The right accessories

The right accessories are crucial for having fun with a portafilter espresso machine. A tapping box that regularly misses the target by half will put you in a bad mood early in the morning. But what accessories should you buy?

• I have bought my first filter espresso machine, what do I need to get started?
• How do different milk pots differ, is it worth spending a little more?
• What influence does a tamper have on the espresso result?
• What do I need to keep my espresso machine clean?
• Do I need a scale to prepare espresso?

I have bought my first portafilter espresso machine, what do I need to get started?

In addition to an espresso machine and espresso grinder, you should have the following to get started:

• Tamper to compress the ground coffee (supplied with some machines)
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• Tamping station, so that a sieve tray with a spout can also be pressed in the future.
• Tapping box or brew drawer, we recommend a drawer under the grinder
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• Brush to remove coffee residues from the filter holder after tapping
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• Milk jug with approx. 0.5 litre volume, the universal size, so to speak
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• Coffee grease cleaner for the brewing group and grinder cleaner for the espresso grinder
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How do different milk pots differ, is it worth spending a little more?

All the milk jugs we offer are made of stainless steel, but there are differences in the thickness of the material used and the precision of the workmanship. Another difference can be seen in the shape of the spout, the cheaper versions often have a rudimentarily shaped nose, while the higher-quality milk jugs are much more precisely shaped and make it much easier to draw patterns (latte art). Our favourite milk jugs are the Motta Europa, they offer very good workmanship, a perfect spout and that at a fair price.

Tapping boxes and brew drawers.

To make it easy to get the coffee out of the filter holder after brewing, there are knock-off trays or brew drawers. The filter holder is knocked onto a rubber rod to clean the filter. A quick and convenient solution, in combination with a brush, the filter holder can be prepared very quickly for the next espresso. The advantage of brew drawers is that you can place the espresso grinders on them, and if some coffee powder passes by the grinder during grinding, it can simply be brushed into the drawers.

What do I need to keep my espresso machine clean?

We recommend a soft microfibre cloth for cleaning the surfaces. In addition to the normal rinsing, the brewing group should also be cleaned with coffee oil every 150 beverages. To avoid having to dismantle the grinder for cleaning, a natural-based grinder cleaner is recommended.

Do I need a scale to make espresso?

With a scale, you can adjust the brew very accurately. The scale should have an accuracy of at least one decimal place. To adjust the espresso, first measure the amount of ground coffee in the filter holder, then the amount of espresso in the cup.
An example: For a simple espresso, 8 grams of coffee should result in approx. 23-25 grams of espresso in a time of approx. 25 seconds. The time and the ground espresso remain the same, but the grinder can be used to adjust the time for the run.