The moka pot
For anyone who loves the moka pot’s strong cup and wants it at its best, without turning it into an espresso machine. Chosen on side-by-side tests and on what owners say after years of use.
11 items
Your first espresso setup
A complete start for espresso and milk drinks at home: a machine that forgives a beginner, and a grinder, tools and cups that fit it and grow with you. Chosen on tests and owners’ advice.
Prices from shops in Czechia.
Machine and grinder
- Sage the Bambino Plus SES500BSS espresso machine, brushed stainless steel
The heart of the setup: ready in seconds, and its wand froths milk by itself, so good flat whites come while you’re still learning espresso. Stiftung Warentest rated it good.
CZK 10,387 kuptotu.cz - Baratza Encore ESP coffee grinder, black
The grinder owners most often suggest for this machine: fine steps for espresso, filter settings for later, and every part sold. Only very light roasts ask for more than it gives.
CZK 4,690 doubleshot.cz
For every shot
The tamper and the funnel are made for this machine’s 54 mm basket. If you choose a different machine, check its size first: many others take 58 mm.
- Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 coffee scale with timer, black
Weighs the beans in and the espresso out to a tenth of a gram, with a timer, so a good shot can be made again. It fits this machine’s drip tray, if not neatly.
CZK 1,100 kafepikola.cz - Sage the Dosing Funnel, 54 mm (SEA201)
Twists onto this machine’s portafilter, so grounds land in the basket, not on the counter, and stirring them spills nothing. Owners name it among the most useful small add-ons.
CZK 465 alza.cz - Subminimal Flick WDT tool, black
Fine needles stir the grounds before tamping and break up the clumps this grinder makes at its finest settings, so shots run evenly. The needles slide away for the drawer.
CZK 629.44 amazon.com - Motta tamper, 53 mm, stainless steel and wood
Sized for this machine’s basket, heavy and plain, made in Italy. A solid tamper that fits is one of the few upgrades owners call worth it; keeping it level is up to you.
CZK 609 gourmetkava.cz
Around the machine
- Sage Claris water filter for espresso machines (BES008)
Sits in the machine’s water tank, filtering out chlorine and slowing scale, so it needs descaling less often. Worth it where the kettle furs up; with soft water, owners skip it.
CZK 337 tonerpartner.cz - Planetary Design Airscape Classic coffee canister, small (32 oz, about 250 g), brushed steel
Holds one bag of beans under a lid that presses the air out, so the grind setting barely has to move by the end of the bag. The rest of a larger pack can wait in the freezer.
CZK 775 mojeprazirna.cz - Loveramics Egg espresso cup and saucer, 80 ml, Denim
Thick porcelain made for cafés: it keeps a double shot hot, shows off the crema and sits heavy enough not to tip over on the drip tray.
CZK 379 kava.cz - Loveramics Egg cappuccino cup and saucer, 200 ml, Denim
The classic cappuccino size, for a double shot with milk, with a wide bowl that’s easy to pour into. For a flat white, 200 ml is on the large side.
CZK 363 co-bean.cz - How to Make the Best Coffee at Home, by James Hoffmann (hardback)
A short, clear manual that explains why each step matters, so the first weeks of espresso make sense. When filter or a moka pot tempt you later, it covers those too.
CZK 371.16 amazon.com
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