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While I was sorting through my storage room, I found a few boxes with coffee gear that have fallen out of favor at my house. Nothing scandalously worth mentioning but when you have a blog about coffee, you kind of accumulate a lot of gear.
There were some cool things in the box and a few I would like to get out and use a little more frequently. However, this got me thinking: Over the last five years, what coffee items earned a coveted slice of the kitchen coffee counter real estate? What are the coffee items that I actually used everyday day?
For long time manual brewing enthusiasts, this list might be pretty predictable but there may be a few surprises below. If you are new to manual brewing, this list will give you a good idea of the things that will get use and be helpful.
Digital Gram Scale
A gram scale is an easy way to make your coffee more consistent and repeatable. Besides that, a gram scale is just so handy to have around. (You can read more about using a scale for manual brewing here.)
For more than 12 years, the Acaia Pearl scale has earned its .25 square feet of kitchen counter real estate. I have never had a problem with it and I use it multiple times a day. It is rechargeable, reliable and looks nice.
You don’t need a fancy gram scale like the Pearl to make great coffee though. I have also enjoyed having a cheaper gram scale around my kitchen for baking. The one I own is no longer available but is similar to this scale with good reviews. The separate readout makes it nice for larger containers as you don’t have to worry about it covering up the information. At its current price of under $20.00, it is well worth adding to your brewing arsenal if you don’t have a gram scale yet.
Burr Coffee Grinder
A quality burr grinder opens up some options for keeping coffee fresh, adjusting grind size for preference and it can also help with brewing consistency. For many years my go-to burr grinder was the Baratza Virtuoso.
I backed the Fellow Ode on Kickstarter when it came out in 2019- 2020. By the time it arrived, my Virtuoso had broken and needed a repair (they are repairable which is pretty cool). I didn’t have the time to fix it on my own so I passed it on to someone who would. When my Ode arrived, I had been grinding my daily coffee with a hand grinder for a few months.
The Ode has been my daily workhorse since it arrived and I like it for its performance and small size.
A grinder is likely going to be one of the most expensive items you purchase for coffee brewing so do your research. A quality grinder will last a long time, is often repairable with the option to replace burrs and will likely make up for the steep start up cost by being dependable for years and years. (Read more about coffee grinders here.)
My Coffee Brewing Admission
This is the point I have to admit something… at some point in the last five years I started relying heavily on an automatic drip coffee maker. This broke an over five year streak where I didn’t really have an automatic coffee maker in my kitchen.
This switch to an automatic coffee maker was a combination of things: I broke my Ceramic Hario V60 (again…!), I had family staying long term and was brewing a lot of coffee, and I didn’t always have the time to stand at the brew station crafting beautiful coffees every morning.
Until very recently, the Oxo coffee maker that was sent for me to review has been used quite a lot (review here). It makes a good cup of coffee and saves me a few minutes during the hectic mornings.
I currently have a different coffee maker at my coffee station (more on that next post).
When I am brewing a cup of coffee manually, I have been using the far less fragile AltoAir and brewing into either the Chemex or the Hario serving carafe. I also lean heavily on the Hario V60.
The Alto Air is sadly no longer available but I have always liked it. It brews a great cup of coffee and fits into a standard 8-cup Chemex, as I don’t always want to use the Chemex filters.
Electric Gooseneck Kettle
An electric gooseneck kettle is something else that is always out at my coffee station. It is (nearly) essential for brewing a pour over and its other kitchen applications are very versatile as well.
I am currently using the Bonavita Gooseneck Kettle, although I used the Fellow Stag EKG for years before I shorted out the control board during a coffee mishap. (This post seems to also be about how I have broken a lot of coffee gear in the last five years).
If you are looking for a kettle of your own, I would have no qualms recommending the Stag Kettle, it served me well for many years and I think it was user error that led to its downfall. The Bonavita Variable Temperature kettle also works quite well and, fun fact: I was able to use the Stag Kettle on the Bonavita control board.
Coffee Mugs
I have written about choosing a coffee mugs before and my philosophy on it has not really changed.
A few years ago, I bought a colorful assortment of mugs from notNeutral Lino coffee mugs and those are my daily drinkers. (I have to admit, I broke one of these mugs a few weeks ago too). I also have a collection of vintage mugs that I will rotate through on a whim, the small Victor “indestructible” diner mugs being my favorite.
If I am on the go, I have found the Fellow Carter Slide Travel Mug to be perfect. It keeps coffee hot for a long time and I like the slide lid attachment. I will also just drink out of it with the lid off.
Coffee mugs are personal preference and a fun way to personalize your morning (and/or afternoon) coffee ritual.
Bonus Tool- DeWalt Hand Vacuum
The DeWalt Hand Vacuum is not a coffee tool per-se but I keep it close to my coffee station.
Grinding coffee inevitably creates a mess from chaff and spilled coffee grounds. I like to use it to keep my station looking clean and tidy. As a bonus, this hand vac has a lot of other uses than just sucking up errant coffee grounds.
I have seen some pretty cool smaller stick vacuums that people use to clean their coffee stations. Regardless of what you choose, it is nice to have a small vacuum handy for cleaning up messes.
Conclusion
All my other coffee apparatuses are either kept in a cabinet or stored in some boxes in my storage room. I will occasionally swap out brewers and use different ones for a bit but I have been pretty steady over the last five years.
There was a season where I was actually putting all my coffee gear away after each use but I must admit that I haven’t reached that level of minimalistic tidiness in quite some time.
What about you? Are there coffee essentials on your countertop that are never put away? Is there anyone who cleans up and puts away all their coffee stuff after each use? Do you have anything different or interesting you use daily for coffee that is not mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below or send me a message.
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