It might sound silly, but we’ve seen this happen more than once! We don’t judge, but we’re here to help. With this checklist, you can tick off every item down to the smallest screw and be sure that you have everything you need.
This checklist covers the essentials for making coffee. You will need additional equipment for food service and general cafe operation, which is beyond the scope of this guide.
This is the most important equipment that you should design your bar layout around:
— hopefully you remembered this one without our help! if not, don’t worry, check our wide range of espresso machines. and if you still need help then make sure to read our guide on how to choose the perfect machine for your business and our top picks article.
- One for decaf, and one for each additional coffee blend that you want to offer
- Alternatively, one single-dosing grinder
Equipment essentials
- Hot water boiler
- Filter coffee/bag grinder
- Batch brewer
- Water filter
- Ice machine
- Dishwasher
- Dedicated milk fridge or dispenser
- Anti-fatigue / non-slip mats — for a safer workplace
Espresso essentials
Everything you need to pull a shot:
Milk essentials
All the tools required for pouring a cappuccino:
- Milk pitchers:
- At a minimum, one small pitcher (300-400ml) and one medium pitcher (500-600ml)
- An extra set of small and medium pitchers for each milk alternative offered, to avoid cross-contamination. Consider using different colors for each type of milk alternative.
- One or more large pitchers (750-1000ml) — for busy cafes or any drinks on the menu bigger than 300ml
- Pitcher rinser
- Thermometer — to use during steaming for trainee baristas, and to check milk temperatures in training and quality control
- Chocolate shaker — putting cocoa on a cappuccino is increasingly rare in specialty coffee, but some customers prefer it
Maintenance and cleaning
A thorough cleaning routine and regular maintenance will make for better coffee, and save money on repairs in the long run:
- Grouphead brush
- Espresso machine cleaner
- Grinder cleaning tablets
- Blind baskets — one should be supplied with the espresso machine; having one per group can make cleaning faster
- Brush — for cleaning grinders and dry coffee spills
- Tall container for soaking portafilters — any tall plastic container will do
- Basic tools, With these tools you can fix many minor issues that arise before the technician arrives:
Always consult a qualified professional before carrying out any maintenance work.
- Tool to remove shower screens — this depends on the machine but normally a short flat head screwdriver is required
- Crescent wrench/adjustable spanner
- Channel-lock pliers/pipe grip
- Full set of Allen keys
- Basic screwdriver set
- hread seal tape / PTFE tape
- Water TDS meter— use regularly to check the water filter is working correctly
- Spare parts — it’s worth keeping a set of the parts that most commonly need replacing:
- Portafilter springs
- Spare filter baskets
- Group head seals
- Shower screens
- Shower screws
Service
All the essentials for getting coffee into your customers’ hands:
Single dosing workflow
If you are using a single dosing grinder, then these accessories can make the workflow much more efficient:
Filter coffee
- Dosing ring or funnel — for grinding coffee directly into the portafilter
- Small airtight containers — enough to store pre-weighed doses of coffee beans for the whole day
- Steel cup — the base of a cocktail shaker is ideal
- Additional scale
If you are offering filter coffee or Arabic coffee, make sure you have everything you need:
- Pouring kettles — for hand-brewed coffee
- Brewers — at least two for every brew you might need to be making at any one time
- Large scale — one for every brew you might need to be making at any one time
- Serving vessels — more than one per brewer, depending on how many filter coffees you expect to serve
- Filter papers
- One or two cupping spoons
- One or two containers for ground coffee — the steel base of a cocktail shaker is ideal
- An additional set of cloths and brush for cleaning
Optional extras
Not every cafe will use these, but these accessories are worth considering:
- Distribution tool — some baristas swear by these specialized tools, although the evidence of their effectiveness is mixed
- Refractometer — a useful tool for quality control, the refractometer allows you to measure extraction, but is expensive and requires specialist knowledge to use
- Cold brewing equipment — if you plan to make your own cold brew
- Nitro dispenser — for a trendy cold brew and nitro tea
Non-coffee drinks
These accessories are optional, depending on what other drinks you offer on the menu apart from coffee:
- Blenders
- Juicers
- Tea brewers
- Mini whisk — for hot chocolate or other drinks
- Cocktail shaker — for mixed drinks
- Squeeze bottles or pump dispensers — for syrups and other ingredients
- Bottle opener — as needed for soft drinks
Depending on what drinks are on your menu, you may not need everything on these lists, or there may be other specialist equipment that you need. However, by checking off this list as you prepare for opening day, you can make sure that everything is in place for a smooth launch.
