Club Benefits
Welcome to The Coffee Lab, the series where we forget coffee snobbery. The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun. Join me as I help you kickstart your coffee journey!
I'm Erin, and welcome to the second episode of The Coffee Lab, the series all about finding the perfect brew without the headache.
Today, I'm going to tell you why you don't need to spend thousands of dollars just to make a decent latte. Ignore all the noise about WDT tools and spring-loaded tampers and the 58mm vs 54mm debate. You only need three things to make barista-quality coffee at home: a simple coffee scale, a good espresso machine, and an even better grinder. I should know — I'm an ex-barista!
My complete coffee setup is just $648, and I can pull back-to-back shots of pro-tasting espresso without breaking a sweat. Come here — let me tell you my secret. It's the Breville Bambino, Comandante C40 MK4, and the Wacaco Exagram Pro. That's it. That's all you need to start pulling cafe-quality espresso at home.
Why the $299 Breville Bambino is perfect
There are so many things I love about Breville's cheapest model, but I'll just go through the most important here. For a full, comprehensive analysis, check out my Breville Bambino review. Spoiler alert: it's the only espresso machine I've ever given a 5-star rating.
The Bambino combines coffee-snob-approved features like a PID controller (temperature controller) and a customizable pre-infusion time (low pressure to control saturation of grounds) with an affordable $300 price tag and a small 6-inch footprint.
It's the perfect espresso machine for small spaces, and comes with both single-walled and dual-walled portafilters. Don't know the difference? Don't worry — I've got you covered on the differences between pressurized and non-pressurized portafilter baskets.
Although more serious coffee nerds might want to invest in the $499 Breville Bambino Plus, which has a stronger steam wand and a 3-way solenoid valve that releases pressure and sucks water out of the puck post-brewing, the Bambino is the best cheap espresso machine you can get, and there's literally no competition.
Why the Comandante C40 MK4 is the best affordable grinder
The Comandante C40 MK4 is my go-to grinder. There's nothing I dislike about this grinder, sans its cringey military branding. No, I'm serious — that's the only reason I awarded this grinder a 4.5-star rating rather than a 5-star rating. If Comandante did away with the military aesthetic, this would be a perfect grinder.
If you want the full story, check out my review of the Comandante C40 MK4. But for a shortened version, stay here.
The Comandante C40 MK4 has martensitic steel burrs — this is the same high-nitrogen steel used in surgical instruments — and extremely high uniformity. During my tests, I saw huge jumps from 0% >300upm to 100% >500upm. In real terms, this means all the coffee is ground to the same size, so will result in a better drink.
Your coffee grinder is actually the most important part of your brewing journey. With a grinder as reliable and effective as the Comandante C40 MK4, you'll be making barista-approved lattes in no time. I can help if you're not sure how to grind your coffee correctly.
Why you only need a $50 coffee scale
Coffee scales? I've seen them all. I've tested the Acaia Lunar, Acaia Pearl S, the Fellow Tally Pro. What do all these coffee scales have in common? They're almost as smart as your iPad (slight exaggeration), but they're all ridiculously overpriced.
Sorry, who's got $200 to drop on a glorified kitchen scale? Not me. I'm of the opinion that your coffee scale should be the cheapest one that does the job well.
And what is that coffee scale, I hear you ask? The Wacaco Exagram Pro, of course. This $50 scale does it all — weighs, times, fits on my drip tray and under my pour-over — without costing me a small fortune.
I'd also recommend even cheaper options like the MHW-3BOMBER Cube Coffee Scale 2.0, or the MHW-3BOMBER Mini Coffee Scale, or the Maestri House Mini Coffee Scale.
All these scales basically do the same thing — weigh, time, weigh. That's all you need from a coffee scale, so unless you want to enter the World Barista Championships, you probably don't need the $300 Acaia Lunar.
Altogether, my coffee setup is just $648. You don't need to spend any more to get fancy coffee at home — and don't listen to anyone who tries to convince you otherwise!
What coffee gear do you have at home? Let me know in the comments!
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More from Tom's Guide
- You don’t need a $1,000 espresso machine: This $299 'budget' model makes barista-quality coffee at home
- Our readers' favorite espresso machine is the Breville Bambino Plus — and I couldn't agree more after testing 43 coffee makers
- I've tested 43 coffee makers — and this is the last one you'll ever need to buy
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