How To Create a Coffee & Tea Station to Enjoy at Home

“Hello?”

“Hi, Sharon. What are you doing?”

“Just chillin’.”

“I was wondering if we could come over and change into dry clothes.”

My little sister went on to explain how she and my nephew were soaking wet after spending two hours wading through flood waters. They’d made it to my side of town to buy dry clothes and hopefully check into a hotel. Unfortunately, the hotels were booked.

“Of course. You can change. You can eat dinner. Stay as long as you need…spend the night if you need to.”

Later that evening, after changing into dry clothes and settling in under a cozy blanket, my sister asked, “Do you have coffee? I guess I just have a chill from being wet. A cup of coffee could warm me up.”

“Yes, I do,” I answered gladly, knowing I have a coffee and tea station ready to go, just in case.

How to Set Up a Coffee and Tea Station

Coffee and Tea Station Set Up

You can set up a counter top coffee and tea station, use a bar cart, or create a hot beverage station in a kitchen cabinet.

I use a combination. Since we drink tea daily, I set a tea organizer with assorted teas on the kitchen counter and keep a tea pot on the stove.

I store extra tea bags, hot chocolate and coffee bar accessories in kitchen cabinets. That way everything is handy for refilling the tea organizer, setting up a seasonal hot chocolate bar, and serving coffee to guests.

Coffee and Tea Storage

I use small milk crate baskets from Target to organize by beverage type. One basket is for tea storage, and another for coffee filters, creamer, coffee stirs and various sweeteners. The hot chocolate supplies are stored in jars.

I keep the coffee basket on the top shelf since it is used least.  We don’t drink hot chocolate year round, so once the jars are empty, they stay that way til the weather turns cool. And the tea storage basket is easily accessible for daily use.

Label Storage Containers

I labeled the baskets so that I can tell what’s in each one, and so that others know where to find what they’re looking for.  Labeling also helps everyone return items to the proper place.

You don’t need to label a clear jar, but I kid you not, when the marshmallow jar is empty, I forget what the jar is for. So, I labeled it.

Storing Coffee and Tea Cups

My tea and coffee cups are stored in the adjacent cabinets, for easy accessibility.

Since it’s just Matt and me, I only keep four to six tea cups in our every day dishes cabinet. This number also works well when we’re entertaining since we have a limited number of coffee drinkers in the family. Extra mugs are stored next to the coffee basket if I need them.

Tea spoons are in the drawer below the cabinet.

The Benefits of a Beverage Station

The key to setting up a kitchen coffee and tea station is to organize it based on your needs and preferences.

I love having an area in my kitchen that serves our lifestyle so well. Having everything to set up a coffee bar for guests, or make hot tea in the mornings feels like a warm hug.

But, this occasion was such a kind reminder that mindful living isn’t just about me and how I organize: It’s also about being able to show up and meet people where they are, including being a big sister, one of my favorite roles ever.