Equipment and Tools
Well, where do we start ? It is important not to underestimate the importance of the tools that you will need to get the best out of your coffee. The preparation of coffee is like a science and funnily enough, although coffee is 98% water, most of the fuss concentrates on the remaining 2% - the machine and the preparation of the raw material itself - coffee (ground or whole bean). The advice and guides on prices are based on my research and if you are lucky you may get some of the stuff cheaper. You will note too that stuff tends to be cheaper in the United States, don’t ask me why ?
Grinders
You’ve got the bean and you need to make it ready for consumption. If you have already had your beans ground fresh by a specialist roaster or café, then skip this section – sounds like one of those annoying questionnaires doesn’t it ?
Getting a good grinder, for most experts, is the key. Without a proper “grinder” machine to grind your beans, then no matter how expensive your machine is, it won’t produce good coffee. For those of us at home, we can buy burr grinders with a basic one costing from €50 ($60/£35). If you are really serious and you want to buy a really good espresso machine, then you will need to upgrade accordingly with a good grinder, budgeting from €150 ($185/£100) upwards. The quality of the grinder is really important because the higher it is, it will be able to crush your beans more evenly, ensuring that you get a good consistency when it is being brewed. Below are 3 good grinders, starting with a top of the range for home, the Mini Mazzer, around $500, then the Baratza Solis Maestro Plus (good for filter and cafetiere type coffee) at around $150, followed by an Isomac Grinder around $190 (this is what I bought) .
Coffee Making Machines
We focus o the main ones ad easily accessible:
Filter Machine
Usually a machine like this:
Krups
You will need to buy ideally a gold plated permanent filter (cost around $20) to get a fuller and complete unadulterated taste but most people tend to use the disposable paper filters. Use freshly grind beans with medium to coarse setting. You can get a decent one starting from €20 ($25/£12). The more expensive ones can cost more than triple and even though some have thermal flasks to keep your coffee warmer, you are paying for name and design.
Cafetiere (or French Press)
The French way ! Producing intense coffee and probably second only to espresso according to some experts. Bodum are the famous makers of this but Cafetieres are quite common spread. This device is easy to use and the coffee should ideally be ground coarse. One downside is that you should wait ideally 4 minutes before pushing the filter down by which time your coffee will start to get cold, but if you wrap a tea towel around the glass beaker this should help a bit. Also trying pouring hot water into the beaker first to make it hot, empty and then fill with the ground coffee. See “making coffee @ home” for using this machine.
Bodum Aluminum |
Moka Pot
The MOKA pot is the cheapest way to get Italian style coffee. Moka pots grace the majority of homes in Italy and are even carried away from home when Italians who love coffee, leave Italy on holiday (I’m not Italian, but I carried one too when I went down south to Africa recently). The most common ones are made from aluminium, the fastest heat conductor, which means your coffee can be ready in a few minutes depending on size. However, the gradual off colouring of aluminium can affect your coffee and more expensive stainless steel ones are becoming popular, but of course for a much higher price. Use a fine to medium grind, pour the cold water into the base and place the filter basket on top, filled with your ground coffee. See the “making coffee @ home” section for using this machine.
Bialeti
Espresso Pump Machine (for the home)
Now ! you really do have to get your credit card out, because to really get a good espresso taste in your home, you are going to have to spend money on this complicated machines that produce that complicated and delicious drink, THE ESPRESSO.
You are really spoilt for choice here and the main factor is really price and how serious you are. One advice, be wary of cheap machines, costing less than €100 ($110/£60) promising you the “home espresso/cappuccino experience”. You are bound to suffer on either poor extraction or poor steam needed for milk based drinks. If you do get serious, you will want to upgrade your machine and in the long run end up spending twice or thrice your original investment. Here are a few suggestions, which I have grouped into intermediate amateur and more advanced:
Intermediate Amateur
Francis Francis X1 - very stylish looking and good for espresso. Can also be used for E.S.E pods.
