The coffee rabbit hole runs deep. There is so you can explore much bean-eath the surface. What’s the best machine? The best grinder? What accessories will help me extract the best espresso? They look cool so they must be good?? As a newbie to coffee it can be extremely overwhelming, and difficult to explore the sea of options.
My goal is to go over the different types of work-flow aids, and what they can contribute to that never-ending search for the perfect drink (or how they help you brew more efficiently!)
*In my personal opinion. There are some potentially hot takes in here.
What I think everybody needs to have
A Good Scale
A scale is far and away the most useful tool you can put on your brew bar. As you explore different doses, ratios, extractions, keeping things consistent is one of the most important variables. Being able to keep the same dose and track your progress to your target weight or time is the great first priority to understand better.
A Milk Pitcher
I feel like this one is self explanatory if you’re a cappuccino connoisseur or latte lover. There are a variety of spout tips, and sizes. The spouts are largely preference, but if you’re getting into latte art you may have different opinions with what works best for you!
A few things to keep note of that the larger the pitcher, the more milk you will have to put in to effectively steam it. This can leave you with some wastage if you’re making a cortado with a huge jug, or struggling to make a latte with a jug that’s too small. A quick and dirty rule of thumb is
250ml pitcher - great for small milk drinks (think cortado, or cappuccino)
350ml pitcher - great for 1-2 small milk drinks, or a latte
500ml pitcher - great for multiple milk drinks
An RDT Bottle
This is a simple but super effective addition to any workflow. “RDT” stands for Ross Droplet Technique, which means some guy called Ross flicked a couple drops of water onto his beans and greatly reduced static during grinding. This helps significantly with retention (making sure that all 20g of beans you weighed earlier is moving through the grinder and into your basket instead of getting caught on the sides of the chute) as well as static reduction for less mess. Consistency and cleanliness are two great things to have, and are primarily noticed when you don’t have them!
A Quality Tamper
You should be aiming to get 20-30lbs of pressure in your tamp prior to locking in your portafilter. Most machines do come with a tamper, but they’re not always top quality; just enough to get the job done. Smaller plastic tamps are absolutely capable of getting even pressure, but they can be uncomfortable, or take a little more effort. Getting a quality tamper with a decent weight to it and a comfortable handle (or even an adjustable weighted tamper) will go a long way in your puck preparation.
A WDT Tool
The Weiss Distribution tool. The bane of my existence is channeling in my puck. SO many things can cause it. Under tamping. Over tamping. Clumped up grinds. The wind blowing in the wrong direction. This is a tool that helps break up any pesky clumps, and more evenly distribute grinds in your basket. Originally concocted by (you guessed it!) a guy named Weiss, this tool gives less opportunity for the puck to break apart, channeling to start, and helps encourage even water distribution throughout your puck.
Tools I Believe Are Nice To Have
A Distributor / Leveler
This one goes hand in hand with WDT, but isn’t as important in my personal opinion. After you’ve broken up any pesky grinds, this helps you more evenly distribute the amount of grinds in your basket prior to tamping. There can be unseen hills and valleys hiding just beneath the surface, and this will help level the playing field (literally.) So when you go to tamp, you aren’t over compacting in some areas, or under compacting in others.
A Dosing Funnel
This will be your clean-up-rag’s best friend. A dosing funnel can help make sure all of your grounds get to where they’re supposed to if you’re grinding straight into your portafilter. It’s also fantastic for keeping grounds contained while you’re doing your WDT, instead of throwing them all over the counter. Like I definitely don’t do every time I WDT without a dosing funnel.
A Separate Dosing Cup
This is purely for convenience, and a little more applicable if you’re using a single dose grinder. Have you ever dosed 18g into your cup, started your grinder, poured in your beans, and then realized you’re still holding the cup overtop a counter full of ground coffee?
If you said “no” I don’t believe you.
It’s just an extra tool to dose into, perform your RDT spray, and ensure the above nightmare doesn’t happen. It’s a little ironic that having your morning coffee helps you make your morning coffee better. But we can make decisions that prevent easy mistakes.
A Knock Box
I want to say I recommend this out of convenience, but it is purely laziness on my end that I recommend a knock box. Walking across the kitchen? To the trash can? EVERY time I make a coffee? No way Jose. I find it’s easier to dispose of all your spent pucks at once every couple of days, especially if you’re pulling a few drinks back to back. No work flow interruptions, and no risking any kind of garbage can residues on your portafilter.
Totally Preferential Brew Bar Additions
A Puck Screen
This is what I feel to be one of the hottest takes on this list, and one of the most up-for-debate questions around coffee I see on the internet! But I’m going to say it! You don’t need a puck screen. Does it help more evenly distribute water across your puck to aid against channeling? Yes! Does it help keep your group head clean? Yes! Do you have to fish it out of a steaming hot coffee puck to clean it? Also yes!
A Measured Shot Glass
I’m someone that weighs my coffee input by weight, not my output. If I can eyeball 30-40ml of espresso output of my 18g (and have it taste great) I’m happy! However, I cannot eyeball this in a latte cup. I like to pull a shot into a measuring glass to gauge my output. This is great as well if you’re dialing in, or sharing a pour, and don’t want to worry about spilling out of a cup to share.
Honorable mentions:
A Coffee Journal
So this isn’t technically an accessory, but a super handy tool to have. I like to use the app Beanconquerer (#notasponsor) but pen and paper does just as well. Being able to record what bean you’re using, the grinder setting, and how long your shot took to hit target volume is such a great reference when dialing in. Or if you’re switching what beans you’re brewing every few days! No more burning through beans dialing them in again!
The Rule of Cool
I am a firm believer that even if a product is technically better, it will not be as good as if you think another product looks cooler, fits your aesthetic better, or you have your heart set on it for any other reason. Using tools you love the look or feel of, pouring into your special cup, putting extra steps into your workflow that other may deem unnecessary, all 1000% valid and will boost the quality of your cup. After all, coffee isn’t a competition. It’s meant to be brewed, shared, and most importantly, enjoyed.
What are the most useful tools in your arsenal? What work flow aids have you tossed to the side? Does coffee actually taste better out of your favourite mug?
We’d love to hear your feedback (and your opinion of anything you may consider a hot take) on what you use to assist in creating your morning brew!
