Great Coffee at Home Doesn't Have to Cost Much
Here's something we get asked a lot: what do I need to make good coffee at home?
Fortunately, the answer is: not that much! A lot of people assume great coffee requires a serious investment — some espresso machine that costs more than a used car, a grinder the size of a small child, a kettle that connects to your phone for some reason.
You can have access to great coffee in your own kitchen for around $200. Maybe less.
This post is for the coffee drinker who's started to wonder if there's something better out there than what they've been making, and wants to know where to start.
Start With the Grinder
If you're going to spend money anywhere, spend it here. A good grinder makes more difference than almost any other piece of equipment. Pre-ground coffee loses most of its flavour within a day or two of opening the bag — grinding fresh, right before you brew, is one of the biggest upgrades you can make.
The good news is that hand grinders have gotten really, really good. Here are a few to consider for your home brewing setup:
1Zpresso ZP6 (~$285 CAD)
This is the one we recommend first when someone asks what to buy. The grind quality rivals some that cost four times as much. It’s built to last, consistent, and genuinely a pleasure to use. If you’re ready to commit to the home brewing thing, this is the grinder to get.
1Zpresso Q2 or Timemore Chestnut C3 (~$150 and ~$110 CAD)
Solid entry-level options. Great grind quality for the price, compact, and easy to travel with. A good place to start if you want to dip your toes in before going all-in.
Filter Coffee: The Best Bang for Your Buck
Filter coffee is one of the most popular ways to brew, and it’s what most of us are used to here in North America. It’s also one of our favourite ways to make coffee. A clean cup, no pressure, just water passing through coffee grounds. Simple, and when done well, delicious.
There are a handful of brewers worth knowing about:
Hario V60 (~$45 CAD)
The classic. Comes in ceramic, glass, or plastic — all of them work great. The plastic ones are affordable, durable, and brew just as well as the fancier versions. The V60 rewards a bit of attention (pour speed, water temperature, bloom time), but don't let that intimidate you. We'll do a full brewing guide with a V60 soon.
Hario V60 Switch (~$85 CAD)
A V60 with a valve at the bottom that lets you switch between pour-over and immersion brewing. Incredibly forgiving, and a great place to start if you want the V60 experience without the learning curve. The immersion method is very hard to mess up.
Kalita Wave (~$35 CAD)
A flat-bed dripper with a more even extraction than the V60. A little more forgiving on technique, and produces a consistently clean, balanced cup.
AeroPress (~$55 CAD)
One of the most versatile brewers out there. You can use it as a percolation brewer, an immersion brewer, or something in between. It’s quick, it’s easy to clean, and it’s borderline indestructible. Perfect for travel. If you want one brewer that can do a bit of everything, this is it.
Do You Need a Gooseneck Kettle?
A gooseneck gives you a lot more control over your pour. But you don’t need one.
A basic gooseneck kettle costs around $50. If you already have a regular kettle and don’t want to replace it, you’ll be fine.
What About Espresso at Home?
Quick clarification that comes up a lot: espresso is a brew method, not a type of coffee. It uses a pressurized water column to push hot water through finely ground coffee — that's it. The roast you use doesn't have to be dark. The grind size just needs to generate enough pressure to do the job well
Here are a couple of approachable options:
Moka Pot (~$30–$60 CAD)
A stovetop brewer that uses steam pressure to push water through coffee grounds. It doesn’t make true espresso (the pressure isn’t quite high enough), but it makes a strong, rich, concentrated coffee that’s great on its own or with milk. Iconic for a reason.
Manual Espresso: More Approachable Than You’d Think
If you want to pull real espresso at home without spending thousands on a pump-driven machine, manual espresso is worth a serious look. These devices use hand pressure instead of a pump. It sounds intimidating, but actually gives you a surprising amount of control over your shot. Here are two affordable options we like:
Wacaco Picopresso (~$130 CAD)
Compact, portable, and capable of pulling a genuinely impressive shot. You fill it with hot water, press down, and it generates enough pressure for real espresso. It’s a great entry point into the manual espresso world — and it fits in a jacket pocket, which is hard to argue with.
ROK Espresso GC (~$270 CAD)
A lever-style manual espresso maker that sits on your counter. You pull a lever to build pressure, which gives you a real feel for the shot as it extracts. The NeoFlex is forgiving enough for beginners but has plenty of room to grow with you.
The One Thing That Actually Matters Most
Buy good coffee.
Seriously. You can have the best equipment in the world and still make a mediocre cup if you start with stale, low-quality beans. Fresh-roasted, quality coffee makes just about everything better — it’s more forgiving to brew, more flavourful in the cup, and just more fun to work with.
When you buy quality coffee from a small roaster, you also know a little more about where it came from and how it was grown.
That matters to us — we want the farmers who grew it to be taken care of, and we want that coffee to be available again next year.
We roast our coffee right here in Kamloops, in small batches, so what you’re getting is always fresh. If you’re ready to taste the difference, shop our current coffees here — and if you’re not sure where to start, we’re always happy to point you in the right direction.
Where to Start
If we had to build a first home setup from scratch, it’d look something like this: a hand grinder in the $150–$285 range, a V60 or AeroPress, a basic kettle, and a bag of good coffee. That’s it.
You don’t need to nail the technique right away. Just start brewing and see what you think.
We’ll be doing deep-dives on specific brew methods soon — starting with the V60. In the meantime, if you have questions about gear or where to start, come find us at the cart or send us a message. Happy to help. 👋