Recent Addition

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.

Priority number one is to get a good coffee grinder. There are two basic types: the blade grinder and the burr grinder. The burr grinder does a better job of grinding the beams to a fine grind. The blade grinders are less expensive and can do a find job when all you need is a course grind for drip coffee. You get what you pay for and a bur grinder is a good upgrade.

The tamper is a pretty simple tool that is used to press down on the coffee grinds prior to brewing. If you have a new espresso machine, a tamper probably came with your machine and it probably sucks too. If you upgrade your tamper make sure it fits will and that it feels and looks 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.

To go along with your espresso cups you will want a set of espresso spoons. Espresso spoons are also known as demitasse spoons and they add a nice touch of class to your espresso cups. Latte spoons are larger and match your latte cups for your larger espresso drinks.

Until you master a multitude of espresso drinks, you will want to have a coffee recipe book. These recipe books can contain hundreds of recipes for coffee beverages (wow!). Basic espresso drinks that you will want to master include the latte, the mocha and the cappuccino.

Flavors come next and there are LOTs to choose from. Although there are flavored powders (ex: chocolate, mocha, etc) most flavors are added as syrup. There are dozens of flavors of syrup and they range from the perennial favorite of chocolate to seasonal flavors such as pumpkin.

Actually your options for accessorizing your new espresso machine are nearly endless. Add new items when they make sense to you and you will enjoy brewing your own home made espresso drinks for a long time.

If you are just starting down the path of collecting espresso shot glass, you will probably be very surprised at how popular it is to collect these types of espresso cup.