We often close down with grappa or brandy (my boyfriend is a distiller), but invariably we make coffee and ask who would like coffee or tea. It's a great way to wind down the evening.

I love coffee after dinner. My family always makes a big pot of it post-dinner. It's a good accompaniment to rich desserts and the perfect pick-me-up after a large meal. No one drinks tea in my family with any sort of regularity, but we keep a box of Typhoon tea, green tea, and fruit teas on hand -- I especially like ice cold fruit tea with slices of lemon.

It's a tradition with my family to have coffee after dinner. I can't remember a big meal where it wasn't served, or at least offered. I always thought it was a Southern thing.

It may be a Southern thing. My Southern grandmother always does (regardless of the size of the gathering) but my New England family does not. I tend to offer and see if anyone is in the mood. My grandmother even keeps a spare coffee maker in her linen closet to pull out at large gathering so she can brew regular and decaf simultaneously.

I love to have coffee in the evening to relax. For some reason my husband's family never wants coffee or tea after a big meal. :(
I've never hosted a party for my family (except for my parents), but

I can't imagine *not* having tea/coffee after dinner! I just assumed everyone did that; guess I need to rethink my assumptions. :)

(michelleb - give than I don't even live in the US, I don't think it's a Southern thing....)

We always offer coffee and tea to our guests after dinner. Most seem to prefer tea.

I looooove coffee after dinner but I can only do it if it's decaf, lest I stay up all night.

We always serve coffee with dessert, or at big gatherings. My favorite is to brew espresso or Turkish coffee if we're having a rich sweet dessert, and regular drip or french press if we're having something lighter. Mmmm.

I always serve coffee after a dinner party, and tea, too if my guests prefer it. It is offered after a digestif, usually plum brandy or framboise. It's to signal the end of the evening and to signal there will be no more alcohol. I offer regular coffee and espresso.

I can't remember a meal in my family where we haven't ended with tea or coffee. It's not even just after a dinner party, it's after dinner period!

Coffee after dinner... perfect, especially with some baileys =)

Where I'm from (Ontario), it would be entirely weird *not* to be offered tea or coffee after dinner. I was even surprised to see this as a "entertaining tip", because I just assumed everyone did this!

I guess you learn something new every day ;)

Kitchenist

Coffee or tea along with something small and sweet.

my husband always insists on offering turkish coffee and raki to guests after dinner. my new england grandmother always offers coffee or tea after supper (which to her is the evening meal).

Depends on the guests. With family, always coffee and tea. But most of our friends aren't really coffee or tea drinkers. I thought it might be a generational thing (we're in our 20s).

I love coffee or tea after dinner. Usually, though, my friends would rather just crack open another bottle of wine, not that I have a problem with that. At my next dinner party, I plan on also offering port, so maybe there will be a few people who take me up on the coffee.

Maybe because I've always been raised around older people but I always offer sambuca garnished with a few coffee beans. I'll do coffee is requested but sambuca is definitely on the menu.

In my circles, if I didn't serve coffee and tea, no one would ever go home! In certain cultures, it is rude for guests to leave before tea is served- thus making it rude to not serve the tea the whole night. I would imagine this faux pas would lead to a really amusing story though