Knowledge
How to Set Up Your Home Coffee Bar
Jan
One of the biggest milestones in your course of coffee geekdom is when you realize that you need more room for your gear. You have collected enough equipment that it is either stuffed into the cabinets or spilling all over the counter. Your kettle might be battling for space with the food processor you never use.
This is a familiar refrain for those who love mixology, baking, tea, or any other gastronomic industry. It’s time to set aside space for your coffee equipment.
Decide on your equipment
Much like other organization tips out there, the key is to first gather everything you have that is related to the art of making coffee. This includes an espresso machine, grinder(s), scale, coffee storage, and other items. Don’t forget all of your mugs! We’ve included a checklist at the end of this post.
Next, is to categorize and pinpoint what is missing from your stash.
If you have multiple bags of coffee, do you want to transfer them to airtight containers?
For all of your filters, would you rather put them together into a filter holder?
Find the space
This can often be a designated counter corner or an unused part of your dining room. It’s important to find an area where you have easy access to electricity, especially if it’s a required part of your setup. Next is to decide if you need additional shelving or wall details, like eye hooks. Being able to easily access any pourover you have is important.
Design the space
On the horizontal space, you’ll need your kettle, decanter, scale, measuring cup (or what you use to weigh your beans out), grinder(s) and the pourover device. Allow for enough room to handle all of your equipment for one pourover session. Furniture that is sold as a mobile chopping block or mixology station can often be repurposed for a coffee bar.
Now, create boxes or areas of storage for all of your other items. Will your Aeropress filter live next to the Kalita Wave filters? Will your future Chemex have room on the shelves?
If it’s an espresso station, then that space is already decided for you.
Remember, you also want to design the space for all of your future equipment. The collection will not stop growing once you’ve established your coffee bar!
And finally, decorate! There are many sources of coffee art out there. Department of Brewology creates unique posters that can fit with almost every design aesthetic.
The ultimate goal of creating a coffee bar at home is for you to easily make your morning coffee without ever having to leave that area.
Equipment Checklist
Here’s a handy checklist of all the items you might want on your home coffee bar:
Coffee Brewing Equipment:
- Decanter
- Pourover device: V60, Kalita Wave, Bonmac
- Kettle
- Filters
- Scale
Related accessories:
- Water filter
- Weighing container for the beans
- Airtight container storage for beans
- Mugs
- Filter holder
- Plants
- Posters
- Swag board or box
