When you first discover the world of great tasting coffee brewed by a real barista (not those unicorn frappuccino’s) using the freshest beans with simple pour over brewers you’ll most definitely want to continue drinking awesome coffee at home. For most people embarking on a home coffee kit, the price of the best coffee accessories can leave you gasping for breath.
By the time you’ve bought a coffee scale, a simple coffee brewer, and let us not forget a decent coffee grinder, your limited budget will soon be skyrocketing into hundreds of dollars. But it doesn’t have to be expensive when you’re first getting your feet wet in home coffee brewing, in fact, you can get everything you need for a home coffee kit for under $100.
Yes, you heard correctly, for under $100 I have picked out a great selection of coffee makers, grinders, and coffee scales, and in most cases, you’ll have change left over for an Americano at your local coffee shop.
This coffee kit is perfect for those of you just starting out, and these coffee accessories will brew coffee with the best of them; in fact, a lot of these brewers are a coffee geeks daily go-to. Let’s take a closer look.
Coffee Kit On A Budget
No coffee kit is complete without a coffee maker to brew your coffee. For under $100 your options are limited especially when you are trying to add a coffee scale and a grinder to your home brewing kit as well. The best option is going to be some sort of manual coffee brewer like an AeroPress, a Hario V60, or even a French Press.
While there are some automatic drip coffee makers available for cheap, I would recommend that you opt for a manual approach so you can get a feel for how coffee is really brewed rather than just pressing a button.
All of the coffee accessories below have been carefully chosen so no matter which you pick for your coffee kit you won’t end up spending more than $100 for any three items. Choose any one coffee brewer, one coffee scale, and one coffee grinder, and we guarantee you’ll have change left out of $100 bill.
1. Coffee Brewer
For anyone just starting out the French Press is a great option, it’s super easy to use and has some “wiggle room” meaning that any brewing errors can go unnoticed, leaving you with a drinkable cup of Joe.The French Press is a cylindrical glass or metal vessel. Your coarse ground coffee is added to the carafe.
A metal plunger with a mesh filter is then used to separate the grounds from the brewed coffee.
More details on the brewing process can be found here in this article how to brew coffee in a French Press, and these are some of our recommended French Press coffee makers.
The Hario V60 need a bit more skill to master a great tasting cup of coffee but once mastered it is one of the best ways to maker coffee!This pour over brewing method uses a V60 cone which has slight contours on the inside, you place your paper filter inside of the cone, add your ground coffee and slowly pour over the grounds in a circular fashion.
Want to know more, read this Hario V60 Brewing Guide For Beginners and you’ll become a pro in no-time. Some other pour over coffee makers can be a bit more costly than the budget V60, but if you're on a budget this is a great buy.
The AeroPress is a great addition to any coffee kit and is a favorite with beginners wanting to move away from automatic push button coffee brewers.Operating the AeroPress is super easy, in fact, it borrows some basic principles of an espresso machine. The AeroPress consists of two plastic polypropylene cylinders, similar in appearance to a syringe.
Finely ground coffee is added to the chamber, your hot water is then added, the coffee is allowed to steep and is then forced through the filter by pressing down on the plunger.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds if you want to know more about this brewing method take a look at these two step by step guides: Inverted AeroPress Brewing Method and How To Make AeroPress Espresso Coffee?
2. Coffee Grinder
No coffee kit is complete without a good coffee grinder. We recommend that you buy a burr grinder and stay clear of the cheaper blade grinders. Don’t worry, even a good manual burr grinder can be picked up for cheap.
A burr grinder is going to give you a uniform grind which is going to lead to a better extraction, especially if you’re using a pour-over brewing method. Here are some good antique coffee grinders but don’t expect them to be cheap.
You really can’t go wrong with the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder. It’s small compact, and if you have chosen an AeroPress for your coffee kit, you’ll find that the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder fits snugly inside of the AeroPress for easy storage or taking with you when you travel.No batteries are needed in the JavaPresse, so you’ll have to break a sweat for that cuppa Joe! With over 18 grinder settings this grinder can tackle almost any traditional brewing method such as Chemex, French Press, Pour Over, AeroPress, Turkish, and can even be used as a Spice Grinder.
The JavaPresse utilizes a ceramic burr grinder which ensures that no heat is built up that could overwise ruin your freshly ground beans. Make sure to read my full JavaPresse Grinder review for more details.
This grinder is electric, but that does come at a price, but don’t worry your still well within your $100 budget (but you might not have change leftover for that Americano).The KRUPS GX5000 Electric Burr Grinder is the best electric grinder in the budget range (in our opinion) and comes with all of the bells-and-whistles often reserved for pricey grinders.
It comes with nine grind settings from a fine grind that’s perfect for espresso all the way to a coarser setting for the French Press and everything in-between.
The quantity selector is a neat feature that lets you set from 2 to 12 cups of coffee allowing you to grind just the right amount. The beans are fed down into the burr grinding wheels effortlessly from the large hopper sitting on the top of the grinder.
The burr can also be removed for easy cleaning. Make sure to read our guide on how to clean a coffee grinder more tips and tricks.
Another budget-friendly manual coffee grinder is the Hario Mini Mill. The Mini Mill is a new design on the other popular grinder made by Hario, the Skerton.The Mini Mill uses ceramic burrs that produce a consistent grind. Just like the JavaPresse, these burrs do not produce any heat when in use and will never rust.
The Hario Mini Mill is about as simple as it gets with a coffee grinder and comprises of three main sections: the collection pot at the base, the top bean hopper, and the removable grinding arm.
The grinding process is super easy; add your whole coffee beans to the top hopper it then typically only takes around 1-minute to grind up 20 grams of coffee from super-fine to coarse. Want to know more? Read my full Hario Mini Mill review.
3. Coffee Scale
A crucial item in any coffee kit is a good coffee scale, without a scale you’ll end up guessing the correct water-to-coffee ratios, which for a beginner can be a difficult task. Below are some basic coffee scales that will get your ratios where they need to be.
There are better coffee scales available that will offer more features and functions, but for a basic coffee kit, one of the below options is more than adequate.
It doesn’t really get any cheaper than this for a coffee scale. For under $15 (at the time of writing) you can bag yourself a digital scale that comes with the must have features for weighing coffee such as a precise TARE function, quick unit conversion, as well as volume measurement.
Another option in the budget coffee scale department is the Ozeri Touch Professional Kitchen Scale. It shares many similar features as other scales in this price range such as an automatic TARE button that calculates the net weight of your ingredients by subtracting the container weight, perfect for when you are brewing in the AeroPress or a Pour Over method.
The CoastLine Pocket Kitchen Scale is another scale that’s perfect for weighing coffee beans. It features the must have TARE function and measurements can be displayed in either standard or metric which can all be clearly seen on the vibrant blue LCD screen.The CoastLine Scale is perfect for Chemex brewing, French Press, the Clever coffee maker, and other traditional brewing methods that need coffee-to-water ratios to be accurate.
Recommended Coffee Kit For Beginners
To save you time we have gone through the various TABS above and have crafted a coffee kit that is perfect for any beginner.
At the time of writing the coffee brewing kit came in at just under $80, no to shabby for a basic setup that will get you brewing great tasting coffee at home. And as promised you will still have change leftover for an Americano coffee at your high street coffee shop (just keep away from those Unicorn Frappuccino’s).
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