I remember when I was a kid, I cried because of the bitterness when I first tried coffee. However, I don’t know when I started to be inseparable from coffee. Whether it is to refresh myself or just because I am greedy, I always have a cup every morning. Sometimes when I pass by a street cafe and smell the aroma of coffee beans, I can’t help but go in and buy a cup.

In fact, just like making tea, making your own coffee is also a very enjoyable thing - of course, first of all, you need to have the tools.

There are many tools for making coffee, from the laziest capsule coffee machine to the most skill-testing hand-brewed pot. Which one do you like and which one is suitable for you?

You are just one button away from coffee

If you just want to drink coffee conveniently at home and have no interest in making your own coffee with a personal touch, then buy a coffee machine.

❶ All-rounder, the first choice for lazy people: capsule coffee machine

The history of capsule coffee machines is not long, having only been invented in 1986. However, they are small in size, easy to operate, with a variety of flavors and reasonable prices, making them very popular among coffee novices and lazy people.

When using a capsule coffee machine, you don’t need to learn any skills to make coffee. Just choose the capsule of your favorite flavor, put it into the machine, press the button and wait for one minute, and you can get a cup of coffee with a stable taste.

Among capsule coffee machines, the most well-known ones are probably Nespresso and Dolce Gusto under Nestlé. Nespresso is positioned at a higher end and only provides espresso capsules, while Dolce Gusto has capsules for fancy coffee and tea drinks.

Nespresso Pixie Capsule Coffee Machine

￥1199.00

If you like to drink pure coffee, I recommend Nespresso's Pixie. Although it is not a new model, it has the best cost-effectiveness. It has no useless functions and designs, and its coffee-making ability is no worse than that of new models.

Since inventing the capsule machine, Nespresso has been continuously researching and developing capsule coffee. Compared with other brands of capsules, Nespresso has a higher cost performance (about 5-8 yuan/piece) and is also easier to buy in China.

Nespresso capsules have a wide range of flavors. In addition to the official capsules, it is also compatible with third-party capsules. It is also the only coffee machine that currently has third-party capsules. There are now no less than 20 brands making third-party capsules.

The recommended Pixie capsule machine has a higher peak pressure of 19 Pa , which is higher than the 15 Pa of ordinary capsule machines. It can produce richer oil foam, and the coffee it makes tastes really good.

Subsequent processing is also very convenient, just throw away the waste capsules after use.

In addition, Pixie is also quite small in size and does not take up much space. Plus, the price is very reasonable, making it a cost-effective choice for lazy people who want to drink coffee at home.

DOLCE GUSTO DROP capsule coffee machine

￥1417.70

If you like fancy coffee, you can try Dolce Gusto’s DROP, which was just released last year. Its design is inspired by the shape of a water drop.

With a pressure of 15 Pa, you can make coffee that is comparable to coffee shop quality. It can be preheated in 5 seconds and you can drink coffee in 1 minute.

Because all Dolce Gusto models support milk frothing, whether you want to drink cappuccino, latte, mocha, or caramel macchiato, you only need to put the corresponding capsule into the machine. It is really suitable for lazy people.

DOLCE GUSTO GENIO capsule coffee machine

￥1090.00

Dolce Gusto also has entry-level capsule machines priced around a thousand yuan, which is a good choice if you want to try making coffee with a capsule coffee machine first.

If you want to know more about capsule coffee machines, or want to see capsule machines of other brands, you can click here .

❷ Make espresso: Italian coffee machine

The capsule machine is the first choice I recommend to lazy people, but if you want to be a lazy person with high aspirations, have higher requirements for the taste of coffee, love to drink Italian coffee, and have sufficient budget, then you may want to try an Italian coffee machine.

Italian coffee machines are divided into fully automatic and semi-automatic . The latter do not have a bean grinder and require the use of coffee powder; the former is more convenient, no need to grind beans or weigh them, just throw the coffee beans into the machine, and it's OK.

I would like to recommend a fully automatic coffee machine from Delonghi, an Italian brand that is most well-known to domestic consumers. Among its fully automatic coffee machines, the ECAM23.420 is very cost-effective and has a high sales volume.

De'Longhi ECAM23.420.S Home Automatic Italian Coffee Machine

￥4999.00

Whether it is espresso, cappuccino, latte or macchiato, it can be completed in less than 1 minute.

