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I would be lying if I told you that I have not spent a pretty penny on upgrading my coffee setup yearly, but I feel like I have mastered it good for now. I always get questions on what I think people should start with and what tools to get to create a nice setup, so let me help you avoid the stress of figuring it out and spending unnecessary money.

Whether you want to save money buying a daily $7 lattes, learn the craft because everywhere you go no one makes your coffee correctly, or just simply want to become a self taught at home barista here are the things you need to perfect your morning brew, whenever you want, however you like.

I started my self taught barista journey 10 years ago when I wanted to romanticize my mornings and save money I was spending on a daily at Starbucks. I couldn’t quite get the hang of perfecting micro foam which is what I struggled with the most and what I wanted to learn so bad to make a good latte. I will admit that investing in the right tools and practicing daily sure got me there to perfect the craft of pulling a decent shot, foaming good milk and creating a delicious, beautiful lattes at home.

hot latte in a beautiful unique white ceramic mug

how it started…

I must emphasize that from the beginning the Breville has been our dream machine, but it was way out of our budget as young parents and starting our new business. 10 years ago, I started with my trusty Keurig. I played around with all the pods until I landed on grinding our own beans and purchasing a reusable pod. I invested in a hot/cold frother and a handheld electric frother to make cold foam for iced coffees. After that, we invested in an Nespresso Gran Latisima. It was such a breath of fresh air and the Nespresso pods were so delicious, but with this machine, no latte art was possible which is what I wanted to learn. At this point, I was so intimidated by the Breville and the learning curve of the machine even though it was it was our dream machine. I loved the idea of the automatic espresso machines after having the Nespresso and it doing all the work for you so I decided to invest in the Terra Kaffe – it was nice while it lasted but with automatic espresso machines being used daily and almost multiple times a day, it eventually gave out. My husband caved in and got us the Breville Barista Pro and we have stuck with that one since. I am eyeing an upgraded machine which hopefully we can gift our Breville and Nespresso to family soon to upgrade to something more commercial grade ✨just for the plot✨ so stay tuned until then.

what you need:

Espresso Machine

In my opinion you don’t need a fancy machine to get started on. Many think that you have to spend thousands for a machine to be able to get a good shot of espresso at home, but you pull good shots with an inexpensive machine.

Breville Barista Pro and Touch Line

Breville Barista Pro espresso machine on a beige background

Nespresso Gran Latissima

Cafe Bellisimo Semi-Automatic

Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro 4-in-1

Accessories

When you purchase an espresso machine, it usually comes with all the tools you need, and although that will work just fine, here are some extra tools that will make the process easier and give you more of a *barista pro* feel:

WDT Tool:

Tamper:

Distribution Tool:

shop

my coffee must haves

shop my unique curated handpicked mugs, decor and tools needed for the ultimate barista vibe.

Shop now

Coffee Ceramics

a must have for the vibes. I’ve gotten beautiful ceramics from esty, local artists and amazon and we can’t forget the to-go cups for the cafe vibes.

unique beautiful ceramic handmade mugs in brown color pallet on a wooden shelf

ceramics

unique ceramic tumbler with a spout opening and a glass straw

^{shop ceramics that speak your style for your home.}

to-go cups

brown to go cup with black top and a cardboard color sleeve with a custom home cafe sticker

_{pro tip: create your own logo and brand to give your home coffee a cafe vibe.}

espresso cups

beautiful caramic espresso mini mugs in neutral colors on a marble countertop

^{small 4-6 oz cups to brew your espresso into or use as a small vessel to weigh your 18 grams.}

Beans and Milk

I recommend to shop local for fresh roasted beans. Explore to see what notes you prefer and make sure that each bag has a roasted date to ensure freshness. *note, always make sure your bag has a roast date – this tells you when it was roasted and a good general idea of the freshness of the beans* – choose your milk of choice.

2 pound bag of Larrys coffee cowboy blend on a coffee bar

Syrups and recipes

Lastly, have fun with your recipes. You can purchase syrups already made or you can create them at home from scratch. I personally have been making my own syrups for a cleaner, healthier approach and for a more profound taste. It’s also very fun crafting your own recipes and flavors.

some of my favorite recipes

coconut syrup
banana bread syrup
vanilla syrup
raspberry syrup
strawberry syrup
blueberry syrup

I hope you enjoy your cup of homemade coffee and save your money for shopping and all the finer things in life 🙂 Let me know what other questions you have coffee related and I will happily make a post further explaining or linking.