Kitchen Aid - quite expensive, looks stylish and has a double boiler so that you can make espresso and froth milk at the same time.
Krups - at the cheapest and most affordable range for those in a rush with a built in “thermoblock” system which heats up the water to the desired temperature in less than a minute. Other advantage is that this new rage has auto-froth milk and you can buy tablets to provide distilled water.
Bodum - with good looks and some really unique features such as the option to use water bottles and an automatic water disposer. Supposed to make a good espresso and can be used for E.S.E pods too. Also uses the “thermoblock” system.
More Advanced
This means spending more money and getting your hand dirty, but with an exquisite taste that can rival the stuff produced on a commercial machine.
With these types of machines, you will need more practice in getting to know the machine - the learning curve can be steep and you will need patience. In fact the manufacturers of these type of machines often say that this is for those who want to be a home barista, on their way to becoming an expert. If you use a top quality burr grinder and know how to use these machines well, the coffee, including milk based drinks will taste much better than what you get in the majority of coffee shops where the barista, sadly, has not been properly trained. The plus side of this - you will also save lots of money if you are one of those who spend about $5 per day on a coffee drink. To support your espresso passion, you will need some other tools like a tamper, milk jug, etc (see below). These machines also have some commercial grade parts, especially the group head (E61) and portafilter.
Rancillio Silva - claimed to be one of the best in this category and built with some items you find in a commercial machine but very hard to find unless you are in the US or find a specialist espresso machine store.
Isomac Venus - similar to the Rancillo Silva but better with more brass interior and stainless steel and a solid group head and water softener to reduce lime-scale build up. This is what I currently have.
Automatic Espresso Machines
These machines are designed for those who don’t want to get their hands dirty. They are expensive with good ones ranging from €400-€1,200. Saeco produce some really good looking machines but the Swiss company Jura are the leaders in this market, although right at the top end of the market. The coffee is produced on demand with beans ground direct to the cup. You might get a decent cup of coffee but it won’t reach the standard of the ones prepared by professional baristas. Also part of the fun and enjoyment of making coffee is continuance practice, trying to get the grind right, perfecting your tamping with convex or flat tampers, etc and sitting down and enjoying the coffee after all that hard work - this joy will be lost with this type of machine, but everyone has their own passion.
Saeco
Espresso Machine (commercial)
If you are thinking about opening a coffee shop and have the money, then go for the best if you are serious and don’t want to compromise on quality, provided that of course you are willing to learn and be patient. For some, the best machine is a La Marzocco. Ok ! you may have seen me name dropping this machine all over the website, especially under the “enjoying coffee” section, but it is like someone who likes cars and doesn’t go wild when they see a Porsche Cayenne Jeep Turbo S, the latest Ferrari or a Mercedes CLS. Anyway back to coffee - I’m not going to go into the science of these machines as I don’t have one and I haven’t used one yet - for that, visit their website (www.lamarzocco.com), but again, this is the machine referred to as the Rolls Royce of coffee machines - the machines used by the experts, the machine used at the World Barista Championships (i.e. the world cup competition for coffee markers/baristas), the machine raved about on espresso websites, etc, etc
Also highly rated by experts but still a small company is the Synesso Cyncra, developed by a former engineer at La Marzocco and adopted by the espresso guru, David Schomer. As Mr Schomer says on the Synesso website “For me, the creation of this machine marks the beginning of caffe espresso as a culinary art… Espresso is out of its prison of engineered mediocrity.” In any case this machine is quite easy to get in America and as I just read recently in Australia too, but difficult to find in Europe. However I managed to see one in action at Origins Roasting Cafe in Cape Town, using naked portafilters.
Synesso Cyncra |
La Marzocco |
Commercial semi-auto machines (their other name) have to be fitted professionally as they have to be connected to your water pump system and it is usually a good idea to have the water filter option - Remember! Espresso is 95% water, bad water equals bad coffee.
