There are two types of holiday hosts in this world: the kind who like to wait on their guests and show off their skills as a barista, and those who want their guests to feel at home and be able to serve themselves with ease.
Whichever category you fall into, we’ve got you covered with a holiday party hosting guide tailored to your style.
Read on for product recommendations you can use to ensure your party is one your guests will never forget.
Make Your Guests At Home
If you’re the type of host that wants their guests to feel truly at home at their dinner party, you want them to be empowered to serve themselves delicious coffee drinks whenever they want, without needing to ask you for assistance.
This is where the Gaggia Accademia comes in. It’s an attractive super-automatic espresso machine with an easy-to-use touch screen at a price point about a thousand dollars below coffee machines with comparable functionality.
$1,949.00
With a built-in bean hopper, milk carafe, and easy-to-adjust beverage customization options, your guests will be serving themselves delicious espresso and milk beverages with the touch of a button.
And, if you really want to knock hosting out of the park, grab a set of Fellow mugs for your guests to use (personally, I’d recommend the Big Jo’).
$27.00
Become an At-Home Barista
If, on the other hand, you’re the type of person who likes to add a bit of flair to their hosting and perhaps show off some of your well-honed home barista skills, you’re going to want to bring home a prosumer-level espresso machine.
We recommend the Profitec Pro 600.
$2,399.00
All of Profitec’s machines define industry standards of excellence, but the Pro 600 is especially perfect for anyone interested in doing some serious hosting.
This machine comes with all the standard perks of a prosumer-level dual boiler machine: optional flow rate control valve, E61 brew group, separate steam boiler for simultaneous steaming and brewing, and a PID temperature control that doubles as a shot timer.
They’ve also added in quarter-turn knobs to make using the steam wand even easier and upgraded the boilers to stainless steel for greater scale resistance.
No matter how many guests you have ordering espresso or milk drinks, the Profitec Pro 600 will help you satisfy their demand.
In order to get the full utility of a prosumer-level machine like the Pro 600, however, you’re going to need a grinder that can keep up.
Say hello to the Ceado E37S.
$1,785.00
This NSL certified grinder can handle high-volumes of work without needing to be recalibrated. Its intuitive touch screen makes adjusting the grind settings easy (in the event that someone requests a mid-party French press), and you can pre-program doses in advance to account for varying levels of caffeine addiction amongst your guests.
Great Machines Deserve Great Beans
If you truly want to impress your guests with your home-barista offerings, you can’t just throw any old beans in your grinder. You need a quality roast that can stand up to the fine grind size required for espresso drinks.
Maromas Orphea whole bean espresso is the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to espresso beans.
$21.29
Whether you put them in your Gaggia Accademia or your Ceado E37S, your guests will be astounded that they don’t even need to add sugar to their drinks (if they normally do). The deep chocolaty flavor and profound lack of bitterness make for an incredible espresso, regardless of how you brew.
Let Us Help You Host
For more hosting advice, or to ask some more detailed and specific questions about any of the products mentioned above (or other ones we didn’t touch on), go ahead and schedule a Coffee Cast. Our in-house espresso experts will conduct live, 1:1 product demonstrations and answer any questions you have about how to put these machines, grinders, and beans to best use.
Or, for a group learning environment, check out our Coffee Seminars—they’re pre-scheduled learning sessions on your favorite coffee equipment.
