Upgrading Coffee Equipment

Oct 4th 2021 Written by Ragan LaTour

Entering the ever-changing world of specialty coffee is a mystifying experience filled with, what seems to be, an endless array of equipment, brew methods, and types of coffee. From the moment your interest was piqued — probably thanks to some beautiful, washed Ethiopian coffee, bursting with sweetness and notes of apricot and honeysuckle, brewed to perfection by some nameless coffee guru — to the immeasurable hours spent trying to replicate the brew yourself, there is an endless chase to achieve something better.

Maybe you're reading this as the seasoned coffee expert who has spent years mastering the art of the perfect pour over — the coffee connoisseur who can talk endlessly about coffee origins, flavor notes and grind size. Conversely you may be the new hobbyist, recently having found an interest, or perhaps a slight obsession, in specialty coffee. You may spend the mornings attempting to make the perfect brew, your afternoons reading Scott Rao’s book, "Everything But Espresso," and the evenings browsing the web for your dream coffee setup. Or perhaps you fall under the new group of coffee drinkers, the once daily cafe goer, forced to stay home and learn the art of brewing, spiraling down the rabbit hole of coffee blogs, stumbling across articles like Basic Brewing Principles in hopes of achieving a cafe quailty brew at home.

Regardless of where you are in your journey, there seems to be a shared goal among coffee drinkers — to brew a better cup. Now that you have the basics down, the next step is to upgrade your home setup. Better equipment is capable of improving all aspects of your brew. A better grinder will produce more uniform grinds, a new kettle can offer more control or heating options, and a new brewer may help produce crazy-high extraction yields.

To help streamline to the process, we have broken down features of some of our most popular brew gear — as well as the shortfalls of some beginner brew gear — in an easy-to-compare way, in hopes of helping you determine what equipment is right for your upgrade!

Upgrading Your Electric Grinder

If you talk to the experts, there is a mutual consensus that the grinder is the most important piece of equipment in your coffee setup. If you're keen on speed and simplicity while making your morning coffee, an electric grinder is probably right for you. Electric grinders vary greatly in features and prices, so check out what each has to offer!

What you have: Baratza Encore

Features:

Staple in home coffee setup
Entry level
Easy to use
40 mm steel conical burrs
Wide grind range -- 40 point stepped scale
Small footprint
Affordable
Limitations:
Limited grind range
Lacks consistent particle uniformity

Upgrading Your Hand Grinder

Hand grinders produce great grind quality for a lot less money if you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease. A reliable burr grinder can be purchased for as cheap as $35, with premium options reaching closer to $300. Not only do they produce phenomenal results, well above those of many electric grinders, they're also portable and make brewing good coffee on the go possible. Check out how some of the higher-quality grinders compare!

What you have: Hario Skerton Pro

Features:

Entry level burr grinder
Affordable
60 gram hopper
Sturdy handle
100 gram grinds catch
Ceramic burrs
Ideal for pour over and immersion
Limitations:
Limited grind range
Limited portability
Stepped adjustments
Glass grind catch

Upgrading Your Scale

Scales may not seem that important, but the truth is, a consistent weight and brew time is one of the key factors in recreating the same delicious brew. When first starting out, a simple scale like the CJ4000 can be a great addition, but the more you start to experiment, the more you’ll realize that every milligram and second count. Therefore you may want to upgrade to a combo weight and time scale.

What you have: Jennings CJ4000

Features:

4000g maximum weight capacity
Tare and zero function
Runs on batteries or included AC adaptor
Affordable
Large LED display
Limitations:
No timer
Bulky design
Weighs in .5 gram increments

Upgrading Your Kettle

Believe it or not, a kettle is more than a nice kitchen accessory. The right kettle, preferably a gooseneck, can be a game-changer by providing added control and precision. In addition to that, a variable temperature kettle allows for further experimentation, granting control of water temperature and how it affects the overall quality of the coffee.

What You Have: Hario Buono Kettle

Features:

Available in 2 sizes
Available in stainless steel or matte black
Low-mounted gooseneck spout
Made of stainless steel
Made for stovetop use
Comfortable handle
Limitations:
Only for stovetop use
No variable temperature control

Upgrading Your Flat Bottom Dripper

Flat bottom drippers like the Kalita Wave do a phenomenal job at producing consistent brews and even extractions. They're a simple, no-fuss method to make a delicious cup of coffee in the morning, but have you ever wondered what else is out there?

What you have: Kalita Wave

Features:

Home coffee staple
Available in 2 sizes
Available in 3 material options
Forgiving dripper
Attractive design
Produces quality extractions

Upgrading Your Pour Over Brewer

The pour over is often the first step one takes into the world of specialty coffee. By providing greater control and cone shaped edges, you are instantly left with a more even extraction and ultimately a better cup of coffee. Although there are tons of options on the market, Hario's V60s tend to be the brewer that get the most recognition. If your looking to up your pour over game, check out one of Hario's latest additions.

What You Have: Hario V60

Available in 3 different sizes
Multiple color and material variations
Specialty coffee mainstay
Ridged design that promotes even extraction
Easy to clean

Accessories:

Peak Water Pitcher

Features:

Carbon mat filtration
Recyclable and regenerable filters
Fully-adjustable filter settings
Filter your home tap water
Filters 1.2 liters of water
Premium dual-ion resin

Shop Peak Water

Kruve Brewler

Features:

Provides precise measurements for grind size
Measure grind size from 200-1600µm
Measure green beans from 11-20/60 of an inch
Coffee conversion chart
15cm ruler
Grind size reference chart to find grind range

Shop Brewler

Sibarist Fast Filter

Features:

High permeability for fast flow rates
Made for use with Hario V60 02 dripper or Origami Dripper
100% organic fibers
Resealable packaging to prevent flavor or odor contamination

Shop Fast Filters

Now that you've explored some of the options capable of taking your already impressive brewing skills to the next level, we hope you have a better idea of what you're looking for. If you're still unsure of what equipment will meet your needs, we invite you to check out some of our product comparisons that delve deeper into our catalog. Or, if you'd like further recommendations, feel free to reach out to us on our socials, or give us a call.

Oct 4th 2021 Ragan LaTour

Upgrading Your Electric Grinder

What you have: Baratza Encore

Features:

Limitations:

You May Like:

Upgrading Your Hand Grinder

What you have: Hario Skerton Pro

Features:

Limitations:

You May Like:

Upgrading Your Scale

What you have: Jennings CJ4000

Features:

Limitations:

You May Like:

Upgrading Your Kettle

What You Have: Hario Buono Kettle

Features:

Limitations:

You May Like:

Upgrading Your Flat Bottom Dripper

What you have: Kalita Wave

Features:

You May Like: Espro Bloom

Features:

Upgrading Your Pour Over Brewer

What You Have: Hario V60

You May Like: Hario Switch V60 Immersion Dripper

Features:

Accessories:

Peak Water Pitcher

Features:

Kruve Brewler

Features:

Sibarist Fast Filter

Features:

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