Make café drinks at home: a grinder that actually matters, an espresso machine or pour-over, a frother for lattes, and the fun extras.
Updated October 2026 · save to pinterest
best for: The upgrade that matters most
Freshly ground beans make the biggest difference in home coffee. The Encore has 40 grind settings and almost no learning curve.
best for: Burr grinding on a budget
A cheaper burr grinder with a timer, good for drip and pour-over.
best for: Latte lovers ready to stop paying café prices
A small espresso machine that heats up in seconds and steams milk automatically, so lattes are easy from day one.
best for: Trying espresso cheaply
A budget espresso machine with a pressure gauge and steam wand, for trying espresso without a big spend.
best for: Café-quality black coffee
The classic cone dripper for bright, clean pour-over coffee. Add filters and you're brewing.
best for: Pour-over perfectionists
A gooseneck kettle with exact temperature control and a slow, steady pour for pour-over.
best for: Consistent cups every morning
A scale with a built-in timer, so you can measure beans and water the way baristas do.
best for: Iced lattes and matcha
A cheap battery whisk that foams milk for lattes, matcha and cold foam in seconds.
best for: Hot lattes without an espresso machine
Heats and foams milk at the press of a button for hot lattes and cappuccinos without a steam wand.
best for: Making drinks for two or more
A bigger frother with adjustable temperature and two discs for latte or cappuccino foam.
best for: Iced coffee drinkers
Make a week of smooth cold brew in the fridge overnight.
best for: Copycat café drinks
Vanilla, caramel and hazelnut syrups for the flavored lattes you'd usually buy out.
best for: The iced latte aesthetic
The can-shaped glass cups all over iced-coffee videos, with lids and glass straws.
A burr grinder. Freshly ground beans make a bigger difference than an expensive coffee maker. Start with a grinder and a simple pour-over or French press.
If you buy a latte most days, a $500 machine pays for itself in a few months. If you mostly drink iced coffee or black coffee, cold brew or pour-over is cheaper and easier.
Brew strong coffee (a moka pot, AeroPress or concentrated cold brew), then foam warm milk with a frother. It's not true espresso, but it's close and cheap.
