Getting back into the rhythm of school is hard work. The combination of late-night study sessions and early morning classes can leave you reaching for caffeine to get going. Too often, you feel stuck between low-quality dining hall coffee and expensive coffee shop coffee. But there are plenty of great options that are small enough to fit in your dorm room.

Our three methods require hot water to make coffee in your dorm room; depending on what’s allowed, that could be a small microwave or an electric kettle. 

French Press

One of the easiest coffee making options in a small space is a French press. You simply add ground beans, pour in hot water, let it brew for a few minutes, then press the plunger to filter the grounds out of the liquid. Pour and go! If you’re going to use a French press to make your coffee, make sure your whole beans are coarsely ground. This will make the best coffee.

Espresso

Although big coffee shops still have huge, shiny espresso machines, often programmed to grind and pour an espresso shot all at once, smaller espresso machines are becoming available. If you like the dark, delicious taste of espresso, finding one of these machines for your dorm may be perfect. And some of them will heat water for you, like a traditional drip coffee pot. If you’re choosing espresso, make sure your whole beans are ground fine; otherwise, the shot won’t taste right. 

Pour over

While French presses have ruled the boutique coffee world for a long time, high-quality pour overs have become quite popular in the last few years. Like a French press, a pour over requires coarsely ground coffee and a source of hot water. To get a good pour over cup, you need a kettle, since you need to direct the stream of water carefully. For most pour overs, you also need a filter, which can be an unnecessary obstacle between you and your morning cup. You can get disposable paper filters, or you can look for a reusable one.

The best part of having one of these coffeemakers in your space is that you can enjoy all the deliciousness of a high-quality cup of coffee at a fraction of the chain coffee shop price. For late-night study sessions, you don’t even have to put on real pants. Enjoy a cup of coffee in your dorm room, no matter how small it is, before you head off to class. 

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