The Best Upgrades for Your Home Coffee Bar

If you’re in your neighborhood coffee shop so frequently that the barista knows your order by heart, that’s certainly charming, but it also might be a sign that you’re spending way too much money on $7 oat milk lattes and single origin pour-overs. Like, if you’re racking up a monthly coffee tab high enough to rival your utility bill, you might need to rethink how you caffeinate. 

By rerouting even a fraction of that budget over time, you could wind up with your very own third-wave coffee shop that you can visit literally any time you want (and without putting pants on). Once you’re familiar with the basics of how to make a really good cup of coffee, all that’s left to do is invest in a few key items, learn to use them, and pray to god you don’t have a caffeine-induced panic attack from using them too much.

Part of what’s so great about going to the cafe, and what real heads will want to retain, is the fact that you have options. Want an extremely tasty, zen-inducing pour-over? A good coffee shop can do that. Feeling like a creamy vanilla latte? You can usually get one of those well. Or maybe you’re just swinging through for that post-lunch pick-me-up shot (because maybe you shouldn’t have eaten a whole plate of Buffalo wings for lunch, but that’s another conversation). In any case, if you’re both a coffee freakaroni and someone trying to have it all without leaving your house, you’re probably gonna want to set up a coffee bar situation. 

Luckily for you, finding the right mix-and-match grouping of coffee machines and tools shouldn’t set you back too much money, and will still give you the range to impress dad with your Hario V60 skills while also hooking up Irish coffees via the Moccamaster for the rest of the family. Here’s how to get started building your caffeine paradise.

The best drip coffee machine

We really love the Moccamaster, a drip coffee machine that strives to make pour-over-level java. Not only does this thing look like a prop from if Jacques Tati directed 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it uses a spout-like arm to disperse the water evenly into grounds and not just dump it into a massive bean sinkhole, like most machines do, leaving the coffee on the fringe basically untouched. 

The best high-end coffee machine

Japanese design company Balmuda has somehow cornered the “cool appliances” market, batting three for three with its toaster (which we use daily), speaker, and coffee maker. Its The Brew is predictably beautiful, and uses timed temperature regulation to truly mimic the arc of a great pour-over.

The best classic espresso machine

The Breville Barista Touch is loaded with features, and is entry-level enough that you can still use it if you’re an espresso noob. It comes with everything you need to be a coffee master: single and double-wall filter baskets, a stainless steel frothing jug, a dose-trimming tool, a cleaning kit, a portafilter, a tamper, and a water filter. It comes with various pre-programmed drinks that can be automatically made via touchscreen and an automatic milk frother. She’s beauty and grace, and, with that automatic frothing sensor, she froths our almond milk flawlessly.

The best manual espresso machine

Want to really get down and dirty with your espresso by grinding and measuring your own beans, dialing in the pressure yourself, and literally pressing a giant lever to make your hot bean juice every morning? People are increasingly jumping on the analog espresso train, and it’s easy to see why—it’s a fun and engaging way to make delicious espresso, and also a way to gain skills you can use after humans no longer have electricity. We love the Flair PRO 2, which admittedly has a big learning curve, but ultimately yields hella tasty coffee.

The best single serve coffee machine

Some people who transcend the need for daily cafe trips just want something easy, and we can’t blame them—spending half an hour making coffee every morning can be a pain in the ass, especially if you’re hungover or late for work. Thus, getting a single serve (aka pod-based) coffee machine is totally respectable (as long as it isn’t by Keur*g). The Brevilla Creatista Plus, which uses Nespresso pods, is a GOAT in this category, turning out legitimately solid cups of coffee and espresso made from capsules and using a one-touch brewing system, while also allowing you to make Americanos, cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites at the touch of a button thanks to the milk frother wand. It’s like you’re living in The Jetsons.

The best pour over

They say less is more, and with regards to pour over, that’s definitely true. That’s why the Hario V60 pour over, which is literally just a ceramic cone, is the tried-and-true GOAT of pour-over coffee (i.e. when you put coffee in a filter and literally pour water over it at specific intervals). This is fun to learn and use, and many would argue it’s the best way to make clean, consistent, flavor-forward brews.

The best coffee bar organizers and accessories

If you’re making coffee and grinding your beans, you need a high quality conical burr grinder, i.e., a grinder that slowly presses beans into beautiful and precise grounds. The Baratza Encore is the OG premium choice for home brewers because of its ease of use and its 40 grind settings. Plus, it just looks really cool.

Beans go bad—it’s just one of those annoying laws of nature. The time between roasting and grinding/brewing coffee beans is extremely important: You want that period to be ideally less than about three weeks (which is why you want to buy good beans that have the roast date on them), and within that window, you want to expose the beans to as little air and light as possible, so they maintain their cellular integrity and don’t start breaking down. “Store in a cool, dry place?” Go harder, bud, and store in an airtight vacuum sealed Fellow Atmos container. 

Trying to become the Walter White of pour-over (or just enjoy testing out different coffees)? With a grip of beans to store, you’ll want a nice way to keep them organized. This bad boy will make you feel like the (bean) dealer you were born to be. 

The best way to flex on your guests by showing them you loooove coffee isn’t by having a crazy espresso machine or impressive single origin beans. No, it’s by proudly displaying your beautiful collection of mugs that rep your fave diners, bands, and memes. We truly believe that the coffee tree is the ultimate in home coffee-mug-storing technology.

You don’t need to buy a $1,500 espresso machine (but you should) to make a tight latte. You can just froth some warm milk with one of these milk frothers, which has over 37,000 reviews on Amazon for a 4.6-star average. For only $7 you, too, can forsake St*rbucks and join the latte counter-culture. 

Marie Kondo must be shaking, because you can hold up to 50 original Nespresso pods in this handy drawer organizer. It’s stackable and able to hold the weight of your caffeine machine to save extra precious coffee bar space. Gotta say, Amazon really doms the affordable storage solutions game. 

The Best Coffee Bar Carts

A big part of the home coffee bar is, well, the bar part. What’s the point of having a bunch of cool coffee gear if you can’t show it off (and, of course, access it all in the same place). Here are some cool cart options.

For just $54, this Amazon Basics bar cart has shelves for your beans and extra gear, and an attractive wood top on which to brew your caffeine masterpieces.

For under $100, you can go full cafe-core and acquire this beautiful black flat-top. Just envision it: your grinder, coffee machine, and mug tree, all in one beautiful little corner of the kitchen. All you’ll need is a dude sitting next to it playing solo guitar arrangements of Big Thief and Harry Styles songs.

Bakers rack? This is a coffee bar, friendo. It’ll hold your machines, mugs, beans, and whatever other gear you cop, and will look good doing it. Fresh croissants not included.

Ready to spend more for a truly handsome center for all your caffeinating needs? Article makes a rustic, stylish bar cart that’ll make your new coffee zone feel like a IYKYK nook in the local country club.

Now, invite us over for a perfect flat white already.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.