The Top 10 Coffee Accessories
To make it into our top 10 coffee accessories, the products below had to demonstrate both popularity and usefulness. Most of these coffee accessories are affordable and extremely easy to use, and they bring immediate and significant improvements to your daily brew. Enjoy!
Coffee grinder
The unchallenged ruler of coffee accessories! Nothing beats a freshly ground, freshly brewed cup of Joe to start the day. And just like in that great café around the corner, a coffee grinder allows you to get just that. Entry level grinders cost about $25 and they also double up as grinders for spices, nuts, or even whole grains. They fit nicely in a kitchen drawer when not in use, require no maintenance, and are operated with a push of a button. Can it get any better?
Follow this link to read our coffee grinder buying guide.
Permanent gold-tone coffee filter
Unlike paper ones, these coffee filters let the natural oils from your fresh coffee through, helping create a full-flavored cup. They cost around $12 and are proprietary built for your drip coffee brewing system.
Handheld milk frother
Here’s a quick and easy way to upgrade your home latte – frothed milk. With current handheld milk frothers, this task is as easy as it can get. Simply dip the milk frother into the mug and let it spin until the milk gets the desired texture. These cute gadgets cost around $10. Beware of cheap models.
Follow this link to read our milk frothing guide.
Stainless-steel milk frothing pitcher
No espresso machine is complete without a stainless-steel milk frothing pitcher. It will allow you not only to make the perfect cappuccinos and cafe lattes, but also to do it while posing as a barista. Using it however does take a power steamer and a skilled hand. Consider this a coffee accessory for the skilled coffee connoisseur. Price: $15
Coffee pods holster for a Keurig coffee maker
This one is for the Keurig owners among us, especially those that are looking to break the Keurig K-Cups monopoly in the domain of their own kitchen. Coffee pods, which are available from many roasters, offer a world of “endless” selection at a reduced price. With this little accessory, one can fit a standard coffee pod into a Keuring system. Price: $12.95
Travel coffee mug
What else can be said of this quintessential coffee-to-go product? If you don’t own one, go get it! Don’t spend your money on cheap leaking travel coffee mugs. Price: $15
French Press
The French Press is an excellent entry point into the world of gourmet coffee. It costs only $20, it is very easy to use, it gives good consistent results, 
and it serves as a milk frother as well. Do try it out.
Follow this link to read our French Press guide.
Coffee thermos
Did you know that Thermos is actually a real brand? Regardless, having a portable isolated coffee bottle can get you that extra capacity-on-the-go that the coffee travel mug lacks. It comes, of course, in various capacities and the cost typically starts at $20.
Espresso machine and coffee maker cleaner powder
A cleaning powder in the top 10 coffee accessories list? Yes! As coffee systems are used, they build-up residue in group heads, valves, and lines. Yet, so many people forget the simplest thing they could do to optimize the taste of their daily cup – to clean up. Check your manual for detailed cleaning instructions. Also, make sure the powder you use is both the one specified by the manufacturer of your system, and is NSF certified.
mypressi TWIST
Every top ten list needs a joker, and here’s one for our coffee accessories list – the mypressi TWIST. This gadget is a portable 9-bar hand pump espresso machine that allows espresso enthusiasts to make their favorite drink in the wilderness. With a price tag of $149 this will surely produce an expensive yet aromatic cup!
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REVIEWS & COMMENTS
GRINDER=ACCESSORIES?
samuellaw178 | Tue, 11/15/2011 - 22:30I think grinders deserve a class on its own. It's not an accessories, if you wanna get a good coffee.
MEH
jbviau | Tue, 11/15/2011 - 22:26I'm down on travel mugs lately. None I've found are perfect. Better to just have coffee fresh at home or at work.
GOOD JOB ADDING CLEANING
intrepid510 | Wed, 10/26/2011 - 15:54Good job adding cleaning supplies, really need those! And like the others suggested the grinder isn't an accessory it's a main component to making coffee imho.
IS THE GRINDER REALLY AN ACCESSORY?
Wakeknot | Fri, 10/07/2011 - 10:10It seems like it is the most important piece of equipment. I think the machine is in fact more of an accessory than the grinder. I can produce good coffee without any coffee maker (as long as I can heat water), but I cannot produce good coffee without a grinder.
NICE, BUT NEEDS UPDATING
EricBNC | Sun, 08/14/2011 - 22:11I would add the Aeropress to this list.
TAMPER
chrisbruin | Fri, 08/05/2011 - 14:53A quality tamper is a must have accesory if we are talking about espresso (seems like we are) .......a bottomless portafilter is great but not "necessary" ...I love mine but often switch back to spouts....
