Coffee for Crowds

And just like that, the holiday season is upon us. By the time you’ve worked your way down to the Necco Wafers in your kid’s Halloween haul, it’s time to start planning Thanksgiving dinner. And then there are the office events, the neighborhood parties, the family dinners, the New Year’s brunches…

At any gathering with food, you’ll want to make sure that there’s coffee available. Good coffee, made in a way that doesn’t pull you out of the conversation for half an hour, or leave your guests waiting while your coffeemaker drips and hisses. And Barnie’s has you covered. All it takes is a little prep — and we’re not talking about picking up cardboard cartons of swill from your local donut shop.

Concentrate

There are a lot of recipes that show you how to make cold brew coffee (we’ve got a few of our own), and there are also some coldbrew methods that allow you to brew a coffee concentrate for simple reheating in the microwave (an act that may displease a coffee aficionado). But if you make that concentrate strong enough, you can bring a cup of coffee to life just by adding some near-boiling water to it — and quickly serve coffee for a full table with nothing more than a kettle.

Personalize

No one will complain if you circle the table with a carafe, but there’s no reason to make coffee such an afterthought. Instead, present it front-and- center, letting each guests create their own cup of joe. While nothing beats a perfect pourover, there’s a slightly less intensive method involving paperless coffee cones (because these metal cones are often used to prepare Vietnamese coffee, they’re easy to find in Asian markets or online). A couple of scoops of a Barnie’s blend in each filter, and your guests can have fresh-brewed coffee as fast as you can boil water.

Build a Buffet

A single-serve coffee maker is the perfect way to serve a crowd, so long as you’ve got them on their feet. Place your single-cup brewer — with a selection of Barnie’s coffees — on the table with your dessert buffet, and then offer flavored syrups, powdered chocolate and spices, rock-candy stirrers, and a variety of creamers. Your guests will be so engaged creating their coffee masterpieces, they won’t mind a little wait.