Coffee Gear | Gear Diary

Cuisinart Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine

The Cuisinart Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Is a Café-Worthy Coffee Ritual Without the Commute

If you’ve ever dreamed of skipping the long coffee shop lines and the wallet-emptying lattes, but still want that rich, creamy, barista-level espresso at home, Cuisinart is here to stir things up. The Cuisinart Espresso Bar Grind & Brew Espresso Machine gives you a full-fledged home café in a sturdy, stylish, and slightly sassy black-and-steel package. And while it doesn’t promise to make you a professional barista overnight, it gets you dangerously close with very little effort and a whole lot of caffeine.

Nitro Coffee made with the Cumulus machine.

News & Features

The Cumulus Machine Brings Nitro Cold Brew, Cold Espresso, and Cold Brew Home, with No Barista Required

If you’ve been chasing the perfect cold coffee experience only to end up with watered-down disappointment or sad, stale store-bought brews, it’s time to reclaim your mornings. Or afternoons. Or that random 8 p.m. craving when you’re not trying to pull an all-nighter; you just want a really good cold decaf espresso. Enter: The Cumulus Machine, a café-quality countertop marvel that delivers nitro cold brew, cold brew, and cold espresso at the touch of a button, and yes, everything it brews comes out chilled and ready to sip. No ice required. No waiting around. And absolutely no barista attitude.

Manu using the DREO BaristaMaker Milk Frother to make latte art.

Crowdfunding

Elevate Your Home Coffee Game with the DREO BaristaMaker Milk Frother: Launching on Kickstarter with Early Bird Discounts

DREO is about to shake up your home coffee game with their latest creation, the BaristaMaker Milk Frother. This sleek device is designed to bring the magic of barista-quality microfoam right to your kitchen. Starting August 13th, the DREO BaristaMaker will be offered on Kickstarter, where early birds will snag a cool 30% off the $99 retail price.

Gift Guides & Round-Ups

Upgrade Your Kitchen and Take Holiday Hosting to the Next Level with Whynter and SMEG Appliances

Are family and friends coming to your place for the holidays? You can elevate your kitchen and make holiday hosting a breeze with the perfect blend of style and functionality from Whynter and SMEG. Whynter’s appliances will bring modern convenience to your gatherings, while SMEG’s iconic designs combine retro aesthetics with top-notch performance, adding a touch of timeless elegance to your space. Whether chilling beverages, crafting delectable desserts, or effortlessly mixing ingredients, these appliances will prove themselves to be essential companions as you create memorable moments during the festive season.

Reviews

Tchibo Bean-to-Brew Coffee Machine Review: A Compact and Convenient All-in-One Espresso and Coffee Brewer

Are you tired of using expensive, wasteful individual coffee pods or drinking stale java that was made hours ago and left to stew? Has your coffee maker got you wishing for something closer to the ‘fresh ground for every cup’ experience found at your favorite coffee shop? Brewing with Tchibo is as straightforward as adding your coffee beans, selecting your desired portion, and pressing “start” to enjoy a cup of fresh and aromatic coffee every time. Skeptical if the Tchibo can create the flavorful and fresh coffee you desire, complete with the perfect crema, right at home? Let’s find out…

Reviews

The 6′ Tall Dunkin’ Spider Donut Inflatable is a Halloween Crowd Pleaser

Nothing says Halloween like a donut, right? Well, Dunkin’ thinks so, and every Fall, my kids look forward to the seasonal emergence of the Spider Donut. This year, they’re helping us celebrate at home with the new 6′ Dunkin’ Spider Donut Inflatable! Complete with a built-in fan and LED lights; it’s a fun way to decorate for Halloween.

Deals

The Tchibo Labor Day Sale Is Sure to Give You a Righteous Coffee Buzz!

If you can’t start your day without a couple of cups of coffee, you’re not alone! But rather than making a daily trip to a coffee shop, why not make your own fresh-ground coffee or espresso right in your own home or office? With the Bean to Brew Coffee & Espresso Machine and their large collection of coffees, you can enjoy an amazing brew. During the Tchibo Labor Day Sale, which runs today through September 5th, you can also enjoy savings on their coffee and coffee maker.

Reviews

Ready-to-Drink Fire Department Coffee Review: 4 Delicious Flavors That Will Keep You Powered On-the-Go!

Fire Department Coffee has been serving up specialty beans roasted and crafted by a team of veterans and firefighters since 2016; Judie wrote about their roasted coffee beans last year. But sometimes, you don’t have time to brew on the go, and that’s where a ready-made cold brew is quite handy. Fire Department Coffee is taking their signature tasty roasts and sending them on the go with ready-to-drink versions, and we had the chance to check them out!

Reviews

Fire Department Coffee Review: Smooth, Delightful Coffee That Supports a Great Cause

What do you get when you combine freshly roasted coffee beans grown worldwide on environmentally and socially responsible farms with a veteran-owned coffee company run by a dedicated team of firefighters, first responders, and coffee connoisseurs? You get Fire Department Coffee, a company that donates 10% of Its net proceeds to support ill and injured first responders; that’s what we’ll be taking a look at today.

