10 accessories that every barista should have

If you are considering being part of the noble art of preparing coffee or if you are an experienced barista, but you are looking to improve your skills and abilities, you must have the tools and accessories necessary to maximize your potential.

At present, there are many accessories for baristas and they can be found in the market from the most economical and accessible to those that are very expensive, strange or even made under exclusive order.

Coffee makers that you have are not enough by themselves. Accessories are not a whim to make you look interesting, each of them fulfills a specific function. In this article, we will show you the 10 essential accessories that every barista should have.

Preparing coffee seems to be something simple to do, you only need two ingredients, water, and coffee. However, the correct amounts of these ingredients will determine the quality of your drink.

One way to control the preparation process and recreate our drink, again and again, is with the help of a precision scale. The scale allows us to know exactly the Ratio of our drink (quantity of water and quantity of coffee).

In the market you will find a wide variety of scales available at very cheap prices, however, we recommend those that are digital for a more accurate reading.

The best ally for any of your preparations or tests in different methods will be the coffee mill. However, when deciding which one is ideal for you, you should consider several factors. For example, how much coffee you want to grind, if you want a manual or electric mill, with blades.

Defining these variables is important since the price of the mill will depend on it. If you are starting as a barista, we recommend manual mills with variable grinding adjustment.

This type of mill is ideal for grinding small quantities that you can use to make coffee at home, just as you can adjust the grinding levels, it allows you to experiment in different methods. They are also portable and easy to maintain.

There are many models of kettles, ranging from basic models that are placed on a direct fire to models that heat the water through an electric heater and incorporate a digital panel where the temperature is programmed.

Whichever model you choose, make sure they have the familiar gooseneck, this allows you to control the pour of water with great precision on coffee.

The thermometer is one of the indispensable accessories because it allows us to know exactly the temperature of both water and milk.

In case of preparing coffee in some method, it is very important to control the temperature of the water that will come into contact with the coffee particles. If we use very hot water we run the risk of over-extracting the coffee, otherwise, it is sub-extracted. Knowing and controlling the correct water temperature, we achieve a good extraction and therefore a good coffee.

In the same way, in the case of milk, temperature plays an important role at the time of vaporization and thus be able to achieve the desired texture and volume to correctly prepare cappuccinos, slices, coffee latte, among others.

Deciding which thermometer to acquire is a challenge, we recommend barista thermometers since they have everything you need, such as a clamp that allows you to fix it to the milk jug and temperature indicators by color.

Time is a crucial factor when working with coffee in general. To perform an extraction, start a tasting protocol or roasting coffee, we will need the help of a timer to get a good result.

Some digital scales come with a built-in timer that makes it easier for us to control coffee extraction when we are preparing a drink, however, using the balance timer for another task such as coffee tasting or roasting becomes complicated.

In the same way, we can use mobile applications to have a timer, however in this way, commonly, carelessness occurs and no attention is paid to the mobile. We recommend a pocket digital timer, there is a great variety in the market and they are usually cheap.

One of the many ways to determine the quality of coffee is to perform the corresponding tasting. And, as a barista you will have to do tasting sessions regularly, so you should have a tasting spoon.

What makes the tasting spoon different is not only its design but its weight and touch, as well as its shape, curvature, and depth.

When you are going to prepare a cappuccino, latte coffee, among other coffee drinks that contain milk, you will need a jug to vaporize the milk. If you add to this the desire to make latte art, you will have to have your jug.

There are a lot of variety of jugs, with different sizes and shapes. If you are starting as a barista, we recommend that you start with a jug of standard size so you get used to its manipulation, because vaporizing milk is an art that requires technique and a lot of practice.

Baristas usually focus all their attention and spend the most time perfecting espresso coffee extraction. While there are a lot of variables to take into account to achieve the ideal espresso, the leveling and pressing of coffee in the portafilter is crucial.

It is at this point that the leveler and the tamper come into action. With these accessories and the correct technique, you can perform an extraction that meets all the characteristics that espresso must have.

The leveler is an accessory that, as the name implies, is responsible for evenly leveling the coffee that has been poured into the portafilter. For its part, the tamper is responsible for compacting coffee that has been previously leveled, thus forming a kind of puck, where the water must pass at the time of extraction.

One factor to take into account when choosing the tamper is ergonomics since this accessory will be used very frequently and that you feel comfortable in the palm of your hand is important.

When it comes to espresso coffee, It is important to know its measurements, to obtain consistency in each preparation. The espresso measuring cup will help you accurately determine typical doses, such as shot, ounces or millimeters.

Last but not least than the accessories listed above, is the apron for baristas.

Apart from being an accessory that provides a pleasant image for your customers, aprons with multiple pockets are ideal for you to keep and always have at your fingertips, some of the accessories that we mention in this post.