The grinder has 13 levels of grinding to choose from, and you can choose the coarseness of the grinding according to your preference. But according to the actual operating experience, the shifting between each small gear is not precise, so it can basically be roughly understood as 5 gears - which is enough for home coffee machines.

The internal extraction components can be directly removed and rinsed with clean water

This machine also handles the most troublesome maintenance issue of coffee machines relatively well. It has a special internal circulation flushing system , which can automatically flush the extractor and other parts inside the machine when necessary. The extraction component can also be disassembled and cleaned manually, which greatly reduces the frequency of needing to invite professionals to come for cleaning.

In fact, compared with other big brands, Delonghi has the most complete after-sales service in China , providing a good guarantee for the convenient maintenance of coffee machines.

This model also has some very user-friendly designs, such as the height of the coffee spout is adjustable to adapt to coffee cups of different shapes; there is an LCD display so all operations are clear at a glance; it can also remember your commonly used settings, such as the ratio of coffee to milk.

❸ American coffee: drip coffee machine

I don’t know if you feel the same way. Now more and more people drink coffee and no longer want milk, sugar, cream or chocolate. They just want to drink the purest taste of coffee beans . In fact, this change is a big trend. If you are interested in the process and reasons of the change, click here and listen to Liszt tell you the story.

If you want to know more about which machine to choose for making this kind of coffee, please continue reading my article.

In fact, for those who love the original flavor of coffee beans, drinking espresso is also possible, but the concentration of espresso is too high and not widely accepted, so American coffee becomes their favorite.

There is also a lazy way to make American coffee, just buy a drip coffee machine . However, most drip machines are semi-automatic and require coffee powder.

In addition, compared to capsule machines and espresso machines that can only produce one or two cups of coffee at a time, drip machines are actually very suitable for making coffee for multiple people. Just put a stack of filter paper and coffee powder in, and you're done. When there are many people and everyone doesn't have too many personalized needs for coffee, drip machines are indeed the first choice for saving time and effort.

The Bonavita drip filter machine that I would like to highly recommend is also a daily coffee tool for the friends on the list. I wonder how many brain cells it has activated for us.

I don’t know if you have heard of the “Golden Cup Theory” about how to make good coffee. A cup of golden cup coffee is one that is extracted with water at 90-96 degrees and has a coffee extraction rate of 18-22%.

The coffee machine that can make coffee under the conditions of the Golden Cup Theory will be certified by SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America), which is also a symbol of the quality of the coffee machine. Bonavita drip coffee machine is one of them, and it is also the only drip coffee machine that has obtained dual certification from SCAA and SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe).

Bonavita 5-Cup European Coffee Maker

￥596.83

This coffee machine has a very good performance in restoring the original flavor of coffee beans, so as long as the coffee beans are good, the coffee made is really delicious. The operation is also very simple, just pour water, put coffee powder, and press a button.

Its coffee pot has a double-layer vacuum design and can keep coffee hot for more than 6 hours when the lid is closed - this way you can avoid drinking coffee at an awkward temperature.

There are two sizes, 8-person and 5-person, suitable for company and family use respectively. The 5-person model has a reservation function, you can make a reservation the night before, and the aroma of coffee will wake you up in the morning.

Finally, considering the quality of the coffee it makes, its price is also very reasonable. In short, if you want to buy a drip coffee machine, Bonavita must be the first choice.

One button is not enough for me

I know that in the eyes of specialty coffee lovers, coffee has always been an extremely proud existence. From the selection of beans to roasting, grinding and the final brewing, there is no step that does not need to be treated carefully. For them, the coffee made by full/semi-automatic coffee machines and capsule machines is "the same in every cup", and hand brewing is the king.

So, let’s talk about the tools you need to make hand brewing at home.

❶ Bean grinder

For hand brewed coffee, a grinder is a must.

After the coffee beans are ground into powder, the best flavor can only be felt if it is brewed within a few minutes. If you buy ready-made coffee powder, the longer it is brewed, the less flavor it will have. In the end, you may feel a little sorry for your pursuit of perfection.

The correspondence between different brewing equipment and coffee powder fineness

So before you decide to start brewing coffee, you must first have a coffee grinder.

There are two main types of coffee grinders: hand-cranked and electric. The difference between the two can be seen from the table below:

I recommend this Porlex hand-cranked grinder.

