests, you can only brew one cup at a time
Needs regular maintenance, including descaling the machine every few months. Over time you’ll also need to replace charcoal filters
Lots of people find the taste bland, watery, “like diner coffee”, “like burnt sugar”, “like plastic”, or simply “awful”. You’ll have to find ways to improve the taste like choosing a smaller cup setting, going for dark roasted K-cups, or adding fresh spices.
Most brands require the use of their proprietary cups
The pods create a lot of waste. While some varieties now come in reusable versions, their lids aren’t

french press or coffee plunger

Also called a cafetiere, this manual, non-electric brewer is also quite easy to use. You just pour coffee grounds into a glass or metal flask, add boiling water, and press the lid tight. A built-in plunger will press the grounds into the hot water and extract the coffee from the coarsely ground beans.

PROS

Classic, timeless coffee-making device
The flavor is rich and bold.
Cheapest of the three. It isn’t electric, so all you need is a stove and a kettle for heating water (or a microwave). Since it isn’t a machine, there’s also no need for replacement parts that may take a while to get. It’s so cheap you can get two presses – a small one personal to suit 1-2 cups and a bigger one for 3, 4 or 8 cups
Needs to be cleaned after every use, but not difficult
Lightweight and portable
Stainless steel kind are very durable and will last for decades

CONS

Takes more time to brew: at least 2 minutes to boil water and grind coffee, and 4 minutes to steep it
Can’t keep coffee hot for long; it needs to be transferred to a thermal container if you make excess coffee
Not everyone may know how to use it, so you’ll need to leave instructions on how many scoops of coffee are needed and how long to steep it
The common glass variety is breakable

The highly recommended brands of French presses are Bodum, Espro, Fellow Clara, Frieling, and the shatter-proof Oxo model that’s great for travel.

bean-to-cup brewer

Bean-to-cup machines let you grind whole coffee beans and make barista-quality espresso on demand. They’re just like automatic espresso machines but they have built-in grinders. And like single-serve brewers, they also do the tamping, brewing, and pouring for you. Depending on the model, they will have either a manual or fully automatic milk steamer and frother for texturing milk.

PROS

The consistent, exceptional quality of coffee. You get freshly ground, full-flavored coffee each time
Lots of models, with higher-end ones able to prepare milky, frothy drinks like mocha, cappuccino, macchiato, or a latte at the touch of a button. Others have self-cleaning, water filtration, touch-screen displays, and WiFi/apps capability
Very user-friendly. Most are fully automatic, all you have to do is put water, milk, and coffee beans into the hopper. No wastage since everything has been weighed, calculated, and mixed for you.
Very fast. You can get your high-quality coffee in less than a minute.
Buying coffee beans can save you money in the long run since you won’t need to buy pods, grounds, and filters

CONS

Expensive. Home models run anywhere from $100 to well over $1,000
Usually large and will take up a lot of space on a kitchen counter
Can be noisy
Depending on the model, it may require daily cleaning of several different parts.

Some of the more affordable and popular bean-to-cup coffee makers are 10-Cup, Cuisinart, and Javastarr.

bottom line

With the variety of coffee brewing methods and brands available on the market, it can be a challenge to pick the best coffee maker for your Airbnb. But you can make the right choice based on the factors discussed above.

But why not offer two types? If you can afford to do so, get a standard drip or single-serve brewer for the speed and convenience it provides. Then, add a classic French press – which is very affordable anyway. Doing so will earn you brownie points for providing not just one, but two options for the most discriminating, coffee-addicted guests who check in. You can be sure to get positive reviews in exchange for your effort.

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