Which Coffee Brewing Accessories Are Worth Using?

Coffee brewing accessories such as the secondary dispersion screen, Paragon ice ball, Lily Drip, dosing funnel, extraction mirror, and silencing air blower each solve a specific problem. The dispersion screen spreads hot water evenly over the puck before extraction. The Paragon ice ball cools the liquid quickly to hold onto aroma.

A dosing funnel keeps grounds tidy, the extraction mirror lets a coffee enthusiast watch the flow, and the silencing blower reduces noise. These tools support even extraction, better puck distribution, and cleaner operation. Beginners and experienced brewers alike can pick the ones that match the details they care about.

On the path to pursuing a good cup of coffee, besides quality beans and skilled technique, some seemingly inconspicuous auxiliary gadgets often add the finishing touch. Front Street Coffee has previously introduced tools like the latte art needle and the distribution needle; today we continue with the theme of coffee auxiliary tools to review the uses and methods of the second water distribution screen, the Paragon ice ball, Lily Drip, the dosing funnel, the extraction observation mirror, and a silencing air blower. These tools help coffee enthusiasts and professionals complete brewing more calmly from angles such as even extraction, locking in aroma, improving puck distribution, enhancing operational cleanliness, making it easier to observe extraction status, and reducing noise. Whether you are a beginner just starting out or an advanced player pursuing details, you can find a practical solution that suits you.

For example, Front Street Coffee just shared: the "latte art needle" that can make latte art patterns look better; the "distribution needle" that can break up coffee grounds and reduce channeling. They can all help us make a good cup of coffee from different angles. So today, Front Street Coffee will take coffee auxiliary tools as the theme and share what other auxiliary tools exist in the coffee field and what their respective functions are~

1. Second water distribution screen As you can see, this thin circular metal disc is the "second water distribution screen"! Second water distribution screens come in many types depending on different manufacturing processes, but their function is exactly the same! It makes espresso extraction more even.

Using the second water distribution screen is very simple: before extracting espresso, just place it on top of the puck. Then during extraction, it redistributes the hot water dripping from the group and spreads it evenly onto the puck, allowing the hot water to extract more evenly.

2. Paragon ice ball This small golden ball often appears in Front Street Coffee articles, so surely everyone is familiar with it! It is the Paragon ice ball invented by Sasa Sestic, founder of Project Origin, founder of One Coffee, and World Barista Champion.

The specific function of this ice ball is to use the low temperature stored inside it to rapidly cool the coffee liquid it touches, thereby preserving aroma! For specific usage, please refer to this Front Street Coffee article → "Paragon Ice Ball Review". Its method of use is very simple: just place it below the position where the coffee drips~ It can be used for both espresso and pour-over.

3. Lily Drip ( Lily Drip) Lily Drip has recently stirred up another wave in coffee competitions. I have to say, this brewing "little toy" is really quite good~~

Under conventional use of a dripper, coffee grounds often pile up and cause uneven extraction. But with the addition of Lily Drip, the coffee grounds piled in the center are dispersed, and the uneven extraction is therefore improved.

There are many styles of Lily Drip, and different drippers correspond to different styles. If you want to buy one, be sure to carefully purchase according to your dripper style~ For a simple review of Lily Drip, you can refer to this article "Is Lily Drip Really Useful?"~ 4. Dosing funnel Before starting espresso extraction, we all need to first load the coffee grounds produced by the grinder into the portafilter basket. As for loading coffee grounds, there are currently two main methods! The first is to directly use the portafilter to catch the coffee grounds produced by the grinder. This method is simple and convenient. But the drawback is that the portafilter is relatively large, making it inconvenient to weigh! And if it has not been dried, it easily leaves a puddle of water on the electronic scale. Therefore, there is another method: using a "dosing funnel"!

First use the dosing funnel to catch the grounds, then open the valve and pour all the coffee grounds into the portafilter basket. The advantages of doing this are, first, it keeps things tidy, the coffee grounds do not easily spill, and there will be no residual moisture on the electronic scale from a portafilter that has not been dried; second, the grounds can also fall more evenly. But there are also drawbacks: it adds an extra operation step, lowering the overall speed, which is not very friendly for businesses with high output~ So everyone chooses the loading method that suits them better according to their own situation. 5. Mysterious mirror As you can see, this is a small mirror. You can first guess what this mirror is used for~~

Revealing the answer: it is used to "peek" at the espresso extraction process "extraction observation mirror" .

Didn't expect that!!! Its function is to give friends whose coffee machines are positioned lower a more convenient way to observe. No need to bend down, no need to tilt your head; just look through the mirror and you can observe the espresso extraction status. And the method of use is very simple: just place it in a suitable position and aim the mirror surface at the bottom of the portafilter basket, and we can see the extraction status through it! For friends using bottomless portafilter baskets, this can be called a great blessing~ (probably..) 6. Mysterious air blower This is the second mysterious tool in this article, an air blower. Everyone can continue guessing what it is used for~

Revealing the answer: it is used to eliminate the noise when removing the puck after making espresso! The operation is as follows↓

After we finish extracting espresso, we need to knock out the puck! But often such a motion produces a relatively loud sound, easily affecting the people around. Thus, this air blower was born! By pressing it against the back of the portafilter and gently squeezing, the puck will, under the pressure of the airflow, quietly detach from the portafilter basket.

(A fitting meme)

Alright, that is all for the auxiliary tools introduction~~ Of course, these are only a small part of coffee auxiliary tools. As for other auxiliary tools, let's leave them for Front Street Coffee to explain slowly next time~

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.