For coffee lovers like us, coffee isn’t simply a mere drink; it forms a daily ritual and enjoyable experience and, with the risk of sounding a little pretentious, can be both meditative and therapeutic. Part of that experience comes with having a delightful space to prepare and make your coffee.
Crafting the perfect home coffee bar isn’t, therefore, all about convenience - it’s about peacefully creating café-quality coffee in your own home. Having the right tools is essential if you want to get the most out of your coffee brewing; they will make the process smooth, open you up to experimentation, give you the chance to explore new flavours and find unexpected favourites, and ultimately help turn you into a master of coffee making!
Whether you are a seasoned espresso aficionado or a young explorer at the start of your journey, we’re here to help you understand the equipment that will enhance your brewing experience.
Let's get brewing!
The must-have coffee bar equipment
When it comes to making quality coffee, there are a few pieces of equipment that are most worthy of your investment. These tend to make the greatest difference when it comes to tuning your brew and making the most from your resources.
A great grinder
Your grinder is the foundation of your coffee process. Like many activities, what you put in is directly tied to what you get out - and in this case, you want to put in perfectly ground fresh coffee.
Freshly ground coffee releases the full flavour of the bean, while pre-ground coffee is quick to lose its aroma and essence - a top quality grinder really does get the most out of each bean. This is where Niche Coffee grinders truly excel.
Our Niche Zero and Niche Duo grinders are finely tuned precision coffee grinders that are perfect for top-end home coffee making. The Niche Zero is perfect for both espresso and filter lovers, with 63mm conical burrs that deliver consistent grounds with ease; while for those who prefer flat burrs, the Niche Duo offers interchangeable burr sets for either espresso and filter coffee, and a precision stepless dial that lets you fine-tune your grind for consistently perfect results.
Well-designed, premium quality, virtually zero retention grinders like our Niche range ensure that whether you’re enjoying a pour-over or planning a shot of espresso, you start your coffee making with superior grinds.
Scales
Anyone engaged in their coffee making knows that consistency is key. An accurate set of scales is a vital component of any home coffee bar, working from the very beginning when you measure your beans to ensure you achieve your desired coffee-to-water ratio.
Scales do not need to be expensive, though accuracy is essential.
An accurate kettle
Accurate water temperature and precise pouring are key to hand making superior filter coffees. If you are a fan of pour-over or Chemex, then a gooseneck kettle with temperature control provides the level of precision control that brings the best out of the coffee. For French press lovers, consider a variable temperature electric kettle to ensure you always have the right temperature for your brew.
A French press
Easy and straightforward, the French press (or ‘cafetière’) produces a delicious full-bodied coffee with rich oils and bold flavours. Good French presses are relatively inexpensive and can greatly enhance the experience of making a quick morning coffee.
Paired with a precision grind and water at the right temperature, French pressed coffee is delightful and rewarding, making this an excellent addition to any home coffee bar.
Pour-over drippers
Pour-over coffee gives you complete control over all the brewing variables and results in clean coffee that brings out even the most subtle flavours. Drippers, such as the Hario V60 or Chemex devices, provide the base for you to create sensational filter coffees that highlight the complex tones from high-quality beans.
Espresso machine
Brewed under pressure, true espresso is impossible to achieve without an espresso machine, whether manual or fully automated. These can vary wildly in quality and form one of the more considerable investments in your home coffee setup, so researching the machine with the features you are after alongside favourable reviews is an important part of the buying process.
With an espresso machine, you can recreate your favourite café brews, from cappuccinos and lattes to rich single-shot espresso.
Why use different brewing methods?
There’s no single ‘right’ way to make coffee. A drink with so much variety and room for exploration deserves a selection of brewing methods - not only to find the one you love the most, but also because there’s different coffee for different moods. A home coffee bar that offers this variety will ultimately be more satisfying and enjoyable than one that only caters to a single experience.
With a choice of coffee brewing equipment to employ, you can tailor your coffee experience based on:
- Flavour - Explore a range of flavours, from the bright and delicate nature of pour-over, through the richness of French press, to the intensity of espresso.
- Efficiency - Do you have time to relax and enjoy the serenity of delicately pouring a gentle filter coffee with a gooseneck kettle, or do you want the automated efficiency of the espresso machine to give you a quick boost in the morning?
- Enhancements - Bring milk-based options or external syrup flavours into play with lattes and cappuccinos.
- Scale - Do you have guests over? French press or a simple drip coffee maker means you can make a larger quantity of coffee with ease, giving everyone the chance to enjoy a quality crafted beverage.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking there’s only one coffee for you; variety is, after all, the spice of life.
The importance of a good grinder
We’re biased, of course, but that’s for a reason - at Niche, we don’t just make grinders for business reasons; we do it because our passion is in making good coffee, and a quality premium grinder is undeniably essential to achieve that.
Prioritise your grinder above all else in your home coffee bar, and you will benefit from:
- Consistency - Balanced extraction is all about consistency, and a top-notch burr grinder will ensure you achieve even particle sizes every time.
- Control - Adjusting your grind to meet your personal taste and chosen brewing method is important to get the coffee you want. Experiment and iterate to tune in to that perfect brew.
- Freshness - Grinding your beans yourself means you maximise the freshness of your coffee. Your quality grinder will release the delicate aromas and delicious flavours, ready to be immediately captured in the cup.
Once you have experienced a Niche grinder, you’ll understand why we’re so enthusiastic - and you’ll never go back.
Beans - the coffee itself
You can have the best equipment in the world, but if you don’t choose decent beans, or fail to care for them properly, you’re not getting the coffee you want.
- Choosing the right beans - There’s a lot of personal taste that goes into choosing the beans you love, but if you want some pointers, why not read our article about the Q grade and choosing great coffee?
- Storing your beans - You need to have an airtight, light-proof container to store your beans - left to the elements, coffee loses its freshness rapidly. For more advice, our article 'Why is Freshly Ground Coffee Important?’ tells all.
- Buying quality beans - If you can, it’s great to support local roasters and specialist shops, or you can look online for some top-quality beans, packaged with care and sent direct to your door. Supporting the ethical coffee trade benefits all coffee lovers worldwide, so do check the responsibility of your coffee providers.
The aesthetics of your home coffee bar
Your coffee bar may just be a small space in the corner of your kitchen, but it’s yours, so make it a special space to get the most out of this little sanctuary. Why not consider a little art, quality storage that you truly enjoy, and even some life with a plant or two? Having a beautiful coffee bar helps promote the sense of peace that coffee creation can offer and makes it that much more inviting to use.
A Niche-inspired coffee bar
A fantastic space that holds everything you need to make delicious coffee will take your brewing up a notch - giving you a place to come to get away from it all, even for just a moment, and enjoy just being you. With some clean pure water, a choice of specialist beans, and a Niche grinder as the basis of your coffee bar essentials, you’re on your way to truly excellent café-quality coffee.