Brew Like a Pro: 7 Essential Equipment and Tools for Budding Home Baristas

Having the right selection of coffee equipment enhances your brewing and drinking experience at home.

With the right tools and equipment, you can be an excellent home barista. You can turn your kitchen into a haven for exceptional brews and savour more flavourful and delightful cups of coffee from the comfort of your home. You can also save money in the long run since you can enjoy great-tasting brews every day without paying higher cafe prices for beverages.

Must-Have Equipment and Tools for Home Baristas

If you want to be a home barista and enjoy and share more tasty coffees, make sure you have these essential coffee equipment and tools:

1. Espresso Machine

   A coffee shop or home coffee bar isn’t complete without an espresso machine. You need this piece of equipment to make espresso, the main ingredient of most coffee beverages.

   An espresso machine ensures you get stronger, caffeinated coffee with a thick consistency. It also allows you to play with different brewing ratios and ingredients to create interesting, more flavourful hot and cold beverages.

   Check out some cool cold beverage recipes.

   If it’s your first time buying this equipment, consider getting a semi-automatic machine. This type gives you more control over the brewing process. Make sure you also consider other key features, such as size, reliability, warranty, and price, when buying your first espresso machine.

2. Coffee Maker

   If you prefer a less concentrated, weaker coffee, invest in a batch brewer or filter coffee maker instead of or in addition to an espresso machine. 

   A coffee maker produces larger quantities of coffee since you can add several cups of water to it. However, this doesn’t necessarily meand lower quality. The resulting brew also contains less caffeine. It is also less expensive and easier to use than an espresso machine.

   Coffee makers come in different models, allowing you to experiment with brewing methods, grind sizes, and coffee beans. You can also use the brews you make to create coffee-based beverages you crave and usually get from your favourite cafes right in your home.

3. French Press

   A French press is another excellent option if you want an affordable coffee maker at home when you don’t feel like making and drinking an espresso.   

   This manual coffee maker lets you enjoy full-bodied and flavourful coffee without the need to plug it in and hit any buttons. You only have to slowly pour boiled water over ground coffee in the French press and let it steep for four to five minutes. Next, press the plunger down slowly and pour the beverage into a cup.

   Using a French press is safer and gentler than stovetop brewing. The stovetop method heats the water to a high temperature, sometimes scalding the beans and resulting in a more bitter-tasting coffee.

4. Coffee Bean Grinder

   A coffee grinder ensures your coffee beans are ground to the perfect size for your preferred brewing method.

   If you’re buying this tool for the first time, opt for a burr grinder since it provides a more consistent grind. This type crushes beans between a moving grinder wheel with serrated edges and a stationary plate with jagged edges, giving you uniform-sized ground coffee.

   You can also choose a manual ceramic coffee grinder if you want grounds perfect for your espresso shots.

5. Kitchen Scale

   Precise measurements are crucial if you want to enjoy great-tasting brews at home. Adding too much or too little coffee grounds to the machine can affect the extraction process, resulting in under or over-extracted beverages that may not be to your liking.

   A kitchen scale helps you measure the right amount of beans to grind and use for your coffee or espresso machine. This device also allows you to accurately weigh your espresso shots as they come out for better accuracy.

   When buying a kitchen scale, choose a digital one with a tare function to measure your coffee in your portafilter. Also, select a completely flat model since it is easier to clean.

6. Coffee or Milk Thermometer

   When making coffee, water at a high temperature can scald the coffee beans, affecting the quality and taste of your brew. Consequently, using cold water results in an under-extracted, less flavourful beverage.

   You can ensure you’re brewing coffee at the right temperature by using a coffee or milk thermometer.

   The ideal water temperature for brewing coffee is between 90 and 96 degrees Celsius. You can make sure you always reach this range with a thermometer.

   You can also use the thermometer to measure your milk’s temperature since scorched milk won’t give you a perfect cup of coffee.

7. Milk Frother and Frothing Pitcher

   If you want to enjoy café-quality cappuccinos, lattes and macchiatos, you need a milk frother and frothing pitcher, even if you have an espresso machine.

   Frothed milk enhances the texture and taste of your cup of coffee. It also gives your beverage its enticing, Instagram-worthy foamy look. A milk frother lets you enjoy all these whenever you make coffee.

   You also need a milk frothing pitcher to create microfoam for making latte or cappuccino art. Choose a stainless-steel pitcher since it retains heat and is durable and easy to clean.

Completing your collection of essential coffee equipment and tools is a worthwhile endeavour akin to investing in custom-made furniture. With these features, you can turn a corner of your home into the perfect coffee brewing setup with everything you need to enjoy an elevated lifestyle and coffee-drinking experience.

 Written by our guest author, Kristina B.