For all coffee lovers out there, this article will cover some of the most essential equipment that you will need to make coffee at home, take care of your machines, and more!
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Brewers
For making coffee:
French press
An absolute essential. The French press is easy to use and doesn’t need disposables that you may not have like paper filters. It also doesn’t run on electricity like espresso machines.
In short, the French press is essential because it will save you in a pinch if you can’t use any of your other brewers.
Although the ideal scenario would be the French press becoming your go-to brewer – which would be a good thing!
Espresso machine
If you love coffee, all types of brewers are fine, but making espresso opens the door for dozens of other drinks.
Making a latte at home -or a cappuccino- is a great feeling. And to make espresso you need an espresso machine!
If you don’t want to get an espresso machine for any reason, there are alternatives like the Flair or the Aeropress which are manual and much easier to use. And cheaper!
Drip coffee maker
Ah, the good ol’ drip coffee maker. This won’t make the greatest coffee, but it’s still a really good way to churn out large volumes of coffee without doing much but pressing a button.
It’s reliable, easy to use, and much, much cheaper than an espresso machine.
Aeropress
The Aeropress has gone from exotic pick to an essential one. It may not be more convenient at home if you have any of the previous ones, but it’s virtually the only one that you can take with you anywhere to make good coffee wherever you are.
There’s even a special portable Aeropress version now that’s even tinier than the original for more portability!
But the reason why the Aeropress is so good for this is the materials.
It doesn’t involve any glass or stainless steel – it’s all high-quality plastic that won’t bend or break and that doesn’t stay hot for too long.
Aeropress makes for the perfect hiking, camping, otherwise outdoors brewer!
Brewing tools
Tools that you’ll need to make coffee that aren’t brewers:
Coffee scoop
Coffee scoops are extremely helpful because they usually have the exact measure for a double shot of espresso, which is more or less equal to one cup of coffee in any other brewer. T
hey make it easier to scoop coffee out of your coffee bag without making a mess!
They come in all sorts of materials, but stainless steel is the best one.
Coffee scale
If you’re serious about following online recipes to make coffee, then you’ll certainly need a coffee scale.
There are specialized coffee scales out there, but a small digital kitchen scale is more or less the same thing.
Paper filters
For brewing pour over and drip, you’ll need paper filters of different sorts.
Be sure you’re always stocked so that you don’t run out at the most inconvenient moment possible – a coffee lover’s worst nightmare.
Others
Coffee grinder
A grinder is essential in the full sense of the word.
Some may say it’s optional, and it’s definitely debatable, but all experts will tell you that a grinder is, in fact, essential.
This is because freshly ground coffee tastes much better than packaged coffee. Pre-ground coffee in particular loses freshness very fast and goes stale rapidly: stale coffee doesn’t taste particularly off, just plain, so it’s actually hard to detect.
You can opt for an automatic grinder or a manual grinder, which you’d have to crank by hand to grind the beans. The latter is cheaper but requires more work, while automatic grinders are a little more expensive but are vastly more convenient. And noisy!
Coffee canister
Coffee canisters are a must-have nowadays.
They haven’t been around for too long but they’ve revolutionized the way we store coffee.
They come with a CO2 valve that lets this gas out but doesn’t let the oxygen in, keeping coffee super fresh – fresher than it would even be in an unopened bag.
Stainless steel coffee canisters are best.
Tamper
If you own an espresso machine, a tamper is essential.
You’ll want to shop for tamper on your own as the tampers that come with your machine are usually not very good quality.
Get a heavy, stainless steel one that looks like it has a good feel to it.
Wooden handles are ideal.
Brushes
Of all sorts and presentations. You’ll need them to clean your equipment: long, hard brushes for your coffee grinder and softer ones for your brewers.
Keeping your equipment as clean as possible is something that you have to do not just because of hygiene (which is already a good reason to) but also because dirty equipment leads to bad tasting coffee.
So if you want better coffee, you better get cleaning!
A timer
For following recipes to the dot.
This could also be your phone, but it’s not a good idea to have your phone out on the table when you’re handling hot coffee – so it’s always a good idea to have a separate timer for these kinds of things.
Milk pitcher
For frothing milk in. They also provide a good pouring angle thanks to how they are designed, so milk pitchers are a better idea than other kitchen appliances that aren’t specialized like these are.
Milk frother
If you don’t have an espresso machine or one that has a steam wand, you probably still want to enjoy lattes and cappuccinos.
Milk frothers are a good option and make frothing milk quite easy – just surf the web and you’ll find several different types of these machines out there.
Some good ones are the Aeroccino or similar types.
Thermometer
This is key for getting the water and milk temperature just right.
Believe it or not, a few degrees can make the difference between bad coffee and great coffee.
So it’s a good idea to have a cooking thermometer at hand to know the exact temperature of the water!
Gooseneck kettle
These kettles are favored by baristas and coffee experts because of the shape of their “neck”.
It is elongated and provides more precision when pouring, which is important for some brewing methods like pour overs where a circular pouring motion is vital for even extraction.
Regular kettles are essential, too, but gooseneck kettles are just superior. If possible, get the ones that come with a thermometer so you can read the temperature instantly.
Carafe
If you make coffee in big batches, you may experience the disappointment of cold coffee.
There are few things worse than good coffee gone cold.
A good carafe is designed to keep coffee hot for four or more hours, which gives you plenty of time to drink it all!
There are some good glass carafes out there, but we recommend getting stainless steel which is much more reliable in this respect.
Double-vacuum stainless steel carafes are able to keep coffee hot for up to eight hours!
Cups/glasses
Good cups are essential for serving coffee. Making really good coffee and serving in a big mug isn’t satisfying at all – unless it’s black coffee.
A good cup provides a better experience. And there’s also small glasses which can have a vacuum layer, helping in keeping your coffee hot. That’s one main reason why special coffee cups and glasses are better: they usually do a better job at keeping coffee hot.
Apron
There’s a reason baristas have an apron. It’s not just a uniform: it’s a powerful tool!
Your apron can help in carrying around with you tools like coffee scoops, tampers, and brushes with ease and, more importantly, in putting them away when you’re done without making a mess.
It is truly one of the most essential tools you’ll need.
Photos by TeaCoffee99.