PORLEX Hand Crank Grinder JP-30

￥346.00

It is small and light in size, and the stainless steel exterior is very textured. The internal gears are made of ceramic, which has high hardness and is not easy to generate heat and oxidize the coffee beans. It also supports adjustment of the coarseness of the powder (generally speaking, the finer the coffee powder, the more bitter it is, but too coarse will also lead to insufficient extraction).

The resistance is moderate when grinding, and it is not too strenuous - of course, if you are a girl with poor arm strength, it will still be a bit strenuous to shake for a long time. The entire machine, including the internal spring mechanism, can be cleaned directly with water, which is very convenient.

The price is reasonable and the cost performance is quite high.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of grinding beans and have the budget, buy an electric grinder.

Baratza Encore Conical Grinder

￥849.00

This Encore grinder is an entry-level model of Baratza, with a relatively stable powder quality and a high cost performance. The internal conical grinding disc can grind coffee powder suitable for hand brewing or espresso.

If you want to know more about how to choose a coffee grinder, click here .

❷ Three brothers of hand-washing

With a coffee grinder, you also need filter paper, filter cup and hand brewing pot.

Filter paper is generally made of two materials: ordinary filter paper and flannel cloth. The former is easier to absorb oil, while the latter can retain more coffee oil taste, but it is more troublesome to clean. Ordinary filter paper is disposable, cleaner and more convenient, so it is recommended that you use ordinary filter paper , such as this classic filter paper from Melaleuca.

Melitta/Melaleuca 1X2 mellow coffee filter paper

￥9.60

This filter paper is made of patented Aromafleece aromatic wool paper, with perforations all over the surface, which can retain the essence of coffee and filter out the residue completely. And there is no pulp smell, which is a significant advantage over most filter papers on the market.

Mr Clever Smart Cup

￥143.00

When doing hand brewing, if you use an ordinary filter cup, it is generally recommended to add water in steps - the first step is to "steam" to ensure sufficient extraction. But this smart cup does not need to do that. The clever design makes it have a built-in "immersion" process, which can be done by adding water at one time . It is very easy to use and is also suitable for lazy people.

Kalita Candy Tricolor Slim Mouth Stainless Steel Pourover Kettle

￥468.00

When seeing a hand brewing kettle, many newcomers will ask: Isn’t this just a kettle? What’s so special about it?

In fact, the only feature of a hand-poured kettle is its "thin mouth", because this design can slow down the water flow rate, so as to avoid excessive water injection at once and resulting in insufficient extraction.

Therefore, when choosing a pour-over kettle, apart from the "thin mouth", the rest is up to your preference. I only recommend a Japanese coffee utensil brand, Kalita, which has a wide variety of styles and colors for you to choose.

Of course, these three are just the basic configuration of hand pouring. If you want to do hand pouring more extreme, you also need electronic scales, electronic thermometers, etc. If you want to see the full set of hand pouring process and tool recommendations, click on " How to make a cup of cool hand pouring coffee? " - the cool representative Liszt is waiting for you there.

❸ A special case: AeroPress

I have to save my favorite thing - AeroPress - for the last. Of course, I believe that old friends are already familiar with this "toy". The reason why it is called a special case is that it is not easy to classify it as a traditional coffee equipment. While "filtering", it can also pressurize and extract coffee powder.

AeroPress coffee machine

￥212.00

If you don't know what the AeroPress is, it looks like this: two cylinders put together, a very simple construction.

As a coffee tool, it really lives up to its name. The three words "AeroPress" perfectly express the method of using it and the fun of using it to make coffee. It is like a toy and is very popular among coffee lovers, and even professional baristas have a special love for it.

AeroPress is very convenient to use. You only need to prepare coffee powder and hot water. It comes with a measuring spoon, and the capacity is just right for one person. The cylindrical cavity capacity is also matched, and no additional weighing tools are needed .

AeroPress can be used in two ways: positive pressure and reverse pressure. The animated image shows the reverse pressure method which is easier to use.

If you want to learn more about how to use AeroPress, you can click here to watch the video. The video also introduces and compares two other ways of making coffee: the Bonavita drip machine and hand brewing.

Well, that’s all I have to say about coffee making tools. Feel free to leave a message and tell us about your favorite coffee making method and the tools you use most often.