Coffee paraphernalia, what does it mean? My dictionary defines it as: [noun] miscellaneous articles, esp. the equipment needed for a particular activity. And as you know, because you’re here, our “particular activity” here at Coffee Sensei is all about enjoying, learning, excelling and bathing in all things coffee. Well, maybe not the bathing part. But we love coffee don’t we, and part of that celebration is to explore the espresso machine accessories and other coffee paraphernalia from now and yore! Forgive me, I couldn’t resist the rhyming opportunity 🙂 Now we do have limited space so this will be just a brief overview really. I hope you don’t mind but I’ll give it my best shot and see how much coffee stuff we can get through.
Now, I’m not going to go over extra large coffee table or even regular sized coffee tables for that matter or the Sunbeam coffee machine or any other coffee maker for that matter. I want to focus more on the trinkets, the smaller coffee accessories, so we’ll leave the coffee French press for now too and you can read all about that elsewhere.
So the first thing I want to talk about is the espresso tamper. The espresso tamper is a must have if you enjoy espresso cappuccino or other espresso based beverages at least even occasionally. The Reg Barber espresso tamper is a terrific choice. Pricey but well loved within the coffee world. And you’ll only ever need one really. The espresso tamper to the left is the RSVP Terry’s Tamper (click here to check it out at Amazon). It offers two sizes, a 2 inch smaller side and a 2.25 inch larger size. Espresso tampers come in sizes from about 49 millimeters to 58 mm. The 2 inch and 2.25 inch are about 51 mm and 57 mm. So this should fit most espresso machines if you are unsure of the size that you need. An espresso tamper takes some time to get used to. But once you’ve practiced it just a few times you’ll be amazed at home you ever enjoyed espresso before. The Terry’s Tamper as shown is very inexpensive, less than $10 as I write this but really very popular and if you click on the link above, you’ll see the rave reviews.
Some other things I thought I’d talk about, but on second thought, I just don’t think they’re specific enough to our coffee paraphernalia chat today are coffee capsules. Coffee capsules are proprietary coffee pods that fit only the Nespresso system of coffee makers. I’m not a huge fan of coffee capsules and the Nespresso coffee makers, and I’d suggest taking a look at Senseo coffee pods or the Keurig coffee pods instead. But perhaps I’ll do a review of coffee capsules in an upcoming post. I also won’t bore you with much information on the commercial coffee roaster. As much as I love roasting my own coffee beans, that will probably require its own article too.
But another item of coffee paraphernalia that deserves to be mentioned is the silver coffee spoon. With the price of gold and silver ratcheting up as they are right now, a silver coffee spoon might almost be considered a part of your investment portfolio! I joke, but I think as one grows older, purchasing a few items of silver cutlery is not a bad idea and why not a coffee spoon. The image to the left is of the Utilo Tea and Coffee Measuring Spoon and you can take a closer look here. It is not silver, rather stainless steel but I thought you might enjoy the aesthetically pleasing look of it and the convenient way it can measure 7 grams of coffee or 10 grams of tea. For a complete look at silver coffee spoons which are really more like the stirring coffee spoons, many can be found here at Amazon. I have found it crucial to use just one spoon for measuring my coffee. Call it a dedicated coffee measuring spoon. You’ll find that after a while you get to know how much coffee you like with your particular coffee spoon and if you go to another spoon you’ll have to learn to readjust your measurements. So why create more problems for yourself first thing in the morning trying to figure out how much coffee is needed for a pot of coffee. Keep it simple Simon!
One other piece of coffee paraphernalia that I should mention is the coffee service set. I know a lot of folks are very keen on finding antique Landers Frary & Clark coffee percolators and coffee sets, and indeed they are a wonderful addition if you can find a nice one in good condition to add to your collection. You might want to look at eBay for a decent Landers Frary and Clark coffee set if you can find one. Or, you can take a look at a Reed & Barton Gadroon silve plated 4 piece coffee set, available at Amazon. I hope I gave you some ideas to mull over regarding coffee paraphernalia. If there is something you’d like me to review please let me know.