Accessories

This is the category where a small amount of money changes more than a large amount does elsewhere. A scale, a canister and a decent filter cost less together than one mid-range grinder, and each one removes a variable you are currently guessing at.

A scale is the cheapest upgrade in coffee

Scoops measure volume. Coffee is bought and brewed by weight, and a level scoop of a light roast and a dark roast are different amounts of coffee, because darker beans are less dense.

That is why the same recipe tastes different when you switch bags. A scale that reads to 0.1 g removes the variable entirely and costs less than two bags of the coffee it will stop you wasting. If you own no accessories at all, buy this one first.

Storage matters more than most people expect

Coffee goes stale through oxygen, light, heat and moisture, roughly in that order. The bag it arrived in handles all four adequately for a week or two once opened, and poorly after that.

A canister with a one-way valve or a vacuum seal buys back a fortnight of the freshness you paid for. Where it will not help: the freezer is better than a canister for long storage, and a canister on a sunny windowsill is worse than the bag in a cupboard.

Reusable filters change the cup, not just the cost

A paper filter traps oils and fines, giving a cleaner, lighter cup. A metal one lets both through, giving more body and more sediment. Cloth sits between them.

So a reusable filter is not simply the cheap version of a paper one. It is a different brew, and whether you prefer it has nothing to do with what it saves. Buy it for the cup if you want more body, and for the money only after you have decided you like the result.

Frothers, and being honest about what they do

A handheld frother aerates milk. It does not steam it, and it will not produce the dense microfoam that latte art needs, because that requires pressure and heat a battery whisk cannot supply.

For a flat white at home from a filter brew, it is genuinely good and costs very little. For anything approaching espresso-bar milk, it is the wrong tool and no amount of technique fixes that.

How this category is scored

The heaviest criterion here is simply whether the thing does its job, at 28 points. That sounds obvious until you notice how many accessories are bought on looks and abandoned in a drawer.

Compatibility carries real weight too, because most of the returns in this category are things that did not fit the machine, the mug or the basket they were bought for. Check the measurement before the review score.