What Do You Really Need to Make Great Coffee at Home?

Anthony Piper, head of coffee at Industry Beans
Anthony Piper, head of coffee at Industry Beans

Photo: Casey Horsfield

Between espresso machines, grinders, scales and kettles, there’s a lot of at-home coffee-making gear to wrap your head around. In partnership with Industry Beans, we’ve got an expert to explain what you do and don’t need to brew great coffee at home.

You’ve probably seen it in your feed: a content creator’s (highly curated) morning coffee ritual, replete with enough gadgetry to rival your local cafe and a laborious workflow. But is all that gear necessary?

In search of a more efficient way to brew great coffee at home, we’ve enlisted Anthony Piper, head of coffee at Industry Beans, for some advice. With years of experience as a barista, roaster and green bean buyer, he breaks down the essentials of what you need and what you don’t.

But before we even think about gear, Piper lays down a cardinal rule: use good-quality coffee. “A lot of people jump right into buying all this fancy equipment but then grab a bag of coffee from the supermarket that’s been sitting there for maybe six months,” he says. “Good coffee doesn’t have to be super fresh, but a roast date within a couple of months helps keep the flavour alive. Look for details on origin and roast date – signs you’re getting quality, not just a generic blend.” To make sure you’ve always got fresh coffee, consider a subscription like these options from Industry Beans.

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Once your beans are sorted, it’s time to talk about brewing equipment. For espresso, home machines can run well into the thousands (one of the popular choices on Tiktok will set you back over $8000). But Piper reckons it’s a game of diminishing returns unless you’re a barista with years of experience. “You’ll always make better coffee on a machine [with some automatic features] that’s been programmed well, than [on] a really high-tech espresso machine that needs a lot of manual manipulation,” he says.

For a good but affordable option, he recommends a De’Longhi La Specialista Opera, or De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Machine. Both are available as part of Industry Beans’ Espresso Club subscription service, which includes monthly deliveries of the roaster’s All Time Blend and on-demand support from their coffee specialists. You pay a regular fee to use the machine and receive beans – then after 12 months, the machine is completely yours to keep. “They’re the best value machines on the market and make really, really great coffee.”

For those who prefer the “lighter side of coffee”, filter brewers are an affordable, minimalist option. “It’s a super simple way to get a high-quality cup of coffee,” says Piper. “A French press is the easiest, but if you’re using high-quality coffee and after a cleaner drinking experience, a V60 pour-over cone or an AeroPress is a great step up.” It’s also worth dropping for a decent set of kitchen scales. “They just make it much easier to be consistent,” he says. “You might make an amazing coffee once, but if you’re not using a scale, it’s very hard to replicate that.”

These options come in under $100, leaving plenty of change to secure your next essential bit of gear: a grinder. “The quality of your grinder is probably one of the biggest determining factors in your coffee experience,” Piper says, explaining that particle size is crucial to grind quality. “A large distribution of sizes will lead to many different extractions and give you a muddled experience. A high-quality grinder gets a much narrower distribution that allows the coffee to shine.” He recommends machines with built-in grinders for espresso, like the two from De’Longhi mentioned above. But if you want a filter style, he reckons a quality hand grinder can be had for less than $100.

And what about a fancy temperature-controlled gooseneck kettle? “I bought one two weeks ago, and I don’t think my coffee has improved at all,” he says. “I’m using my standard house kettle again.”

As for high-priced gadgets like fancy filter screens or distribution tools, Piper reckons it’s best to steer clear. “These will get you very small marginal gains. If you’re competing in a coffee competition, they might be a good way to squeeze a few extra points from the judges,” he says. “So unless you want to give yourself a few extra points in the morning, they’re not necessary for making a great cup of coffee at home.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Industry Beans. The Espresso Club membership includes a brand-new coffee machine – either a De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Automatic or a De’Longhi La Specialista Opera – and monthly deliveries of Industry Beans’ All Time Espresso Blend. At the end of your 12-month membership, you’ll own the machine.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Industry Beans.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Industry Beans.
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