While espresso machines may be in vogue and not easy to live without an espresso machine is not the end of the line. Whether you are an espresso connoisseur or possibly looking for a gift for an espresso fanatic there is a long list of possible equipment that the expert may need. Lets take a look at the essential espresso equipment.
First and foremost is the espresso machine, now lets assume that you already have one of these babies and you have one that will make an acceptable cup of coffee. The most simple addition would be cappuccino cups or espresso shot glasses. Many people end up with a conglomeration of junky coffee cups and no espresso shot glasses. Shot glasses are straight forward enough, a regular shot glass is 1.5 – 2 ounces, some may prefer to to have 12 ounces worth of shots, but for the most part a shot is enough caffeine. The wide mouth cappuccino cups are also a nice addition. A regular coffee mug does not have a wide enough mouth to allow you to fully appreciate all of the subtle fragrances of a good cup of espresso. For those of you that are not familiar with a cappuccino cup it is simply a shorter more squat coffee cup.
A warming kettle is also a good addition to a coffee collection. Making single servings may be nice when you are by yourself but if you have company presentation is always important. There are a variety of kettles, some of which warm your coffee and some of which simply keep your coffee warm.
Condiments are always a necessity. Ask 100 people how they like their coffee and you will get 100 different answers. When you throw an espresso machine into the mix this gets even more complicated. There are numerous flavored syrups, different kinds of sweeteners, such as agave nectar or honey, whipped cream, or even cinnamon. The more creative you get the more fun things are, so test things a little bit and put together an eclectic coffee bar that will keep your guest interested.
Many espresso machines are sold with integrated grinders and tampers but if you have a manual variety you may need a grinder. A burr grinder is a little more expensive but it the only type of grinder that actually properly grinds coffee beans. Tampers for packing espresso shots are also numerous and unique.
Different utensils for coffee making can also come in very handy. Things like whisks, cleaning equipment, spoons, scoops, storage containers, and thermometers are all very important to the picky barista.
Now to add a whole other layer to the variety of espresso and coffee drinks you can start to integrate your coffee bar into your actual bar. Some of the best coffee drinks are for those that are 21 and older. Most people automatically think of Baileys and coffee but there are numerous other drinks as well.
For starters if you already have a bar with the normal mixing tools that should suffice. You may want to get some classy after dinner drink glasses but that is really all the additional equipment that you will need.
As far as drinks go the list is long so I will just go into a few of the more common and a couple of the more obscure. One of my favorites is Buttery Nipples with a shot of espresso, always a favorite. This is 1.5 ounces of butterscotch snapps, one ounce of irish cream and a shot of espresso.
Mexican Coffee, not so common and not for everyone, you either love it or hate it. This is 1 ounce of Kahlua, 1 ounce or tequila, Tbsp of agave nectar, 4 – 6 ounces of coffee or espresso and whipped cream.
The millionaires coffee is always a surprise. This one is simply 1 ounce hazelnut liquor, 1 ounce Kahlua, 1 ounce irish cream and 6 ounces of coffee.
Try experimenting with different coffee drinks for lots of different and exciting combinations. And if you are shopping for a coffee connoisseur the sky is the limit. Just having an espresso machine makes them an easy gift recipient.