Essential Tools to Become A Home Barista

Are you someone who makes coffee at home, or are you a home barista? Someone who just makes coffee at home may use good beans and have solid equipment, hitting the grinder like clockwork in the morning, but a home barista is always more curious, passionate about coffee and seeking ways to improve more and more. 

For the past few years, we have roasted coffee, taught and written about it in a professional manner: We are what you might call a coffee person in our own right, and it’s been a part of our mission to help people achieve the best possible coffee in their own homes.

If you want to improve your coffee routine, you might want to take a look at what you're working with. The coffee you use, the way you store and grind it, the way you make it and what you use to grind your beans can all help you extract your inner barista. Here is a list of our favorite tools & accessories to get you started with becoming a home barista.

Quality Coffee Beans 

If you want to turn your kitchen into a fancy cafe, you'll need premium beans. Why not get started with having a bag or two sent to you by one of the best roasters in Sydney? Our fresh coffee bean subscription service lets you choose the profile that matches your preferences - speciality European coffees of Bravo, Italian coffee specialists Caffé Moda and the exotic Colombian single origin Calima. We will send you a new batch of beans just in time, browse our coffee selection here.

An Easy to Use Coffee Machine

The new Gaggia Classic Pro is everything a beginner home barista could ask for and then some more. This coffee machine is beautiful and works exceptionally well. The build quality is top notch with the usability being geared towards first time users and beginners but with the potential to be tweaked and upgraded  which is very exciting. With its phenomenal value, it’s built to last and won’t need replacing in the foreseeable future. 

A Kitchen Scale For Precision

A barista is as good as their recipe, and any experienced barista will tell you that weighing precise amounts of coffee and water is the only way you can control the brewing variables and recreate your results time and time again. Rhino bench scale is what you need -  this powerful tool enables you to be precise and consistent when you brew everything from french press coffee to espresso.

These scales are accurate to 0.1g, giving you complete control over how much coffee and water you use to brew. This means you never have to guess about how much coffee to scoop or how much espresso is in your cup again.

A Quality Coffee Grinder

Life is a grind, but grinding coffee has to be easy (and precise), which is why we love Cunill Tranquillo Electric grinder. It is without a doubt the best household coffee grinder on the market for its price. The Tranquillo is exceptionally simple to use, and is relatively quiet when it comes to countertop coffee grinders. It comes with a fast lock system and self-levelling when off the coffee grinder, with the option of washing in a dishwasher at 90 °C.  A good coffee grinder offers the possibility of varying the pleasures according to the type of beans and the chosen vintage, as if you were at the bar or the restaurant. Beyond the taste experience, it produces a feeling of satisfaction to those who use it. This is the way to become a real barista!

Choose the right tamper

With a tamper, you push the ground coffee directly into your filter holder. This is precision work, because the further you push the coffee straight, the better the coffee tastes. It also works the other way around, of course. If you push the coffee at an angle, the water will not be distributed evenly over the coffee. So choose the right tamper by looking at the size first, as it should fit exactly in the portafilter. Then the weight. With heavy aluminum plastic, you don't have to use as much force as with a lightweight plastic tamper. Rhino tamper would be an ideal choice - with it’s 58mm size and stainless steel base, it’s very comfortable to use. 

Milk Jugs

Want to make latte art? To make patterns in coffee, you need to be able to form a smooth foam using a milk jug ! You should opt for a classic stainless steel jug with a narrow spout for more precision. The closed handle allows for more control over your movements to perform your latte art. For this we would suggest getting the Chef INOX Barista Stainless Steel milk jug, a simple usable design for baristas.

Waste Tube / Knock out box

When you are making several cups of coffee, it is essential to have a waste tube / knock out box. With its non-slip silicone base, this tool absorbs knocks for minimal noise. Very practical for collecting coffee grounds and preventing damage to your worktop. Rhino waste tube is a good choice for home baristas with its optimum size and durable rubber bar.

Corner Tamping Mat

This small silicone mat is the ideal place to put your filter holder to exert pressure with the coffee tamper. This accessory will keep your countertop clean and give you a flat and solid surface to put your talents to work. Get the Rhino corner mat which is made of durable food grade silicone rubber and improve your barista workspace!

Chocolate Shaker

A chocolate shaker is another essential tool for baristas. If you like cappuccinos, then a chocolate powder shaker is pretty self-explanatory. Fill with cocoa powder chocolate and shake the cocoa shaker over a cappuccino or hot chocolate cup. With Incasa Mesh Top Stainless Steel chocolate shaker, you will be making the best coffee at home with some toppings!

Milk Thermometer

Have you ever had a latte with overheated or insufficient milk? It totally spoils the taste of your coffee. This is why it is important to use a thermometer to ensure the optimum temperature of our milk as well as to obtain consistency in our drink. You can get the Incase milk thermometer which comes in two sizes and ensures the perfect temperature of your milk.

Cleaning products & tools

A clean and properly maintained coffee machine is essential to any barista. To keep your coffee machine clean and maintained you will need certain products such as the descaler liquid solution. Using a blend of proprietary organic acids and surfactants, Clean machine Triple Action Descaler acts to penetrate, lift and dissolve harmful scales whilst cleaning your machine. 

Another important cleaning tool would be the Pallo Group Head cleaning brush - with its multifunctionality, this will be the tool you need to clean and maintain your coffee machine. Steam Wand vent poker at one end for cleaning and unclogging neglected tips.

Everything you need in one package

Why not get everything you need to become a barista with just a click of a button? We have put together a home barista value package in which you will get all the essential tools we have mentioned + a year of quality coffee bean subscription!

If you have the essentials and still want to improve your skills, you can sign up to our barista training school and start making the best coffee at home!