Whether it’s paired with milk, sweetened with chocolate or poured over ice, coffee is at the center of our morning, if not our entire day.
In addition to setting the tone for the day, coffee also grounds us in our bodies when we can barely crack an eye open, gives us some extra pep in our step and, when done right, even brings a warm smile to our faces.
“Coffee is a big part of our morning ritual,” says Julia House, owner of Maison Cookware + Bakeware in Nanaimo. “Having a good cup of coffee produced smoothly and reliably makes all the difference between your morning starting off poorly or your morning starting off right.”
With the average coffee costing $6 a cup at your nearby coffee shop, this daily routine adds up in a hurry. So, instead, why not bring some high-end coffee magic into your own home with a great at-home coffee system that pays for itself?
Here are House’s top picks for folks who live and die by the bean.
Breville espresso machines
With Breville espresso machines, you can get as hands-on or as automatic as you’d like when it comes to pulling the perfect shot of espresso. If you’re somebody who enjoys the art of doing it yourself and are working with a smaller budget, House recommends their Bambino Plus machine, which as a bonus also takes up very little counter space.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for less fuss, she recommends the Barista Express Impress. Manually tamping an espresso puck can be tricky to master, but with machine-assisted tamping, you can remove variability from the equation entirely.
Technivorm Moccamaster brewing machines
Handmade in the Netherlands, Moccamaster coffee brewers embody the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” as their models have remained relatively the same since first releasing in the 60s.
With a whole rainbow of colours to choose from, these award-winning brewing machines will give you consistently good drip coffee every morning and keep it at the perfect temperature with their carafe’s hotplates.
Hario’s Buono Kettle, Ceramic Dripper and Filters
For folks wanting a lighter cup taste at a minimal investment, House recommends Hario’s reputable products for all your pour-over needs.
Their Buono Kettle’s gooseneck spout allows you to precisely direct the flow of water over your coffee bed, while their wide range of colourful Ceramic Dripper cones allow you to brew a cup of coffee directly into your mug.
The AeroPress
This lightweight, portable plunger-style brewer produces intensely flavoured coffee quickly and consistently, without bitterness and with very low acidity. The microfilter catches unwanted grit and the clean-up takes even less time than their 1-minute pressing time.
Maison Cookware + Bakeware offers both the original and to-go AeroPress Go models.
“Here on the island, we are extremely blessed to have a number of local roasters. So, I encourage people to check these local coffee experts out and get their help to choose the right bean for them because once you have the best hardware, Good beans are the other half of the equation,” says House.
If you are interested in purchasing any of these items or would like to browse the rest of Maison Cookware + Bakeware’s wide array of kitchenware, you can visit them in person at 1-6332 Metral Drive in Nanaimo or peruse their online store at maisoncookware.com.
