The absolute minimum you need to make great coffee at home

You don’t need a gooseneck kettle, a refractometer, or a $900 grinder to make great coffee at home. You don’t need to chase the latest gear drops or build a pour-over station that looks like a science lab. What you do need is less than you think — but it matters more than most people realise. This is the minimum viable brew kit: six things that actually make a difference. Get these right, and you can make café-quality coffee in your kitchen.

1. Fresh, high-quality coffee beans

Great coffee starts with great coffee. Full stop. 

No matter how expensive your equipment is, stale or low-quality beans will sabotage your brew. Freshness matters — ideally, you want beans roasted within the past 2 to 4 weeks. Coffee from a supermarket shelf, sitting in a vacuum-sealed bag for months, is a different product than coffee roasted to order by a specialty roaster.

Look for single-origin or well-crafted blends from roasters who publish details like roast date, origin, and processing method. This transparency often signals a commitment to quality.

Also, consider your brew method when selecting beans: light roasts work well for pour-over and Aeropress, while medium or medium-dark roasts often suit French press or espresso-style methods better.

And buy whole beans — pre-ground coffee goes stale far faster, sometimes in just hours.

2. A burr grinder (not a blade grinder)

If you’re not grinding fresh, you’re already behind. If you’re grinding unevenly, you’re not even in the game. 

Grind size is one of the most critical variables in brewing. It affects how quickly water extracts flavour from coffee. If your grounds are uneven — as they always are with a blade grinder — you’ll get an uneven extraction: some bits over-extracted and bitter, others under-extracted and sour. A burr grinder (manual or electric) solves this by crushing beans between two surfaces for a consistent grind. It gives you control over grind size, which is essential for dialing in recipes for different brew methods.

Even a low-cost hand grinder outperforms blade grinders by a mile.

It’s also worth noting that pre-ground coffee oxidizes quickly, losing flavour in the process. Grinding just before brewing maximizes aroma and complexity — and gives you the chance to adjust when something tastes off.

A good burr grinder isn’t just a tool — it’s your single biggest upgrade in flavour after good beans.

3. One consistent, reliable brew method

Don’t buy three brewers. Get one. Learn it inside and out. 

There are many ways to make coffee. French press. V60. Kalita Wave. Aeropress. Moka pot. The list goes on. But you don’t need all of them — and trying to master five at once will slow you down. Choose one. Stick with it. Learn its quirks. Learn how it responds to small changes in grind size, brew time, and coffee-to-water ratio.

If you’re new to brewing, the French press is forgiving and doesn’t require fancy gear. The Aeropress is compact, versatile, and travel-friendly. The V60 and Kalita Wave reward precision and attention.

What matters most is consistency. Using the same method each day allows you to isolate variables and refine your technique. Switching methods constantly means you’re always starting over — and never quite building mastery.

Brewing is a craft. Mastery comes from repetition. A great brewer with a simple setup will always make better coffee than a gearhead who doesn’t know how to use their tools.

4. Filtered water (or bottled if your tap water is bad)

It’s 98% of your cup — and it’s often the most overlooked. 

Coffee is mostly water. If your water tastes bad, so will your coffee.

The minerals in water affect how well it extracts flavour from coffee grounds. Too many minerals (hard water) can lead to flat, muddled flavours. Too few (soft or distilled water) can result in sour, underdeveloped cups.

If your tap water tastes good on its own, you’re probably fine using it. If it tastes metallic, chlorine-heavy, or sulphuric, filter it.

If your area has very hard water, consider using bottled water with known mineral content. Alternatively, specialty products, that let you add minerals to distilled water for an ideal brewing profile, do exist — but that’s a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have.

Start with clean, neutral water and you’ll notice an immediate improvement in clarity, sweetness, and consistency.

5. A digital scale

This is where good brewing becomes repeatable — and great brewing becomes learnable. 

Eyeballing your dose or water amount is fine if you’re making instant coffee. But with brewed coffee, precision matters.

A scale removes guesswork and gives you control. It helps you dial in the ideal coffee-to-water ratio and repeat what worked last time. It also lets you follow proven recipes from baristas and roasters around the world. Brewing without a scale is like cooking without measuring cups — it works until it doesn’t, and you’ll never quite know why a dish turned out wrong.

Look for a scale that measures in 0.1-gram increments and is fast and responsive. A built-in timer is helpful, but not essential — you can use your phone. You don’t need a $200 Acaia Pearl (they are worth every penny though). A $20 kitchen scale that’s accurate and consistent will do the job.

A scale won’t make your coffee taste better by itself. But it gives you the tools to make your coffee consistently better — and that’s everything.

6. Any kettle that can boil water

You don’t need a gooseneck kettle — but you do need a kettle. 

Technically, any kettle that boils water will work. Electric, stovetop, fancy or basic — as long as it gets the job done, you’re fine.

But if you’re using a manual brewing method like a V60 or Kalita, a gooseneck spout helps you control flow rate and pour placement, which directly affects extraction. For French press or AeroPress, a regular spout is totally fine.

Temperature control is another luxury, not a necessity. Boiling your water and letting it cool for 30 seconds brings it close enough to the ideal 90–96°C range.

The takeaway: don’t let lack of a gooseneck stop you. Start with what you have. If you love the ritual and want more control, a proper pour-over kettle is a smart upgrade — but it’s not step one.

You don’t need to be a barista

You don’t need to be a barista. You don’t need a collection of tools. You don’t need to spend a fortune. You just need five things: good beans, a burr grinder, one brew method, clean water, and a scale. That’s it. Everything else is optional.

Master the basics. Brew with intention. Taste your coffee. Adjust. Repeat.

You’ll be surprised how far that gets you.