Essential Coffee Brewing Equipment
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up, it’s a good time to see if any coffee equipment will go sale. Many of the products listed below are available at big retailers, such as Bed, Bath, and Beyond so they have a good chance on going on sale.
Anything with * means I have and I recommend
I recommend doing some googling on finding the right equipment for you and the products listed below are there as examples. Not all links are listed too—try googling the product and see where it is at the lowest price (reliable sellers, of course).
Gooseneck Variable Temperature Kettles
The gooseneck kettle allows you to pour much more precisely and with less force than a normal pitcher or kettle. It is an essential piece of equipment for home brewing and can be used for general kitchen use as well. A variable temperature kettle is preferred since many home brewing methods don’t use boiling water. Unfortunately, while this is probably the most essential piece of equipment you’ll need, it can be quite expensive buying from a reliable brand. The previous best value gooseneck, the $30 Bonavita Variable Temp Gooseneck, was discontinued for an “upgraded” $120 model. If you already have an electric water boiler, you can buy a stovetop gooseneck kettle and a temperature stick and add cold or room temp water to get your desired temp. Alternatively, you can purchase generic brand (often looks like a knockoff Fellow Stagg), but they reach your temperature much slower and are often made of less durable material. If you plan to stick to non-precision pour brew methods, such as French Press or Moka Pot, you do not need a gooseneck.
What to look for:
Speed-How fast the kettle reaches your desired temperature
Consistency-Is the kettle reaching the proper temperature each use
Durability-How long does the kettle last before failure
Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle*
Fellow Stagg EKG*
Cosori (5 Preset Temperatures)
Oxo
Brewista Artisan Electric Kettle
Scale
Barista focused scales have much more precise weight sensing and compensate in real time for adding weight (regular scales will jump in measurement as your pour from the force of the water hitting the scale). Most also have built in timers. You can get away with using a kitchen scale + phone timer, just make sure it is precise enough for your needs. You’ll need a scale measure out beans for grinding and water measurements for almost every brew method.
What to look for:
Sensitivity-how well can the scale measure in the low weight increments
Response time-How fast the scale shows changes of weight
Compensation-Can the scale properly adjust for adding weight or does it just jump like crazy
Acaia Pearl
OXO Brew Scale
Timemore Black Mirror Plus
Grinders
Manual Grinder
Manual hand grinders are perfect for single cups (up to 30g) and have a pleasing sound that can add to your experience. but rely on your physical and mental strength to grind every day. If you need to grind in higher amounts, it can get tedious af.
What to look for:
Consistency-Are the coffee grounds all a consistent size or uneven
Ease of use-Is grinding easy or require a lot of force
Range-How many increments of fine to coarse can the grinder grind
Porlex Mini
Timemore C2*
1zpresso J-Max
Electric Grinder
Electric grinders are great for their ease of use and ability to grind large batches of beans. However, they can be quite loud and you will have to compensate for retention, which is the amount of grounds stuck in the grinder due to static. They can also be messier depending on how they dispense grounds and take up more space. Burr grinders are recommended over blade because they grind much more consistently and are much more accurate when changing grind sizes.
What to look for:
Consistency-Are the coffee grounds all a consistent size or uneven
Retention-how many coffee grounds are stuck inside the machine after grinding
Cleaning & Maintenance-how easy is it to clean and take apart
Size-Will it fit in my space
Noise-Will I wake up my roommates from the sound of grinding coffee
Baratza Encore
Fellow Ode Gen 2
Other equipment
Brushy brush
Most grinders come with little hand brushes for cleaning grounds stuck on burrs
Descaling solution
Over time, your water boiler will build up minerals and metals that will affect how accurate your water temperature will be. The buildup will happen faster if you use harder water. You can tell if you have buildup visually (the metal will reflect different colors) and your water temperature will feel not right. Descaling solution removes the buildup.
Vacuum Seal Jars
Great for keeping your beans as fresh as possible and reduces oxidation and staling. This is optional as you can buy beans one bag at a time and store in zip lock with air pushed out.
Stuff I don’t recommend:
Hario Skerton Pro (Manual Grinder)-inconsistent grounds, hard to grind
Fellow Ode Gen 1 (Electric Grinder)-Retention is bad; you need to slap and shake to get all the grounds out of the machine. Apparently fixed in the Gen 2 model.
Apexstone Coffee Scale (Scale)-bad response time and does not adjust well to adding weight
Jocuu Gooseneck Kettle (Gooseneck Kettle)-One of the many knockoffs of the Fellow Stagg. These work but take an annoyingly long amount of time to reach your desired temperature.