For filter coffee: good hand grinder (from 100 €), scale, V60 or French Press, kettle with temperature display. For espresso: espresso grinder (from 300 €), portafilter machine (from 400 €), tamper, scale. Most important investment in both cases: the grinder.

What equipment do I need for good coffee at home?

For filter coffee: good hand grinder (from 100 €), scale, V60 or French Press, kettle with temperature display. For espresso: espresso grinder (from 300 €), portafilter machine (from 400 €), tamper, scale. Most important investment in both cases: the grinder.

Filter coffee — entry from approx. 200 €

You need surprisingly little for good filter coffee:

• Grinder (from 100 €). A hand grinder with steel burrs (Timemore C2, 1Zpresso Q2) delivers consistently enough for filter coffee. For those who don’t want to crank by hand: electric grinders start at 150 € (Baratza Encore, Wilfa Svart).
• Brewer. V60 (from 8 €), Kalita Wave (from 25 €) or French Press (from 20 €). All deliver excellent coffee — the method is a matter of taste, not a question of quality.
• Scale (from 15 €). Without a scale, you’re guessing the dosage. The result fluctuates from cup to cup. A simple kitchen scale with 0.1g accuracy is sufficient.
• Kettle with temperature display (from 50 €). Ideally with a gooseneck for pour-overs. For a French press, any kettle is fine — just wait 30 seconds after boiling before pouring.
• Filtered water. A Brita filter (from 20 €) significantly improves Berlin tap water.

Espresso — entry from approx. 800 €

Espresso at home is another league:

• Espresso grinder (from 300 €). There is no shortcut here. Espresso requires extremely even, steplessly adjustable grinding. Under 300 €, it gets difficult. Good entry-level models: Eureka Mignon Notte, Baratza Sette 270.
• Portafilter machine (from 400 €). Single boiler for pure espresso drinkers (Lelit Anna, Rancilio Silvia). Heat exchanger or dual boiler from 1,000 € if you want to froth milk at the same time.
• Tamper, WDT tool, scale. Small parts for approx. 50–100 € total. The tamper presses the coffee grounds evenly, the WDT tool (a fine needle) distributes them lump-free in the basket.

The most important realization

The grinder is more important than the machine. A 300 € grinder on a 400 € machine delivers better espresso than a 100 € grinder on a 1,500 € machine. If you need to save money, save on the machine, not on the grinder.

In practice at Green Wall Coffee

At Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, I regularly advise guests who want to start at home. My standard tip for getting started: hand grinder + V60. Costs under 150 €, results better than any fully automatic machine under 1,000 €. For espresso, I recommend trying it here first and then deciding whether the investment is worth it.

Related questions

• What is the most important investment: machine, grinder, or beans?
• Is an espresso machine worth it at home?
• Is an expensive coffee grinder really worth it?

You can find more depth in the articles How to make perfect espresso and V60 pour-over guide. Or drop by Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.