You get more crema with bottomless because the crema is flowing straight to the cup and does not contact the bottom of of the portafilter that was removed and the spouts ......because of this you should be careful about volume ....a lot of people end up pouring ristrettos without realizing or meaning too because the crema has more volume ....let the crema on a spouted shot and bottomless shot dissipate and compare the shot volumes (you could always weigh them too) ....
WHAT ABOUT A MOKA POT? NOW
espressom | Sun, 05/22/2011 - 14:36What about a Moka pot? Now that Bialetti released a special edition pink Moka pot and other decorative ones, I wouldn't mind adding that to my coffee accessories.
GOOD LIST
technica | Sat, 12/18/2010 - 20:00That's a good list. I might quibble with the last item and substitute some sort of water dispenser, a Zojirushi or something like that.
KETTLE
shaffer22 | Tue, 12/07/2010 - 01:52I think I would also add a good kettle. If one is going to make coffe with either a press pot, or a pourover method, then a good kettle is essential. Hario makes a great one that will offer an even and steady pour.
NAKED PORTAFLITER - ESPRESSO TAMPER
andytblood | Wed, 10/27/2010 - 04:59Must have an Espresso Tamper before a milk frother. The next accessory that I would need to have is a naked portafilter. I just recently bought one and love it and use it exclusively. It came with a triple basket which I love because I take 2 ozs of espresso in my drink and my wife only wants one. So either I pull 2 doubles and pour one out, I would never, or I drink more than I want. This fixes that problem and seems it adds a touch more crema for some reason. Definitely a must purchase for the espresso lover.
HANDPRESSO
J_Premium | Mon, 04/26/2010 - 09:01I would suggest going for a Handpresso if you are an outdoors enthusiast, office coffee enthusiast or someone on the go. It's great for a quick ESE shot but falls way short in comparison to fresh grounds.
If you are into pods, than it's the perfect portable espresso machine.
If you are not into pods, don't bother, you will be disappointed.
Do some research and checkout the Mypressi.
There's no question that it's a more expensive product (machine + cartridges + hand grinder + fresh ground beans) but the end result may just be worth the extra $$$
FINALLY A GREAT PORTABLE ESPRESSO MAKER TWIST BY MYPRESSI
Luis Rodriguez | Sun, 03/14/2010 - 00:03I am from Puerto Rico and got my Twist Mypressi through Coffee World Puerto Rico: http://www.coffeeworldpuertorico.ecrater.com I received my Twist Mypressi about a week ago. The first expression is that this Twist Mypressi is just nicely built, as well as the case. Making espresso is very easy, and it takes a minute or so to make a cup. I was impressed with the coffee. Believe me for a portable machine, coffee was great. Now my Twist Mypressi substituted my Krups machine. I use Island Joe's ESE pods,Lavazza Grand Crema AND PORTO RICO ESE PODS FROM PUERTO RICO. A good hint is: to make sure the espresso has an ok temperature, I heat up my cup as well as the water container adding the boiling water and then adding the water to make the coffee. I always fill a bit more water (a few drops more) so the ESE pods gets soaked before extraction.
MY NEW HANDPRESSO PORTABLE ESPRESSO MACHINE
rodrifranc | Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:06I am from Puerto Rico and got my Handpresso through Coffee World Puerto Rico: http://www.coffeeworldpuertorico.ecrater.com I received my Handpresso about a week ago. The first expression is that this Handpresso is just nicely built, as well as the case. Making espresso is very easy, and it takes a minute or so to make a cup. I was impressed with the coffee. Believe me for a portable machine, coffee was great. Now my Handpresso substituted my Krups machine. I use Island Joe's ESE pods,Lavazza Grand Crema AND PORTO RICO ESE PODS FROM PUERTO RICO. A good hint is: to make sure the espresso has an ok temperature, I heat up my cup as well as the water container adding the boiling water and then adding the water to make the coffee. I always fill a bit more water (a few drops more) so the ESE pods gets soaked before extraction. And it really takes about 30-38 pumps, no big deal. With this I get a great espresso and crema too. I recommend buying ESE pods buy bulks of 100 or 150, it gets cheaper. The unit works best with the standard 7g E.S.E pod.
THIS HANDPRESSO LOOKS INTERESTING ...
Brian Clive | Fri, 04/24/2009 - 18:06Well, from all the accessories I think I will go for the handpresso. I am sure that the coffee will not be a highlight, but amazing gadget indeed !