The shortlist
My Shelf.
The beans I rate highest and the gear that earns its counter space, pulled straight from my own reviews. Start here if you want a shortcut past the trial and error.
Beans, ranked
Every bag I've reviewed, best first. The rating is mine alone, from brewing the whole bag.
Gear that earns its keep
No drawer of gadgets. This is the short list of things that get used every single bake and every single brew.
For the bread
Dutch oven
Every loaf on this site bakes in one. The trapped steam in the first 20 minutes is what makes the crust blister and the ear open up.
Digital kitchen scale
Every formula here is in grams for a reason. A scale that reads to 1g makes the difference between a recipe and a guess.
For the coffee
Burr grinder
I grind fresh for every shot. With a cappuccino, the difference between grinding ahead and grinding right before is noticeable in the cup.
Milk pitcher
Pre-warmed before every steam. A pitcher with a sharp spout is half the battle for latte art, and the other half is practice.