Coffee equipment: pour-over brewers, filters and descalers

Start with how you brew

The right equipment depends on what already stands on your worktop. A short checklist:

• Espresso machine: a burr grinder, a tamper and a milk jug for espresso and cappuccino, plus a descaler for the boiler.
• Bean-to-cup machine: cleaning tablets for the brew group, a descaler and, in hard-water areas, a water filter.
• Pour-over or cafetière: a dripper or brewer, the right paper filters, a grinder that can go coarse and a kettle with a narrow spout for a steady pour.
• Loose-leaf tea: a teapot or infuser with enough room for the leaves to open.

Pour-over coffee

Pour-over coffee is filter coffee made by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a paper filter and let it drip through. It takes a few minutes and gives a clean, clear cup in which the flavour of the beans comes through well.

Chemex

The Chemex is a glass carafe with a wooden collar and its own thick paper filters. The thick paper holds back more oils and fine particles than a standard filter, so the coffee tastes light and bright. It suits brewing for two to four people at once.

Hario

Hario is best known for the V60, a cone-shaped dripper with spiral ribs and one large opening. The flow depends on how fast you pour, which gives you control over strength and taste once you get the hang of it.

Tips for a good pour-over

• Rinse the paper filter with hot water first, then pour that water away.
• Use a medium grind, roughly like coarse sand.
• Pour just enough water to wet the coffee and wait half a minute so the grounds can bloom.
• Pour the rest in slow circles in two or three stages.

AeroPress

The AeroPress is a plastic cylinder in which you steep the coffee briefly and then press it through a small paper filter. It is light, hard to break and quick to clean, which makes it a favourite for the office desk and for travelling. You can brew anything from a short, strong cup to a longer coffee.

Coffee grinders

Freshly ground coffee has more aroma than coffee that was ground weeks ago. A burr grinder crushes the beans to an even size, which matters for espresso in particular. A blade grinder chops them unevenly. Hand grinders are quiet and take up little space; electric grinders save time when you make several cups a day.

Barista tools

For espresso at home, a few tools make a noticeable difference: a tamper that fits your filter basket, a stainless-steel milk jug for steaming, and a knock box for the used coffee puck. They help you get the same result shot after shot.

Descaling, cleaning and water

Limescale builds up in every machine that heats water, and old coffee oils turn bitter in the brew group and the milk system. Regular care keeps the taste right and the machine running.

• Descaler: descale every one to three months, depending on how hard your water is. Use a descaler suitable for your type of machine.
• Cleaning tablets: for the brew group of bean-to-cup and espresso machines.
• Maintenance and cleaning: cleaning products for milk systems, grinders and portafilters.
• Water filters: filtered water slows down scale build-up and gives a cleaner-tasting cup of coffee or tea.

Tea and home roasting

In tea equipment you will find what you need to brew loose-leaf tea. If you want to go one step further with coffee, the coffee roasting equipment lets you roast unroasted coffee beans yourself and decide exactly how light or dark they go.