If you are looking for a functional and relatively high-end coffee bar for your kitchen, check out this setup based on Breville coffee machines and accessories. This home coffee bar can make most coffee drinks authentically while sporting a cohesive aesthetic.
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A More Sophisticated Coffee Station
When searching through Pinterest and on the internet for coffee bar ideas, I generally see the same thing: A Keurig or some other single serve coffee maker and related accessories, dressed up in the usual Pinteresty fashion. For those of us who actually care how our coffee tastes (I say jokingly), how can we create a functional look?
I’ll admit that people can be very creative when dressing up their coffee bars and creating nice spaces for themselves. However, many of these ideas seem to be better looking than they are functional because they are often based around low-end single serve coffee makers. They also tend to take a minimalist approach when it comes to accessories and supporting equipment.
Since I am a total coffee nut, I wanted to create this post to detail some coffee bar inspiration from the perspective of a coffee enthusiast and a gadget collector. My coffee bar is attractive, organized, and functional in that it can create most any coffee drink with an array of different machines and gadgets. Although this took some time and expense to create, the results are well worth it and appreciated daily.
Coffee Bar Cabinetry
The Cabinet
Before I get into the machines I use and how I organize everything, I should talk about the cabinet for a minute. My coffee bar is contained in a free-standing hardwood cabinet with a granite top. I used JD Kitchens and Baths to provide these pieces, since I am in the greater Atlanta area. You can probably find a cabinet like this at Home Depot or from a local contractor. You could even try searching for a small cabinet piece on Amazon.
One of the advantages of using a piece of cabinetry is the storage space for collecting and organizing. Additionally, the weight of the granite countertop helps to secure the entire unit in place and the whole thing feels very substantial.
The Countertop
I went with granite because I wanted something that is easy to take care of while being durable and heat resistant in case I set something down. A granite counter top is not necessary at all, it’s just something I had access to. You’ll notice the color is on the darker side with natural tones. This counter top matches the rest of my kitchen and hides coffee dust well.
Above the fold
The functional portion of this coffee bar is mostly centered around the Breville Precision Brewer Thermal and the Barista Express espresso machine. I will provide links to Amazon below so you can learn more if you wish.
Coffee bar arrangement (from left to right in the picture above):
- Breville Precision Brewer Thermal – drip coffee, iced coffee, and cold brew
- Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine – espresso, Americanos, lattes, cappuccinos and other espresso-based drinks
- Breville Smart Grinder Pro – grinds and doses coffee for both machines (as well as other methods)
- Breville Espresso Knockbox (this is the square version, as the round one appears to be out of stock)
I went with Breville products for a few reasons. First, Breville coffeemakers make fantastic coffee. They are often the best machines for the price and generally aim to bring high end features to value conscious consumers. I have reviewed some of these products in the posts below:
- Breville Precision Brewer Thermal Review
- Breville Smart Grinder Pro Review
- Best Beginner Espresso Machine
Additionally, the Breville machines all have a unified look. Although these machines are available in multiple colors, I went with the traditional stainless steel since it goes with pretty much everything. My kitchen may look very different in the future…who knows?
Lastly, the Breville machines all have long power cords that can reach a power strip on the floor, underneath the raised cabinet. Many coffeemakers and grinders have very short power cords which limits where you can place them and unintentionally discourages you from using a surge protector (because who wants that on their counter top?).
The only equipment that this setup was unable to accommodate is my Breville Milk Café and electric water kettle. Unfortunately, I was destined to run out of space eventually.
What’s Inside
Inside the coffee bar cabinet lies mostly every coffee or tea related accessory that I have ever found myself using. Some of the smaller items are separated in bins from the Dollar Tree. This includes the following:
- Coffee beans stored in airtight storage containers
- Tea bags and loose-leaf tea
- Scale for measuring coffee
- French press
- Aeropress
- Chemex (group and single serving variants)
- Filters for various brewing methods
- Accessories (scoops, cleaning brushes, adapters, etc)
The general idea is to avoid back and forth trips across the kitchen and keep things specialized. Both my wife and I stopped putting sugar in our drinks a while back, so that is one less thing we must worry about.
Read More: Reasons to Drink Black Coffee Everyday
The size of the cabinet allows us to store most of the gadgets we have collected over the years. This is very helpful because this storage is completely focused on coffee and tea, keeping the rest of the kitchen tidier.
Your Coffee Bar or Tea Station
The ideas behind this coffee bar can be applied in many ways to create something that will work for you. Here are a few things that you may find helpful to keep in mind:
- If you enjoy a variety of coffee drinks, build your coffee bar around multiple machines and use cabinetry to conceal supporting accessories.
- If you invest in high-end equipment like the Breville machines I use, be sure your setup includes a surge protector and figure out your power cord situation before committing to anything.
- Use a dedicated cabinet with multiple shelves for storing your coffee and tea accessories.
- Use bins to separate small accessories. I use separate bins for teabags, espresso accessories, scoops, machine manuals, filters, and other items. This way, you can just pull the respective bin out as needed, which helps to keep things organized.
- If you want a high-end coffee taste, you will require a burr grinder in your setup and you will need to store your beans in airtight storage containers.
- Lastly, consider having some empty counter top space so that you have room to prepare your coffee.
Hopefully this post will serve as a helpful starting point for a more sophisticated setup. I have been receiving nice comments from basically everyone that has ever seen my coffee bar in person, so I figured I would explain the concepts behind my setup for those of you who might want something similar.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave them below and I will answer them and possibly update the post as needed.
Happy brewing!
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