Coffee Equipment

what do you really need?

Getting the right coffee equipment can make the difference between having a bad-tasting or a flavorful cup of coffee in the morning. And who wants that uncertainty first thing in the morning? We want to start the day of right: with the perfect cup of java! Of course, there are other key factors to consider such as the freshness and quality of the coffee beans, the temperature and pureness of the water.   But believe us, what kind of coffee making equipment you use is important. Let’s review a little bit of what kind of equipment is out there, and what you might need in your own home.

There is a wide variety of coffee making equipment available today. For different tastes, set ups, and wallets – for professionals and coffee aficionados and lay people alike. There are coffee makers, espresso makers, Turkish coffee makers, French presses, coffee bean grinders, and coffee bean roasters; to name just a few. Some are expensive, some are not. Depending on whom you ask, you might get very different answers about what kind of equipment you might actually need at home. So consider this something of a primer where coffee making equipment is concerned.

The first question you need to be able to answer is: do you know what their uses are? Do I need a grinder and a roaster? A French press or rather an automatic espresso machine?  There are a lot of different reasons for why people purchase things: some might have actually done the research about what they actually need. Others are impulse buyers; others buy anything and everything that looks cool or interesting; others buy products that are advertised in magazines or catalogues, or on TV shows — without even checking or asking for more information about the product. When the time comes for them to use the newly purchased product, things might go wrong, or get complicated, and usually, without fail, they blame the machine. Often, the products bought end up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere, or are only used once in a blue moon.

You need to understand how each machine works in order to use them without problems. Coffee makers are, of course, for making simple coffee fast, while espresso makers are for making espresso and cappuccino. Coffee roasters and grinders roast and grind respectively. If you never buy fresh beans or do not want to spend the extra amount of time it takes to roast your own beans, why bother with a roaster? If you don’t use whole beans, why bother with a grinder? In addition, most automatic machines have grinders build in; hence, why super-automatic espresso machines are considered so convenient. They do everything for you from grinding the beans, tamping and pulling the espresso shots, turning off and on at pre-set times, even get rid of the grounds for you. They are definitely high tech and considered works of art by some, and seem to be the source of great fascination for espresso lovers, and the price definitely reflects that.

But maybe you want to spend the extra time and roast your own beans fresh, rather than purchasing expensive gourmet beans only to have them go stale. For extreme coffee lovers, price and time is irrelevant when it comes to getting quality coffee making equipment.