How to get started brewing espresso at home
How To Get Started Brewing Espresso At Home
Espresso at home is for everyone
Watching a cafe barista work can be entrancing—dosing each shot carefully, deftly steaming milk to order, topping each drink with latte art to remind you of the care they put into your beverage—it can be easy to feel like espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes are meant to only come from behind the counter. But, with the right sort of equipment and little bit of knowledge, anyone can be their own barista right in their own home!
This page is all about the right gear and the best resources for folks who want to get started on their own espresso journey. You’ll find our recommendations for espresso machines, grinders, and accessories that are made to crank out cappuccinos like your favorite cafe, and easy articles that will walk you through how to expertly use each piece of equipment.
Recommmended Home Espresso Brewing Gear
Espresso Machines
With so many options available choosing the right espresso machine for you can be a lot to process. That’s why we’ve selected machines perfect for starting with in the home, each one with the ability to brew delicious coffee and steam velvety milk at your leisure. Once you find the machine for you, the next step will be picking out the perfect grinder to sit beside it.
Rancilio Silvia Home Espresso Machine
Ideal for a drink or two at a time, the Rancilio Silvia is a wonderfully affordable option for people who are home espresso-curious. Its quality build and small footprint make it an easy addition to most any kitchen, and its after-market customizability makes it a fun piece of gear for the tinkerers among us.
Quick Mill Silvano Evo Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine
This feature-laden entry-level machine makes consistency simple with its integrated PID temperature control and easy-to-read displays. Using a different steaming system than the Silvia, this machine will allow you to steam milk and brew espresso simultaneously, making your morning shot or afternoon latte as quick as a stop by the coffeeshop.
Izzo Alex Duetto IV Plus Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine
When it comes to cafe-level features the Duetto IV is tough to beat for the price. It comes with a commercial-grade grouphead, adjustable pressure setting, temperature control, and integrated shot timer all wrapped in a stainless steel package small enough for your countertop. This machine would be a smart investment for people who plan to make espresso for years to come.
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Espresso Grinders
While the espresso machine is often the biggest investment for home baristas, the grinder you choose will have the biggest impact on the quality you’re able to produce. Espresso requires very fine, very consistent grounds, which is difficult-to-impossible with many typical coffee grinders. Luckily, we have a collection of high-quality options at a range of prices for you to choose from! After you pick out your grinder we can look at a few scales that will help you ensure you’re using the right recipe time and time again.
Baratza Sette 270Wi Weight-based Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Built expressly for home espresso, the Sette 270Wi comes with loads of features to make espresso efficient for anyone. Its stepless fine-tune grind adjustment, automatic dosing, and built in forks for your portafilter make grinding a perfect dose a breeze, while Baratza’s reputation for quality shines through in the build and support you’ll get with this machine.
Kinu M47 Simplicity Manual Coffee and Espresso Grinder
While many hand grinders excel with filter coffee, the Kinu M47 series is phenomenally constructed for espresso. User-friendly ergonomics, rock solid stainless steel construction, and precision manufacturing mean that this grinder is the perfect companion to many home espresso set ups.
Orphan Espresso LIDO E-T Hand Grinder for Espresso
More affordable than our other recommendations, the LIDO E-T is another hand grinder designed and built with espresso on the mind. Stepless grind adjustment makes dialing in fun, and its rugged plastic body is full of high quality stainless steel, bronze, and rubber parts, all expertly put together.
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Scales
Consistent quality is only possible with a consistent recipe, and a consistent recipe is easiest to accomplish with a high quality scale! You’ll want something to weigh out your ground coffee as well as measure your brewed espresso in real time, helping you fine-tune your brews and delivering scrumptious shots over and over again. Your next and final step will be picking out the accessories that you’ll need to complete your new home cafe.
Hiroia Jimmy Digital Brewing Scale
With several built-in brewing modes, bluetooth connectivity, app support, and a size that makes it comfortably usable as both a brewing and espresso scale, the Jimmy has everything you could ask for. Its 2 kg capacity is plenty for your coffee needs, and its 10–15 hour internal battery life means you won’t have to worry about recharging it daily.
Pro Scale XC2000 Small Precision Scale
With its tiny footprint and 0.1g display, the XC2000 is a good option for a budget-friendly espresso scale. You won’t be able to weigh your dose in your portafilter easily, but with a dosing cup this scale can solve most all of your espresso woes at home. Be mindful that this scale isn’t water-resistant like many dedicated coffee scales, so it’s important to keep it safe and dry while you use it.
Acaia Lunar Water-resistant Espresso Scale
The Lunar has made itself the industry standard espresso scale with its rock solid features list—reliably water-resistant, lightning quick response time, rechargeable battery, and a small footprint to fit comfortably almost anywhere. You can expect consistently calibrated operation and a long life out of this investment piece.
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Espresso Brewing Accessories
Having the right accessories to round out your new espresso set up will help make your cafe drink dreams a reality by outfitting you with the same tools that your favorite barista uses. Some are required, like an espresso tamper, while others are meant to complement the rest of your gear to make espresso preparation and clean up as approachable as possible.
Prima Coffee Espresso Tamper
You’ll need a tamper to make espresso, and with the wide range of sizes available for our Prima Coffee Tamper you can be sure to get the right fit for your basket no matter what machine you’re using.
Dreamfarm Grindenstein Knockbox
A simple solution to keeping tidy, this knock box is great for spent coffee pucks or for quickly discarding a little coffee if you’ve over-dosed your portafilter before tamping.
Espresso Supply Rattleware Latte Art Pitcher
Espresso may be a perfect product on its own, but steamed milk makes it magical. If you want to make cappuccinos, lattes, and more at home, this steaming pitcher is exactly what you’re looking for.
Espresso Supply Rattleware Tamping Mat
A small but important piece, this tamping mat will protect your countertops from scratches and dents from your portafilter while you work..
Urnex Espresso Starter Kit for Cleaning Espresso Equipment
It isn’t glamorous, but keeping your gear spick-and-span is necessary for making delectable drinks. This starter kit comes with everything you need to keep your grouphead shining, your steam wand steaming, and your grinder turning out pristine coffee grinds.
Ancap Torino Porcelain Cups
Beautiful espresso drinks deserve beautiful serviceware, and with Ancap’s high-quality porcelain you can pick and choose from four different sizes to be sure you have the right cup on hand for your favorite drink. Durable and affordable, these cups are perfect for a new home cafe.
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Workshops: Brewing Espresso At Home
Resources For Brewing At Home
| To Brew: | Coffee Dose | Espresso Yield | Brew Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Single Shot | 9-12 g | 18-24 g/~1 fl oz | 22-25 seconds |
| A Double Shot | 18-20 g | 35-40 g/~2 fl oz | 25-30 Seconds |
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