Home equipment

Grinder (hand/electric), scale, timer, gooseneck, water filter, descaler, WDT, knock box and machine: tools for repeatable specialty at home.

31 terms

A–Z index

B

Blade grinder Blades chop; they don’t set a size. Lots of dust + big chunks vs burrs.

Bottomless portafilter Bottomless = same tool as naked: no spouts, visible stream. Differs from spouted portafilters.

Burr grinder Burrs crush/cut to a controllable size. Unlike blades. Flat vs conical change fines and flow.

C

Calibrated tamper Differs from feel-only tamp. Doesn’t replace distribution.

Coffee distributor Differs from WDT (needles) and tamp (compacts). Levels height; may not fix deep density pockets.

Coffee grinder Turns whole beans into particles. Differs from pre-ground: you control freshness and size. In specialty it is the gear that most shapes the cup.

Coffee scale Without a scale, ratios are guesses. Needs resolution and fast response for pour-over/espresso.

D

Descaler Not group detergent/backflush—it attacks precipitated carbonates. Filters prevent; descaler corrects.

Dosing funnel Doesn’t change the recipe—cleans the workflow. Differs from basket and distributor.

E

Electric grinder Differs from hand by speed and often timers/single-dose. Not all electrics are burrs—avoid blades.

Espresso glass Doesn’t replace a scale—helps see blonding/volume. Differs from a big opaque mug.

Espresso machine Differs from moka/capsules: controllable pressure, temp, flow. Home limit is often grinder + water.

Espresso scale Unlike slow kitchen scales: low latency, drip-tray size, often flow/time. Home dial-in tool.

G

Gooseneck kettle Gooseneck is not just looks: it limits flow for precise circles. Differs from wide-mouth kettles.

Grinder brush Retention changes true dose. A simple brush beats many gadgets.

K

Kettle A generic kettle boils; a coffee kettle holds °C and, if gooseneck, pours precisely. Differs from microwave hotspots.

Knock box Not any bucket—the bar takes the hit without hurting the handle. Cleaner than trash-only.

M

Manual grinder Differs from electric: no motor noise, dose by capacity, often better burr value. Many hand grinders beat cheap electrics.

Metal filter Differs from paper: denser texture, sometimes sediment.

Milk pitcher Spout and volume (e.g. 350–600 ml) set control. Differs from a glass—thin wall and sharp spout help.

Milk thermometer Avoids scalding milk sugars. Differs from hand feel—great while learning.

P

Paper filter Differs from metal: more clarity, less oily body. Weight and bleach/oxygen process matter.

Portafilter Interface between grinder and extraction. Differs from bottomless and from the basket itself.

Precision basket Differs from stock: more even holes, often more open area. Needs a capable grinder.

Puck screen Differs from the machine shower screen—it travels with each shot. Helps even prewetting.

S

Scale mat Not a flavour gadget—protects the load cell. Differs from a tamping mat.

T

Tamper Tamping sets density; it isn’t flavour by itself. Differs from distributor and WDT.

Tamping mat Differs from a scale mat—built for tamp pressure, often with a handle ledge.

Timer Time links grind and recipe. Differs from counting in your head—comparable day to day.

W

Water filter Water is ~98 % of the cup. A filter isn’t “perfect SCA water”—it cleans and stabilises. Differs from descaler focus.

WDT tool The physical tool; the method is covered under WDT (parameters). Differs from palm levelers—needles break deep clumps.

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