I have learned a lot about entertaining from my mother-in-law over the years. She always seems to know exactly how to make people feel at home, you could say she is the hostess with the mostess all of the time. One thing that she has taught me is how to offer coffee after dinner and with dessert.
Did you know that if you offer coffee at your next dinner party that 80% of guest will accept? This may seem like a throwback to another era but it is actually a timeless way to entertain your guests and encourage relaxation and conversation.
This is a sponsored post for Community Coffee.
How to Offer Coffee at Your Next Dinner Party
- Select pairing ahead of time to go with your dessert. I choose coffees from the American family-owned Community Coffee Company.
- Prepare the coffee pot ahead of time so you can get it started quickly after dinner.
- Offer coffee after dinner to encourage continual conversations around the table.
- Offer coffee paired with dessert – both decaffeinated and regular.
- Have creamer, sugar, and sugar alternatives available.
My husband and I enjoy having friends and family over for dinner. We usually spend most of our time in the munching on appetizers in the kitchen and then eating dinner and chatting around our dinner room table for hours. Nothing is better than good food, good coffee, and good conversation around the table, is there?
Offering coffee at the end of dinner is a nice way to linger around the table to continue chatting after dinner. Something dark and short is great after dinner, like Community Coffee French, Dark Roast, or South America blend. These flavors are also great paired with a chocolate dessert.
Many people enjoy coffee with dessert because it helps cut some of the sweetness and richness of the dessert, others are just accustomed to drinking coffee with dessert, from another era, like my husband’s grandfather who accepts coffee after dinner and with dessert every single time. My mother-in-law knows his routine by now and starts at pot before she even asks, I told you she is the hostess with the mostess. My dad will only accept coffee if he knows someone else is going to drink it since he doesn’t want me to go out of my way for him, so I always say that I’m having a cup, this is a good practice as well.
If you are serving coffee with dessert, it is thoughtful to offer both regular and decaffeinated coffee with dessert. You’ll be surprised at how many people will choose regular, even into the evening. Darker roasts are perfect paired with chocolate desserts. For desserts like pound cake and bread pudding, you’ll want to serve a coffee that has a smooth, clean finish like an aromatic medium roast coffee.
