Our Favorite Coffee Products for At-Home: a Guide
Over the years at BonLife we’ve had a lot of people ask for advice about their at-home coffee set up. From specific product recommendations to what does a home barista even need, we’ve gotten so many questions that we decided to put it in a blog post for you. Read on for BonLife’s suggestions for the ideal home barista set up!
First, the staples. There are a few items that are essential to any home barista set up: a scale, a gooseneck kettle, a good grinder, and, of course, coffee.
There are many good-quality scales on the market. We encourage you to shop around until you find one that fits your needs and your budget. Just make sure it will weigh your coffee in grams!
We like this one for its durability and precision. Or this one for its price point and durability.
The world of gooseneck kettles is vast. You can find a good kettle to fit any budget, from $20 to $200! Just make sure it is a gooseneck kettle: you need the long slender spout to properly brew your coffee. And we recommend it has a thermometer: you need to know when your water is at the perfect temperature for brewing coffee.
We love this one because the handle is counterbalanced to give you the perfect control over your pour; it’s also great for at-home use because it will hold the water at your desired temperature.
You’ll have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing a grinder too! What’s important is that it’s a conical burr grinder: that’s what gives you a consistent grind size. Besides that we recommend shopping around until you find one that fits your needs. Do you do mostly brew methods or espresso or both? Read reviews until you find a grinder that will fit your specific needs.
We think this one is great for home baristas focusing on things like pour overs and other brew methods. If you’re an at-home espresso aficionado, we would recommend something more like this one for its precision and consistency.
As far as coffee goes… we recommend ours! Did you know we offer subscriptions so you never have to run out of coffee? Shop them here.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about the fun stuff! Your options are endless. From all the different pour overs and brew methods to coffee makers to espresso machines, you can customize your at-home coffee set up any way you like!
There are so many great brew methods out there. The all have something different to offer from light body to full, from stovetop to pour over to full immersion, from one cup to several. We say try as many as you can! Visit different coffee shops and try new brew methods; it’s a great way to try them before you commit. They all bring out different characteristics in your coffee- just find out what you like!
Two of our favorites are the Chemex and the AeroPress. We love them so much we’ve written entire blog posts about them. But a quick summary of why we think they’re both great additions to your home set up is this: the Chemex brews a very clean, light-body cup and the AeroPress brews a fuller body cup with more mouthfeel. They’re two very different options to give you a wide range of brew methods with the purchase of only two items.
If you’re more interested in a home espresso set up, your options are vast too! Home espresso machines have come a long way over the years, and there are so many excellent options on the market today.
We love this one for its quality, performance, and capabilities. This one is a great option at a lower price point too though!
If you’re going the home-espresso route, don’t forget your tamp, tamp pad, and knockbox.
That is our quick at-home barista set up guide covering the basics. The world of coffee accessories is endless, and each accessory can enhance your barista experience or change the taste of your coffee. We encourage to research and try different products before you decide. That’s half the fun anyways!
As always, our comments are open if you have more questions. We love to talk coffee and home set ups. Feel free to reach out & stay tuned: maybe we’ll do a part two in the future!
