How many coffee tools does a coffee enthusiast actually need?

A short list of core gear covers nearly every brew: a grinder, a scale, a kettle, a brewer, and something to clean with. Eight common add-ons, including portafilter basket brushes, automatic portafilter cleaners, basket storage racks, basket removal tools, portafilter scale stands, drip bag brewers, small bean chambers, and filter paper presses, mostly sit unused after the first week.

The pattern repeats because marketing copy promises convenience and hygiene that a cloth, a rinse, or a steady hand already handles. More equipment does not raise cup quality, and each extra item adds cleaning and counter space. A practical approach is to follow a simple 7 steps to make coffee routine and buy only what removes a real bottleneck in that routine.

As the saying goes, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools." Many coffee enthusiasts, when scrolling online and coming across various functional coffee gadgets, are often drawn in by their good looks and labels like "must-have神器," "extraction aid," and can't resist adding them to their shopping cart. But after buying them and bringing them home, they realize these things mostly become "beautiful废物." To make a delicious cup of coffee, how many tools do you actually need? Does having more complete equipment and more professional gear make coffee taste better? This article reviews eight types of auxiliary tools—portafilter basket cleaning brushes, automatic portafilter cleaners, portafilter basket storage racks, basket removal tools, portafilter scale stands, drip bag automatic brewers, stainless steel small bean chambers, and filter paper presses—analyzing their practicality and uselessness one by one, to help you avoid unnecessary expenses.

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I believe everyone, when surfing the internet, occasionally comes across some coffee-related functional gadgets. First, they often have photogenic looks; second, they advertise themselves with related terms like "must-have神器," "extraction aid," "good stuff sharing," or "practical and inexpensive." In their promotional copy, they claim to save space, be clean and hygienic, organize and sort, etc., making many players' hearts flutter and secretly add them to their shopping carts. In the end, they find another "beautiful废物" at home.

As an old saying goes, to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. So, have you, as someone who makes coffee, ever thought about this question? To make a delicious cup of coffee, how many tools do you actually need? Does having more complete equipment and more professional gear make coffee taste better?

Today let's review where these friends spent their "wasted money" on these stationery items.

1. Portafilter basket cleaning brush

After espresso is extracted and the puck is knocked out, some residue remains at the bottom of the portafilter basket that needs cleaning. Some people wipe it directly with a cloth, some rinse with water, and others think of using a brush. For example, Bomber's portafilter basket cleaning brush—the nylon material makes the bristles resistant to deformation, and the round ball shape fits the basket better. But, well, the bottom of the basket after knocking out the puck is sometimes semi-moist, and at that point the brush's function seems rather useless...

One-line review: Maybe just use a cloth~

2. Automatic portafilter cleaner

Cleaning the portafilter is a hygiene step every barista strictly follows. Common methods include knocking it upside down, wiping with a dry cloth, washing and drying—not only creating noise, wasting water, but also time-consuming. So designers developed this portafilter cleaner, saving tedious steps, no water washing needed, and it's smart and efficient.

One-line review: Can we be any lazier?

3. Coffee portafilter basket storage rack

In the kitchen, moms all have a rice bowl storage rack; at the bar, coffee people likewise equip a portafilter basket storage rack. It's just a pity that our baskets are few and far between.

One-line review: It's not too late to order after stocking up on a few more baskets

4. Basket removal tool

When closing up for the day, we need to switch to a blind basket to clean the espresso machine. Since it's quite tightly fitted, the most common practice is to use one basket to pry open another. But a designer thought this might affect the basket's shape, so they invented this basket-prying tool—one pry and it comes off easily.

One-line review: Not bad for opening beer bottles!

5. Coffee portafilter electronic scale stand

To confirm the dose, baristas usually place the portafilter on an electronic scale after receiving coffee grounds. At this point, someone noticed that the scale is small while the portafilter is large, and it's easy to place unstably—one slip and all the coffee grounds spill. Thus, this portafilter electronic scale auxiliary stand was born.

One-line review: A non-slip mat could solve this problem too!

6. Drip bag automatic brewer

This type of machine claims to be an "office神器." It not only liberates the hands of office workers, but the device also evenly injects the target amount of water into the coffee grounds in the drip bag, aiming for even extraction. Oh, right, remember you have to add water yourself~

One-line review: Wait, why are we drinking drip bags again?

7. Stainless steel small bean chamber

The designer of this product mainly targeted household coffee with low output. Since there are too few coffee beans in the bean chamber to form certain pressure, it's prone to bean jumping and inconsistent grind size. Using this small bean chamber allows you to weigh beans before grinding, unaffected by bean volume pressure.

One-line review: After seeing the price, it seems we don't really need it.

8. Filter paper press

Every pour-over enthusiast knows well that the fit between filter paper and dripper has a greater or lesser impact on extraction. So when wetting the filter paper, they carefully rinse the paper, trying to make it cling to the dripper. To pair with straight-walled drippers, a brand launched a paper press, which needs to be used with special circular filter paper, allowing the filter paper to fully fit the dripper wall and prevent hot water from flowing down the edges.

One-line review: Really know how to play!

Besides the styles listed above, there are many other auxiliary tools used in coffee making, such as pour-over stands, drip bag stands, etc. Whether they're practical depends on buyers testing them themselves. After all, if price is not a consideration, adding all these pretty little things to the shopping cart isn't out of the question.

Image source: Internet

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