Our favourite coffee kit

Our favourite coffee products and where to find them. This is an ever growing list of the coffee stuff we use, love, and feel confident recommending.

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Nathaniel's choice

A black modern kettle with a dark wood handle and lid knob — sitting on a black rectangular base.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

Fellow Corvo EKG Electric Kettle

This precision kettle allows you to boil water to a specific temperature — a function that on its own would make it a fantastic product, but combined with being beautiful and delightful to use, makes this easily my favourite thing in the kitchen.

Pros

  • Set exact temperatures
  • Beautiful design

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I also get a lot of joy whenever I use it knowing that it saves energy by not excessively heating the water!

In my home we use the kettle all the time for all kinds of things — like tea, cooking, and hot water bottles — so we opted for the classic spout. But if you’re primarily using this for pour-over coffee then you should definitely get the gooseneck version.

Links to buy the gooseneck version
Both the classic and gooseneck varieties optionally come with wooden accents.

Nathaniel’s choice

A stainless steel box-like espresso machine with square black buttons.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

Rancilio Silvia Pro

I love this machine. It’s a big clunky hunk of metal and it makes great consistent espresso. Every morning I get up, switch it on, do some of my other morning routine while it heats up, and make myself a flat white.

5 out of 5

Pros

  • Makes great consistent espresso
  • Dual boiler
  • Industrial design

Cons

  • User interface is a bit weird

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It’s very expensive. I justified the purchase by calculating how much money I was spending on coffee during my morning routine and discovering that in 2 years it was easily more than the cost of this machine. Yikes.

Another justification for its price tag: it’s well made, physically relatively simple, and has a strong online community of tinkers and hackers who mess around and upgrade it. It’s reliable, and spare parts can easily be sourced.

In a world of proprietary ink cartridges and wifi-enabled water bottles — it’s refreshing to feel like you actually own a machine. I hope to own it forever.

Silvia Pro vs Silvia

The Silvia Pro is an upgrade from the popular Silvia model.

The Silvia Pro has two boilers (one for espresso and one for the milk steamer) while the Silvia has just one. The Pro is larger, has in-depth settings, and a display for tempurature and shot duration.

Silvia Pro X

Since getting this machine Rancillio has upgraded the Pro model — to the Silvia Pro X. The older Pro model is no longer availble.

I haven’t haven’t used the Pro X. I gather it’s essentially the same machine with some upgrades — like variable pre-infusion, and a pressure gauge. It also comes in a variety of colours, but is still availble in stainless steel.

Nathaniel’s choice

A stainless steel coffee grinder. It is attatched to a black plastic base by two rods. It consists of a funnel, a rod that turns the burrs, a clear gear box, and a long metal arm.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

ROK GrinderGC

ROK are more well known for their hand powered espresso machine — but they also have a brilliant hand grinder. It can grind consistently over a wide range. It’s powered using a vertical motion using a long arm - this is much more comfortable than the typical horizontal motion.

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It looks and sounds great and is designed to be long lasting. If you’re not planning on grinding coffee while travelling, this could be the grinder you use forever.

Yoji’s choice

Hario's V60 with a gooseneck kettle pouring hot water into the cone full of fine coffee. Brewed coffee drips into the carafe below.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

Hario V60 Glass Brewing Kit

This is the first pour-over brewer I’ve ever owned and I’ve been using it for around 5 years now!

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I highly recommend the Hario V60 for its exceptional ability to deliver a clear and flavourful coffee. This glass version is also prettier and more durable than its plastic and ceramic counterparts.

While you have the option to buy only the cone, I suggest acquiring the complete set including the decanter. Having the flexibility to pour into a decanter rather than directly into a mug is convenient, and the decanter itself can serve as a everyday jug.

Yoji’s choice

Hario's Cold Brew Coffee Glass Jug full of light coloured cold brewed coffee.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

Hario Cold Brew Coffee Glass Jug

If you’ve never had cold brew coffee before, I highly recommend you try it. It’s a drink that can bring out the amazing flavours out from coffee’s bitterness. Order it from a café, and if you like it, consider getting a beginner-friendly coffee maker like this cold brew coffee jug!

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This brewer stands out not only for its sleek minimalistic design, but for its fine metal mesh which manages to filter out most of the fines. If you prefer a clearer coffee, you can still use coffee bags inside the brewer.

Nathaniel’s choice

A small ceramic spoon with patches of green glaze.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

Maria Cabrera Spoon

Not strictly coffee related but we use this spoon for dosing tea. It’s so beautiful and I love using it. It was made by ceramisist Maria Cabrera in London.

Update: I've purchased a second larger spoon that matches the first one — it's large enough to scoop coffee beans.

Yoji’s choice

A sleek white enamel gooseneck kettle
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

Tsuki Usagi Enamel Gooseneck Slim Pot

This is a beautiful enamel pot for pour-over brewing. It’s a fantastic piece of equipment, especially if you already own a stovetop or electric kettle and you don’t want clutter your kitchen surface with an electric one!

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Pour boiling water from the hob into the gooseneck pot (which cools the water to an ideal temperature, especially for darker roasted coffees), and start your pour-over brewing straight off the bat. It's also a decorative piece when not in use and will last a life time, unlike most electric alternatives.

Yoji’s choice

A minimalistic green enamel and ceramic mug.
Image: Honest Coffee Guide

MIGRATORY Enamel and ceramic mug

This is my favourite mug that I drink coffee from everyday. I bought it from a quaint homeware shop in Japan, and although it resembles an enamelled tin mug, it’s actually made of ceramic.

I love the deep green colour, the weightiness of it, and it feels durable enough that I can imagine this mug in my shrivelled hands as I gaze at the sunrise through the window of my cottage by the sea in 70 years time.

Where can you buy it? — you can purchase this from MIGRATORY, a homeware shop in Meguro, Tokyo.