Is It Easy To Set Up Your Own Espresso Bar
If you have recently purchased your own home espresso machine, you might be looking for accessories for it. There are some basic “must haves” and there are some really fun add-ons as well. Pick a few from this list to get you off on the right brewing foot.
The first add-ons that you need to get are your espresso making tools and at the top of this list is the espresso coffee grinder. Low end grinders use a blade to grind up the coffee beans and they do a fine job for course grounds. Burr grinders are higher quality grinders and they do a much better job when you need finer grinds for espresso. The blade grinders can also burn the coffee beans if they are used for a long time to make finer grinds.
An espresso tamper is a necessity and you probably got one with your espresso machine. A new tamper can be a nice upgrade if yours is a poorly made model (most that come with espresso machine are poor quality). Make sure the new tamper you are getting fits the opening well and beyond that get one that feels good to you.
The next tool type accessories are the frothing and steaming pitchers. Many espresso drinks call for frothed and/or steamed milk. As an example a latte is made with steamed milk. There are many sizes for frothing pitchers but a small one should suite you fine at home.
Now we come to espresso and latte cups. There is a huge variety of designs and styles to choose from. One of my favorites is the simple espresso shot glass. These are made with special heat resistant glass and double walled construction to retain as much heat as possible. The other really cool avenue to explore with espresso cups are the porcelain designer cups. These are short production run cups with unique art from known designers (famous artists, architects, etc). These espresso cups can become very collectable once they are out of production.
You will also want to get sets of espresso spoon and latte spoons to go along with your cups. Espresso cups and spoons are geared toward drinks that are 1 to 2 ounces, while latte and cappuccino cups are usually 6 to 12 ounces in size.
You will also need to have some espresso recipes for all of the different espresso drinks you can make. A good coffee recipe book will get you hundreds of options to choose from.
Flavor add-ons are another really fun area to experiment and add new flavors. You can get everything from powders (chocolate, nutmeg, mocha, etc) and syrups galore (caramel, cinnamon, chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, Swiss chocolate, hazelnut, pumpkin, peppermint, mint, raspberry, vanilla, almond, amaretto, Irish cream and many more).
With some many options it is sometimes hard to know where to start. The best place to begin is with the basics (coffee grinder, espresso cups) and move on to the next options when you need them. Espresso brewing is a surprisingly deep hobby and with a few of the right add-ons you will have fun learning new recipes and improving your skill for a long time to come.
Espresso cups are a good present idea for your favorite coffee afficianado and espresso shot glasses might be an alternative present for your adventurous drinking friends.
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