News & Features

Trücup Low-Acid Coffee: When You Need Your Coffee, but Your Stomach Rebels

At my age—and no, I am absolutely not going to tell you how friggin’ old I am—acidic stomach issues are definitely something I have to keep in mind. But even if you’re a youngun’ like my daughter and you drink enough coffee, sometimes the very acidity of the brew can catch up with you sometimes. That’s what Trücup low-acid coffee wants to help alleviate.

Reviews

The Jura ENA 8 Review: Makes a Great, Consistent Cup of Coffee or Espresso with One-Touch Convenience

If you’re looking for a professional-level espresso drink at home without hiring a barista, the Jura ENA 8 is the next best thing. This automatic espresso machine grinds coffee beans fresh for each drink, perfectly steams and froths milk, and makes a heck of a cappuccino. Starting at $1,899, the Ena 8 is available in three accent colors.

Reviews

Ninja’s Hot & Cold Brew System Offers Choice and Versatility While Making Great Coffee or Tea

The Ninja Kitchen coffee makers keep getting better and better. This is our second Ninja coffee review; the first was the Ninja Coffee Bar back in 2018. Ninja has made improvements over the years, including adding a tea brewing option with a more elegant design and interface, while maintaining the features that made it shine.

Reviews

Philips 3200 LatteGo Automatic Espresso Machine: Worth the Price of Admission

Listen, we all have better things to do than stressing over making the perfect espresso, right? For those who love espresso but don’t want to spend hours fidgeting with difficult to use equipment to end up with a mediocre espresso drink, the Philips 3200 LatteGo is for you. The Philips 3200 LatteGo retails for $799 and makes a great cappuccino.

Reviews

Woken Compostable Espresso Pods Remove the Single-Serve-Coffee-Making Guilt

Everyone likes the convenience and choice offered by using a single-serve coffee maker, right? But one of the biggest problems is that single-serve coffee makers produce unrecyclable waste. Some coffee pod makers offer to recycle used pods, but you have to return those used pods to them. Woken Coffee makes user compostable pods that reduce waste with minimal effort.

Reviews

Make Your Iced Coffee at Home with Gourmia’s Cold Brew Coffee Maker

If you are a huge coffee drinker who is looking for a more cost-effective method for making your iced coffees in the morning, the Cold Brew Coffee Maker by Gourmia may be just the thing you need.

Reviews

SharkNinja Makes Adulting Fun with Their New Coffee Bar and IONFlex Vacuum

In July, our lives changed forever. We welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our family, but we lost our sleep and our clean, spotless floors. Luckily, SharkNinja’s newest products had us covered. Their sleek and functional Ninja Coffee Bar provided the energy we desperately needed while the Shark IONFlex 2X DuoClean vacuum effortlessly restored order in the house.

Reviews

Enjoy Delicious Morning Coffee with the Bialetti Manual Coffee Grinder and Glass Pourover Carafe

With temperatures in the teens, a delicious, hot cup of coffee is a “must.” We usually grab the pre-ground coffee, put it into a drip coffee maker, add water, and go. But while drip coffee makers are convenient, if you want a rich, full-bodied coffee it takes a bit more effort. Bialetti offers some great products coffee-lovers will love.

Reviews

There’s No Need for Starbucks with Gourmia’s Coffee Maker in Your Home

Gourmia is one of the industry leaders in home appliances, more specifically in the kitchen. We’ve previously reviewed a few of their products, but one we had anticipated reviewing for some time, the GCM5000 Coffee and Espresso Maker.

Health and Fitness

GO CUBES: The Best Cup of Coffee You’ve Ever Chewed

I like drinking coffee, but I don’t like stale coffee breath or feeling like I need to brush my teeth after every cup. After seeing GO CUBES at a recent event, I was intrigued. The premise is that there are two cups of coffee in each pack of four; two gummy cubes equals one cup.

Events, News & Features, Reviews

The HeyJoe Coffee Mug Got Me Through CES

If you’re a coffee drinker like myself, you know the struggle of waking up in the morning, creating your own brew, and even worse, finding that mug of cup that will keep that House Blend warm as you go on your daily commute. Well over the course of CES, as well as a few weeks prior to that, I had the pleasure of reviewing the HeyJoe Coffee Mug which solves a lot of problems we all have throughout the morning. Originally a Kickstarter that has since been in full production, the HeyJoe Coffee Mug is the first coffee mug to…

News & Features

Timbuk2 and Blue Bottle Release ‘The Sabbatical’, an Even Bigger Coffee Lover’s Collaboration

Last year Timbuk2 and Blue Bottle Coffee created their first travel kit, which released just in time for the holidays. This year they’ve got an even bigger and better holiday collaboration brewing, and if you are stumped about what to give your favorite serious coffee drinker (even if it’s you), then The Sabbatical should be a winner!