There are so many kinds of coffee appliances nowadays, it is not easy for coffee beginners. Looking at a bunch of coffee equipment and wanting to buy them, but not knowing how to choose or use them, every coffee novice must have felt this way. For this situation, what we need to do:
"Don't pick expensive things, don't pick fancy ones, only pick real things."
For coffee beginners, the coffee appliances we choose do not need to have too many complicated functions, just choose regular, ordinary and practical ones. There are various coffee extraction methods, but in fact there are only two types that are common and easy to operate: pressure extraction (espresso coffee machine, Moka pot) and drip extraction (Pour over(V60) coffee, drip coffee machine).
Choice of espresso machines
Under normal circumstances, Front Street does not recommend that everyone buy an espresso coffee machine as a starter. Everyone will want to buy an espresso machine. One seems to be easy to operate and the extraction is fast. The other is that the coffee tastes strong enough and you can add dairy products/water/other beverages according to your own taste. The other wants to learn coffee latte art.
There are many small and cute espresso machines on the market, but the extraction pressure of most coffee machines cannot reach 9 bar. The final extracted taste is weak, and the coffee liquid also feels watery. It is difficult to achieve the richness and golden oil of coffee shop products.
In the past, coffee lovers have reported that the steam wands attached to these coffee machines are a bit short, and the steam is not enough to whip the milk into light and delicate milk foam. The milk foam is usually thick and rough after whipping. In this case, it is impossible to make good-looking coffee latte art. In the end, many espresso machines ended up sitting aside gathering dust due to their inability to froth milk to their satisfaction and the trouble of cleaning.
Whether you are buying an all-in-one semi-automatic espresso coffee machine (the coffee machine comes with a bean grinding function) or a semi-automatic coffee + espresso grinder, you usually need a budget of more than 7,000 yuan to buy a product that is easy to use and has no pitfalls.
Moka Pot Choices
If you want to drink rich coffee, a Moka pot is more suitable for those with a limited budget. It is compact and convenient. As long as there is a heat source, it can be heated and extracted. After extraction, you can also add other ingredients to the coffee according to your own taste preferences.
When choosing a moka pot brand, Front Street recommends that everyone choose Bileti. The quality and quality of the old brand are worthy of trust. Although the price is a bit expensive, as long as you pay attention to daily cleaning, drying and storage, it is not an exaggeration to say that one pot can last three generations.
Currently, there are single valve and double valve Moka pots on the market. The biggest difference between the two is the liquid outlet of the Moka pot. A single-valve Moka pot has no restrictions. A double-valve Moka pot will have a booster valve at the liquid outlet. It requires greater pressure to push the valve open so that the liquid can flow out, and the espresso produced will be richer and fuller.
But novices are advised to choose a single-valve Moka pot. It is more difficult to produce a double-valve Moka pot, which requires more details and more accurate parameters. If a novice does not understand the extraction principle well, it is easy to overturn when using a double-valve Moka pot.
Choice of Pour over(V60) coffee equipment
When you don't have a big budget for a "bean grinder", it is recommended to use a hand grinder, which is a well-known domestic brand.
There are many types of hand grinders on the market. To be honest, you get what you pay for. If you want something durable, choose one that costs more than 700 to 800 yuan; if you don’t use it frequently, you can choose one that costs 500-600 yuan. Some grinders priced between 100-400 yuan are not recommended for everyone to choose. After all, they are not easy to use and cost more to change the grinder frequently.
A "coffee filter" made of hairo's resin material V60 is enough. Light, cheap, not easy to break, high playability and high degree of freedom! No. 1 is for 1-2 people, and No. 2 is for 2-3 people.
Its 60-degree tapered design can extend the contact time between water and coffee. The large-pore filter design at the bottom allows everyone to control the flavor extraction time of coffee by changing the size of water injection. It is very friendly to novices!
"Hand-pour pot" choose a gooseneck and thin-mouth pot with a capacity of 500-600ml and a lid. There is no need for temperature control, an ordinary one will do. Then buy a quick-display thermometer to measure the water temperature.
The capacity of the hand brewing kettle determines the center of gravity during brewing, and the center of gravity also determines the stability of the pouring water. A hand brewing kettle with a capacity that is too small will lack a center of gravity and will float when filling with water.
"Coffee filter paper" When buying filter paper, you should look at the model of the filter cup and then buy the same model. Front Street recommends that you give priority to the white one.
Nowadays, the coffee filter paper brands of well-known brands (such as Hario and Kono) use advanced enzyme bleaching. Different from traditional chemical bleaching, enzyme bleaching uses biologically active enzymes for bleaching. There is no odor or paper smell, and it is widely used in the medical field.
"Electronic scale" is an ordinary kitchen household electronic scale, and then you can use your mobile phone to time the time. If you find it troublesome, you can also choose a quick-display electronic scale with a timer function. You don't have to choose one that is too expensive.
"Coffee Sharing Pot" When choosing a sharing pot, check whether the pot itself is heat-resistant and can withstand large temperature differences! Some poor-quality sharing pots are prone to bursting due to low hot spots when brewing coffee; or when making iced Pour over(V60) coffee, hot and cold conditions may easily lead to bursting.
Coffee drip machine selection
If you want to drink coffee that is stable and tastes clean, it is very convenient to choose a coffee drip machine! There is no need to worry about the water injection method or water injection temperature affecting the taste of the coffee. An American coffee drip machine is a coffee that is brewed with hot water and then filtered. It is very similar to Pour over(V60) coffee, but the machine replaces the hands, so the appearance of the dripped coffee is very similar to Pour over(V60) coffee.
However, unlike Pour over(V60) coffee, the American drip filter machine does not pay too much attention to the dripping method. It is completely set by the manufacturer in the drip filter mode, so the playability is low, but it is really very convenient. Many well-known brands have launched coffee drip machines. The price difference is not too big, so you can choose with peace of mind.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