There are of course other really good machine, like La Cimbali, which are very popular in high class cafes too, used by Pret-a-manger in the UK. Also, there is Rancillo - the advantage of this machine for a cafe where you don’t want to rely on your baristas to froth milk like an expert is that this machine has an automatic milk frothing device for making frothed milk for your cappuccinos, lattes and macchiattos. It also come with options for tall take out coffees - so this machine might be ideal for a very busy coffee shop specialising in take-away.
Other famous machines are Gaggia, Faema, San Marco (all Italian) and if you are in AFRIca you will see lots of Brasilia, but in general that Italian dominate this market.
I advise you to visit the websites of all the commercial makers and speak to the local distributors about the machines. By all means try them out and select the one you feel comfortable with. In reality, you can have the best machine but if your baristas are not trained properly and you don’t use the fresh elements (water, coffee, milk) together with the essentials (very good grinder, tamping) then the coffee will still be bad and I have experienced this many times before.
Also note that there are also super automatic commercial machines, like the ones used in Starbucks, where the barista isn’t required to grind, tamp, polish, etc - all they do is press a button to extract the coffee. These machines mind you are very expensive and you may prefer to buy a BMW 3 Series than one of these.
Other tools
Tamper (for preparing espresso)
OK! We have the machine, now we need to move another step forward to making espresso - tamping. The act of pressing firmly on your freshly ground coffee hosted in the filter basket or portafilter before you place it into the head of your machine. Experts recommend 30 pounds of pressure and I know you are asking, “how do I know what 30 pounds of pressure is ?” In short, you will have to bring out your weight scales and press on it. Alternatively and thank God, some engineers have come up with something - a pressure tamper that clicks as soon as you have applied 30 pounds of pressure. I have heard of two makes, Espro and Macap and expect to pay $70 for Espro if you live in North America or €100 if you live in Europe - why are things much cheaper in North America ? I got an Espro Tamper (on the left below) from www.chriscoffee.com, based in New York.
There are other types of tamper like convex and flat. Another theory, propagated by the engineers of La Marzocco, is that you shouldn’t put too much pressure on the ground coffee if not, and you will probably find out like I did (pre-Espro tamper of course), the bed of the coffee will not allow passage of water to flow through - you will be standing by your espresso machine waiting for water to come out and it will take a long time. In any case, as with other things in making coffee, practice makes perfect.
ISI Siphon
OK! If you like coffee and food, like I do, then this piece is essential, especially if you like whipped cream with chocolate cake. Anyway this is about coffee. This is an excellent tool for getting fresh whipped cream to make espresso con panna or to top your melange (Austrian cappuccino) and other gourmet coffees. Just fill the canister with at least 250ml minimum of cream, screw on the top and apply the gas with the cartridges and hey presto, instant whipped cream. Most cafes use this now, even Starbucks.
The more expensive professional aluminium ones can hold up to 1.5 litres but you can get one from about €40 ($50/£30) that holds 500ml, and don’t forget that you will need to buy replacement cartridges (you use one cartridge every time you use one dose of milk in the siphon).
Knock Out Box or Drawer
You may think that this is not essential if you have an espresso machine, but it is if you have the more advanced ones and of course if you have a commercial type machine. The way the coffee is made in pressurised machines begs you to knock it out vigorously after brewing. A proper box will set you back at least €150 ($150/£100), but you can get a more practical version for your home that you can buy for about €25 ($30) like moi.
Milk Jug and thermometer
You need a milk jug if you want to froth milk for your lattes and cappuccinos. It is advisable to have a stainless steel long jug with a wide base - like a pear. Frothing milk requires air and heat conduction in order to whip up the milk and preserve the heat needed for the milk to froth and steam. Before you become an expert, you may want to consider getting a thermometer to measure the temperature of the milk so that you don’t burn your mouth with 100 degrees Celsius milk. Basically, you need to stretch the milk with the tip of a steam wand until it reaches about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F), after which you should tip the wand a little bit further into the jug to continue whipping and stop at about 140 to 150 F. I am using Fahrenheit because most thermometer come from the US and this is the temperature scale they use. See below for options.
