Today's coffee equipment is dazzlingly diverse, and for coffee beginners, this is not an easy thing. Looking at a pile of coffee gear wanting to buy, but neither knowing how to choose nor how to use it—surely every coffee novice has felt this way. In this situation, what we need to do is:
"Don't pick the expensive ones, don't pick the fancy ones, only pick the practical ones."
For coffee beginners, the coffee equipment we choose doesn't need to have too many complex functions—just pick conventional, ordinary, and practical ones. Coffee extraction methods are many and varied, but actually there are only two common and easy-to-operate types: pressure extraction (espresso machines, moka pots) and drip extraction (pour-over coffee, drip coffee machines).
Choosing an Espresso Machine
Generally speaking, Front Street Coffee does not recommend that beginners buy an espresso machine right away. People think about buying an espresso machine for several reasons: one, it looks simple to operate and extracts quickly; another, the coffee flavor is rich enough, and you can add dairy/water/other beverages according to your own taste; and another, they want to learn latte art.
Currently there are many small and cute espresso machines on the market, but most of these machines cannot reach 9 bar of extraction pressure, so the final extracted flavor is thin, and the coffee liquid feels watery—it's hard to achieve the richness and golden crema of coffee shop output.
In past feedback from coffee enthusiasts, the steam wands attached to these machines are a bit short, and the steam is not enough to froth milk into light and delicate foam. Usually after frothing, the milk foam is very thick and coarse, and in this situation it's impossible to make good-looking latte art. In the end, many espresso machines end up gathering dust in a corner because they can't froth milk foam to one's satisfaction and cleaning is troublesome.
Whether buying an all-in-one semi-automatic espresso machine (with built-in grinder) or buying a semi-automatic coffee machine plus an espresso grinder, usually a budget of over 7,000 yuan is needed to buy a product that is good to use and not a trap.
Choosing a Moka Pot
If you want to drink rich coffee, a moka pot is more suitable for friends with a limited budget. It's small and convenient; as long as there is a heat source, it can heat and extract, and after extraction the coffee can also be adjusted with other ingredients according to your taste preferences.
For choosing a moka pot brand, Front Street Coffee suggests Bialetti—the quality and reliability of this old brand are trustworthy. Although the price is a bit high, as long as you pay attention to daily cleaning, drying, and storage, it's no exaggeration to say one pot can be used by three generations.
Currently, moka pots on the market come in single-valve and double-valve versions. The biggest difference between the two lies in the moka pot's spout. A single-valve moka pot has no restriction at all, while a double-valve moka pot has a pressure valve at the spout, requiring greater pressure to push the valve open before the liquid can flow out, and the espresso produced is richer and fuller.
But beginners are advised to just choose a single-valve moka pot. Double-valve moka pots are more difficult to produce good results with, requiring more details and more accurate parameters. Without understanding the extraction principles well, beginners using a double-valve moka pot are prone to failure.
Choosing Pour-Over Coffee Equipment
"Grinder": When the budget is not large, a hand grinder is recommended—just a well-known domestic brand.
There are many types of hand grinders on the market. Honestly, you get what you pay for. If you want durability, choose one over 700-800 yuan; if you don't use it frequently, you can choose one for 500-600 yuan. Grinders between 100-400 yuan are still not very recommended, because they're not good to use and frequently replacing grinders costs more.
"Coffee Dripper": A Hario resin V60 is enough. Light, cheap, not easy to break, highly playable, high freedom! Size 1 brews 1-2 servings of coffee, Size 2 brews 2-3 servings.
Its 60-degree conical design extends the contact time between water and coffee, and the large-diameter filter holes at the bottom allow everyone to control the coffee flavor extraction time by changing the pouring size—very friendly to beginners!
"Pour-Over Kettle": Choose a 500-600ml gooseneck thin-spout kettle with a lid. No need for temperature control—an ordinary one is fine. Then buy a quick-read thermometer to measure the water temperature.
The capacity of the pour-over kettle determines the center of gravity during brewing, and the center of gravity also determines the stability of the poured water flow. A pour-over kettle with too small a capacity lacks a center of gravity, and the pouring will be very unstable.
"Coffee Filter Paper": When buying filter paper, check the model of the dripper, then buy the same model. Front Street Coffee suggests choosing white ones first.
Today, well-known brands (such as Hario, Kono) use advanced enzyme bleaching for their coffee filter paper, which is different from traditional chemical bleaching. Enzyme bleaching uses biologically active enzymes for bleaching, so there is no off-flavor or paper taste, and it is widely used in the pharmaceutical field.
"Electronic Scale": An ordinary household kitchen electronic scale is enough, then use your phone to time it. If you find it troublesome, you can also choose a quick-read electronic scale with a timing function—no need to choose too expensive a one.
"Coffee Server": When choosing a server, check whether the pot itself is heat-resistant and whether it can withstand large temperature differences! Some poor-quality servers have a low heat resistance point when brewing coffee and are prone to cracking; or when making iced pour-over coffee, the hot-cold contrast can easily cause cracking.
Choosing a Drip Coffee Machine
If you want to drink stable coffee with a clean taste, choosing a drip coffee machine is very convenient! No need to worry about how pouring technique and pouring temperature affect the coffee's flavor performance. An American-style drip coffee machine brews coffee by using hot water to brew ground coffee and then filtering it. It is very similar to pour-over coffee, just that the machine replaces the hand, so the drip coffee looks very similar to pour-over coffee.
However, unlike pour-over coffee, American-style drip machines are not too particular about the dripping method—it is entirely set by the manufacturer's drip mode, so playability is low, but it really is very convenient. Many well-known big brands have launched drip coffee machines, and the price differences are not too large, so everyone can choose with peace of mind.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
