Coffee Gear

You need a way to grind the coffee, heat the water (unless you're making cold brew), and a device to hold the grounds during the extraction process. Regardless of the brew method, start with a quality burr grinder. We also recommend a scale to accurately measure your coffee and water. Then you need your coffee brewer. Depending on the type of brewer, you may also need a kettle.

The most obvious piece of coffee equipment a barista needs is an espresso maker. Other helpful items include a burr grinder, scale, and tamper. You may also want a milk frothing pitcher. If your espresso machine doesn't include a frothing wand, you'll need a milk frother.

If you want consistently good coffee, yes. A quality grinder with stainless-steel or ceramic burrs produces a uniform grind and lets you precisely dial in the correct grind size, so you can brew coffee that is neither over- nor under-extracted.

The categories of coffee brewing include immersion, filtration, and pressure extraction. Cold brew, French press, and Turkish coffee all use immersion. Automatic drip machines and pour-over brewers use paper filters, and the hot water percolates through the grounds. An espresso machine uses pressure to force hot water through very finely ground coffee. The AeroPress uses a combination of filtration and pressure.

Espresso is a concentrated shot of coffee. Besides the price, the key difference between an espresso machine and a regular coffee maker is the ability to create pressure. To brew a proper espresso, the machine must be able to exert at least nine bars of pressure. Most quality espresso machines list 15 bars of pressure or more, and some high-end machines let you control how much pressure is exerted.