Planning on fulfilling your dreams of putting up your own coffee shop? Aside from the skills of a coffee barista, there are numerous things that you need to have and to plan out before you can open up shop, from the drinks and food you’ll be serving to the equipment that you’ll be using. If you’re an aspiring coffee shop owner, you’re in luck because we’ve compiled some of the most important equipment you’ll need for your coffee shop to be ready to take in coffee orders!
What Type of Brewing Method Will You Use?
Before we go into the complete list of the equipment though, you still need to decide which coffee brewing method you’ll be using for your homebrew. You can choose from the more traditional method of pulling espresso shots with a coffee shop espresso machine, brewing coffee with a pour-over technique, or using Moka pots to brew strong, concentrated coffee. By deciding on your homebrew method, you can narrow down on the equipment you’ll need so you can allocate your funds better.
Complete List of Equipment for Your Future Coffee Shop
Once you decide on the brewing methods you’d want your coffee shop to focus on, it’s now time to list down the equipment you’ll need for your coffee shop to be brew-ready.
- Espresso Machine
When you go around various coffee shops, chances are you’re going to find a high-quality coffee shop espresso machine. Espresso makers are used to pulling espresso shots, which are used as the primary base for some of the most popular coffee-based drinks, which include the Americano, Macchiato, and Red Eye.
These machines work by pressurized water through finely-ground coffee beans to effectively extract concentrated coffee. What’s great about espresso machines designed for coffee shops, though, is that they’re typically equipped with a built-in milk frother, so you can easily whip up cappuccinos and lattes with the same coffee shop equipment.
- AeroPress
The AeroPress is a relatively new coffee maker that uses a portable and easy-to-use device. With its rapid brewing process, the AeroPress offers great-tasting coffee that’s similar to an espresso. With the unique flavor and experience that AeroPress coffee makers offer, artisan cafes are switching to this brewing method.
- Moka Pot
A Moka pot is a stove-top coffee maker used to produce espresso-like coffee by passing boiling water through coffee grounds. Originally designed in Italy, the Moka pot is a top coffee making choice in some European and Latin American countries. If you want to mimic the European way of making coffee, the Moka pot would be a great coffee maker for your coffee shop.
- French Press
The French Press, or a cafetière à piston, is a manual coffee shop equipment that uses a glass beaker and a plunger to brew coffee. Because of the design of the French Press where coffee grounds are steeped longer in hot water, you can get full-bodied, creamy coffee with all the oils of your coffee beans. If you’re planning on giving your customers a unique coffee experience that’s far from their usual home-brewed cup, consider stocking up on high-quality French presses.
- Siphon Pot
The siphon brewing method is probably one of the top choices if you’re looking for a unique customer experience. With its distinct and complicated system of flasks and burners, this coffee shop brewing equipment is akin to a laboratory project. However, the process itself is easy to understand yet requires precision and thorough knowledge of brewing to be able to use it perfectly.
Using the lower chamber of the coffee siphon, water is heated until it starts to boil which then triggers it to rise to the top chamber where the coffee grounds are situated. After a certain amount of time, the burner is removed from the bottom chamber, letting the brewed coffee sink. This brewing method allows you to extract all the wonderful flavors and richness from the coffee beans.
- Pour-Over
Another well-known manual brewing technique, the pour-over method consists of pouring hot water through coffee grounds in a filtered dripping cup. Because of the pour-over’s ability to extract the best flavors and aroma from coffee beans, this is the obvious equipment choice for coffee shops that want to give delicious, flavorful cups of coffee. If you’re looking for high-quality pour-over tools, consider getting the V60 Hario dripping cups.
- Manual Espresso Maker
If you want a more hands-on technique of pulling your espresso shots for your coffee drinks, one of the unique – and often unknown – methods is by using a manual espresso maker. Similar to the espresso machines we’ve discussed above, manual espresso makers work by pushing hot water through a puck of finely ground coffee beans. But instead of using a machine, you use a hand tool where you can easily monitor and adjust the pressure that you’re using while pressing down on the handle. This gives you handcrafted espresso shots that you can experiment with for different flavor profiles.
- Heavy-Duty Coffee Grinder
As most coffee enthusiasts know, freshly ground coffee beans deliver the best tasting aromatic coffee there is. For coffee shops, you can easily deliver this by equipping your baristas with a good quality heavy-duty automatic coffee grinder. With a high-quality coffee grinder, you can easily grind coffee beans using different settings for various brewing methods – finely ground for espresso machines, and coarsely ground for traditional coffee makers.
- Coffee Scales and Thermometers
Some brewing methods require high levels of precision when it comes to temperature, so having coffee thermometers and coffee scales at your disposal is crucial. For example, the pour-over brewing method requires hot water to be at a specific temperature so that you can extract as much flavor and aroma from the coffee beans. With a high-quality coffee thermometer, you can accurately measure the temperature while the hot water is being boiled on a countertop or electric kettle for pour-over coffee. These coffee shop equipment will help you deliver consistent coffee flavor and quality for all the coffee drinks you’ll be serving your customers.
- Coffee Filters
Before you set up shop, you need to be well-stocked up on coffee filters, especially since a lot of the brewing methods require high-quality coffee filters to effectively filter coffee grounds to achieve the smooth consistency of your signature coffee drinks. Whether you’re planning on using a pour-over method or a coffee siphon, don’t forget to stock up on the filters designed specifically for the various coffee shop brewing equipment.
- Industrial Blenders
Aside from the coffee drinks you’re planning on serving, there’s a high chance that you’ll also be adding various mixed drinks to your coffee shop menu. Consider investing in good industrial blenders so that your baristas can easily get the smooth consistency of iced drinks and frappés without spending too much time manning the blenders.
- Refrigerators and Ice Makers
Your coffee shop requires a reliable freezing equipment where you can store your ingredients, milk and cold brew coffee. Invest in a good commercial refrigerator and freezer to ensure that all your supplies are kept fresh for longer periods of time. If you’re planning on serving cold drinks or ice-blended coffee, it’s probably best to get your hands on a high-quality ice maker so you won’t have to worry about running out of ice cubes in the middle of the day.
- Coffee Supplies and Coffee Syrups
Lastly, you’ll need high-quality coffee supplies and coffee syrups so you can brew your drinks. Secure a supplier where you can order coffee beans and flavoring syrups in bulk so that your coffee shop will be adequately stocked once you open your doors to your coffee-loving customers. Fortunately, there are numerous coffee suppliers around the Philippines where you can easily buy single-origin and specialty coffee beans from local coffee farmers to support their livelihoods.
Offer a Unique Customer Experience and Signature Coffee Shop Drinks
Want your customers to keep coming back to your coffee shop? One of the best ways to ensure this is to offer a unique coffee experience. You can make your brewing methods hands-on, or you can showcase your barista’s skills by putting up a glass wall where customers can watch your baristas expertly brew cups of coffee using different brewing methods. Another great option is by formulating specialty coffee recipes that are unique to your coffee shop. Come up with signature drinks and blends that will give your customers a unique coffee kick that will keep them coming back for their morning cup.
If you’re looking for a wide variety of supplies and equipment that will complete your coffee shop layout, visit Curated today, and we’ll deliver your top choices to your doorstep in no time.
