If you love going to coffee shops and want to save money by setting up your own coffee station at home, this blog is for you. Be your own barista and make your favorite drinks exactly how you like them. It is worth the time and money.
Since I was about fifteen, I became a regular Starbucks customer. I would get my favorite caramel macchiato and sip it for hours, savoring the flavor as long as I could. My visits became more frequent at my local coffee shop throughout the years and my habits were getting a bit out of hand.
After moving to a different state, where Starbucks was no longer the winner, yet local small-business coffee shops filled every corner of the city, I fell in love with coffee in a whole new way. I learned about fresh beans, milk temperatures, and homemade syrups, and how they affect the specialty coffee drink.
I began my journey with a cheap Mr. Coffee espresso machine and started making my own lattes at home. Over a decade, I tried the perculator, French press, stove-top espresso maker, Kuerig, and the Chemex. All this led me to get my own professional, commercial-grade espresso machine and set up my own barista coffee station at home.
As a coffee snob and having been my own barista for several years, I only go to a coffee shop when I am on vacation, and I know they use fresh beans and don't burn the milk. I am very picky and I know it. My $5-7 latte better be good, worth every dollar, and every sip.
With my extensive research and lots of trial and error, I was able to set up one of the best at-home coffee stations. Now, there are lots of setups out there. I focus on the quality of espresso shots from the espresso machine and spend under $5000 for a complete setup.
Are you ready to learn what it takes?
Equipment Needed
For a quality coffee station, having the right equipment is important. This will provide the essentials to set up a coffee bar station.
Let's start with the table itself, where the coffee station will live. I chose this style because I wanted plenty of outlets for the equipment and needed a few top and bottom shelves to store equipment comfortably. I removed one of the top shelves so that the espresso machine would sit perfectly on the table, and I can get to the water reservoir.
Nuova Simonelli Espresso Machine Musica
This is a commercial-grade espresso machine. That means your espresso shots will be made with the same quality as the local coffee shop, just with a machine that costs a fraction of the price. Not only will your espresso shot be perfect, but you will have steamed milk in 30 seconds or less. Want an americano (Italian-style black coffee)? You have a hot water spicket! No need to heat the water separately to make your black coffee. An all-in-one stop shop.
This is not your typical coffee grinder. Espresso ground coffee is very fine and requires special blades. These grinders are specifically designed to grind espresso beans. I like this style because I can control the grind size based on the coffee bean's age. Yup, the older the coffee beans, the finer the grind. I am constantly adjusting the grind as the beans get older. (told you I am a coffee snob) The fresher the beans, the better your coffee will taste.
Those are the basics. Now, on to the little details you need for the station to ensure you have what you need to be a professional barista at home.
Knock Box: Knock the coffee puck out of the portafilter into this box.
Scale: For accuracy and consistency, weigh your beans every time for the best results. The espresso shot will be perfect every single time with no guessing involved.
Espresso Tamping Mat: After grinding the beans, this mat is handy for setting the portafilter on and pressing down the beans with the tamper.
Bar Mat: I have this mat sit under my scale and knock box to catch any water and grinds. Keeps the station clean and protects the table.
Weighted Tamper: This will ensure the ground coffee beans are pressed down firmly in the portafilter. Espresso needs to be packed tightly in the basket as the pressure from the machine will extract all the flavor into the shot all at one time.
Coffee Distributor Tool: Before tamping down the coffee beans, evenly distributing them in the basket is an essential step to achieving a perfect espresso shot.
Cortado Glasses: These are my favorite cups to keep at the coffee station. Not only are they great to extract two perfect espresso shots, but why not make a cortado while you're at it? 2oz of espresso and 2 oz of milk make a perfect cortado for the coffee lover!
Milk Pitcher: A good milk pitcher will get the perfect milk texture. These pitchers are easy to use and make the foam very silky with minimal effort.
Thermometer: This simple thermometer is perfect with a clip to hang on the side of the milk pitcher.
Coffee Machine Cleaning Brushes: Keep your machine, grinder and station clean with this set of brushes.
Barista Towels: Perfect towels that you can hang right at the coffee station to keep it clean at all times.
Espresso Machine Descaler: Maintain the machine by descaling it regularly with this solution. It is specifically made to clean out any junk that has been collecting from the water inside all the pipes.
Backflush Solution: Clean the portafilter of any grounds that may have accumulated from multiple espresso shots. Use this solution every 25-30 shots pulled from the machine.
Coffee Bean Storage Containers: Beans must be stored in an airtight container to maintain their freshness. These storage containers are my favorite so far.
How to Make Your Favorite Coffee Drink
Now the coffee recipes are endless. Here are a few tips for getting the perfect shot:
- The fresher the beans, the finer the grind.
- 18-19 grams of coffee beans makes 2 espresso shots.
- Extraction time should be 25-30 seconds.
- You should yield with 32-42 grams of extracted espresso.
- Steam your milk 140-160°F. This will sweeten your latte naturally, and you won't need to add any extra syrups. (save some calories and have the cake instead)
Coffee Drink Recipes
Some of my favorite drink recipes on my blog are made with the espresso machine. I will add more recipes soon.
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