If you know me, you’ll know I am pretty religious about coffee. Iced coffee, hot coffee, cold brew, espresso, black coffee or with milk, I love it all. So naturally, I set up a little coffee bar for myself in our apartment, which has been getting even more use lately now that I’m working from home.
If you’re looking to up your home coffee game as well, I thought I’d share the essential items I keep in my coffee bar:
Heads up: this post contains some affiliate links, which means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting Meg & Cleo!
I actually first discovered this coffee maker because my brother has one, and after first seeing it at his house, I bought the exact same one for myself within a week or two. It’s amazing! It makes great quality coffee and I love having the ability to make whatever kind of coffee I want (regular coffee, a richer brew, an over ice brew, or a specialty brew which I use for espresso-type drinks like lattes), as well as whatever quantity I want (a single cup, a whole pot, half pot, or travel size mug). It’s perfect for making a morning pot of coffee for everyone to share or for making individual coffee drinks for yourself and others.
2. Primula Burke Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker
As it starts to get closer to summer, I’ve been drinking cold brew almost daily. This cold brew maker is so easy to use and has resulted in some of the best coffee I’ve ever had, especially when mixed with my favorite oatmilk (linked below as well). You just fill the filter up with coffee, pour water over the coffee and then directly into the pitcher until it’s full, stir the grounds, and then let it sit in your fridge for 24 hours to brew! After, you just take the filter out and can store the coffee in the fridge for up to 14 days (I always run out way before then though).
This milk frother is what I use to make coffee-shop style drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. The Ninja Coffee Bar actually comes with a manual milk frother, but that takes a lot more effort than this automatic frother, which you can just pour your chosen milk into and press a button. I start the milk before I start my coffee and by the time the coffee is brewed, the milk is done too.
This coffee has quickly become my favorite! If you are familiar with the show Gilmore Girls, you might recognize the name Scotty P aka Scott Patterson who stars as Luke Danes (known for the amazing coffee at his diner, Luke’s). This is his coffee brand and naturally, as a huge Gilmore Girls fan, I had to try it, and was so pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up loving the coffee. It’s so good and really smooth, and I drink it every single day now!
5. French Press
Every coffee lover should have a French press. When I first fell in love with coffee about seven years ago, it was when I first drank coffee brewed with a French press. Nowadays I’m usually too lazy to bother with more time-consuming methods of making coffee, but if you really want to get all the flavors of your coffee into the final cup, French press is the way to go. Rather than brewing the coffee through a filter and letting the water drip over it, you’re actually steeping the coffee grounds in the water, which results in a really flavorful cup, perfect for more advanced coffee-tasting.
6. Mr. Coffee Automatic Burr Mill Coffee Grinder
I generally buy my coffee beans already ground these days, because again, laziness, but if you want a really fresh and flavorful coffee, your best bet is to grind your beans just before brewing. Plus, if you’re brewing with a French press, for example, you’ll want a coarser grind that you can’t find in a typical bag of pre-ground coffee. This is the coffee grinder I have at home and it’s a great relatively inexpensive option.
Every coffee lover also needs the perfect mug! I got this Luke’s mug (more Gilmore Girls!) as a gift from a friend and it’s truly the most perfect mug I own. It’s basically just like the giant mugs you see Lorelai and Rory drinking coffee out of at Luke’s.
8. Califia Barista Blend Oat Milk
This oat milk is by far the best I’ve tried in my coffee thus far. It froths beautifully compared to other brands I’ve tried, and a splash of it in some cold brew over ice is heavenly. Plus, it tastes delicious on its own or in cereal, and comes in shelf-stable packaging so you can order it in bulk and not have to store it all in the fridge.
9. Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker
Pour-over coffee is another great manual brewing method for really quality cup of coffee. Pour-over coffee is generally not as intense or bold in flavor as French-pressed coffee, so I’d recommend it for those who prefer a lighter brew, more similar to a drip-brewed coffee. Plus, making your coffee in this cute pour-over coffee maker just makes you feel fancy.
10. Nutpods Dairy-Free Coffee Creamers
If you’re lactose-intolerant or simply prefer the flavor of non-dairy milks, Nutpods are a perfect coffee creamer replacement. They have a very half-and-half-like consistency and come in several flavors. My current favorite flavor is chocolate! In addition to pouring directly into regular coffee as a creamer, I also like to froth these and use them for extra foamy lattes or, if using the chocolate ones, mochas!
11. Breville Temp Select Electric Kettle
Last but not least, I believe any coffee or tea lover needs a good kettle! I love this one because you can set the kettle to heat the water to a specific temperature based on what you’re using it for. It’s great for brewing French press or pour-over coffee, as well as any kind of tea.
So there you have it; those are all the essentials that I keep in my home coffee bar. I’m always interested in other people’s coffee routines–let me know if you have any favorite items for making coffee at home!
Looks great!