Coffee accessories and barista supplies

Pour-over and filter

The Hario V60 complete set is a simple coffee starter kit: dripper, glass server, filters and measuring spoon in one box. The server doubles as a coffee carafe for the table. V60 drippers come in plastic, porcelain and glass, in size 01 (one or two cups) and size 02 (up to four cups). The filters have to match the size of your dripper. White filters are bleached; brown ones are unbleached and are best rinsed with hot water first so the paper does not flavour the coffee.

A Chemex Classic Coffee Maker (3 or 6 cups) uses its own thicker bonded filters, folded or unfolded, white or natural. Check the product page to match the filter to your Chemex. The AeroPress GO and AeroPress CLEAR are compact press brewers that are easy to take travelling; spare microfilters come in packs of 350.

Kettles, scales and grinders

• Kettles for a slow, controlled pour, such as the Hario V60 adjustable temperature kettle and the Hario Buono Electric Kettle
• Coffee scales to weigh coffee and water, some with a timer to follow the brew: the Hario V60 Precision Scale, the JoeFrex precision scale and the MHW-3BOMBER Cube Mini
• Hand grinders for fresh coffee at home or on the road: the Hario Mini Slim Plus and the Hario Skerton N

Espresso tools and milk

For espresso, consistency comes from dosing, distributing and tamping the same way every time.

• Tamper: it has to match the diameter of your filter basket. The Motta tamper is 58 mm; the Macap CPS tamper has a 52 mm and a 57.5 mm side.
• Knock box: the JoeFrex Knock Box in beech wood, in black or brown, for emptying the used coffee puck.
• Milk jugs: the JoeFrex milk jug in stainless steel, and matt black jugs of 350 ml and 600 ml. Pick a jug about twice the volume of the milk you froth.
• A milk thermometer helps you stop steaming before the milk gets too hot and loses its sweetness.
• The JoeFrex espresso glass has markings, so you can see how much a shot yields while you set up your grinder and machine.

Cold brew and iced coffee

Cold brew is coarsely ground coffee steeped in cold water in the fridge for several hours, which gives a smooth, low-acid coffee. The Hario Mizudashi (600 ml or 1000 ml) and the Hario Filter-in Coffee Bottle have a built-in filter. For iced coffee brewed hot and poured straight over ice, there is the Hario V60 Iced Coffee Maker and the Hario V60 Fretta.

Cleaning and maintenance

Coffee oils and limescale change the taste of your coffee over time, so a few cleaning tools are worth having.

• Blind filter for backflushing an espresso machine: the Café du Jour rubber blind filter (universal, 50 mm) or the stainless steel blind filter (58 mm)
• A group head brush to clear coffee grounds from the group head and gasket
• Haynes Lubri-Film Plus, a food-grade lubricant for seals and moving parts
• The Eltek Mechanical Aquastop, which shuts off the water supply to a plumbed-in machine if there is a leak, without needing electricity

Descaler, cleaning tablets and water filters are in maintenance and cleaning.

Small things that help

• A JoeFrex coffee clip to close an opened bag of beans
• A JoeFrex cupping spoon for tasting coffees side by side
• A cocoa spreader for dusting cappuccinos
• Spare parts for the Gene Café roaster, listed under Gene Café

Coffee accessories as gifts

Accessories make good coffee gifts if you choose for the way the other person makes coffee. A V60 set, an AeroPress or a coffee scale works with any coffee. A tamper or blind filter only makes sense if you know the machine it is for.