Let's face it a good cup of coffee depends heavily on equipment.

Connoisseurs of coffee throughout the world generally prefer to go out to a cafe with huge, shiny barista equipment while their own over-complicated and professional coffee-makers remain dusty in the kitchen. Coffee making equipment comes in all shapes and sizes, from the simple French Press to the high-end espresso machine. A good espresso machine generally available in the market is often expensive and technically challenging to operate. That scenario, however, is about to change. Now a great variety of home manual brewing devices which do not have big price tags or require prior training are making inroads in the Nepalese market. Laughing Buddha (www.hulaki.com) at Thulobharyang, Swayambhu is one of the shops that provide a wide range of these equipment.

Coffee grinder

Your first step should always be a good coffee grinder. You can find a good quality manual coffee grinder at Laughing Buddha within a price range of Rs. 2000 – Rs. 2500, depending on size/capacity

Coffee filter

A coffee filter is typically used to hold coffee grounds so that water can percolate through the contents into a coffee pot. It keeps the ground coffee particles together while the water circulates around them to become infused with particle oils that flavor the water.

While the wire mesh filter made from stainless steel is reusable, coffee filters made from paper are disposable. The mesh filter usually comes in the shape of a basket or cone to fit the various types of coffee makers.

Good quality coffee filters are available at Laughing Buddha within a price range of Rs. 750 – Rs. 1250 depending on size/capacity and quality.

French press

French press is one of the easiest least time-consuming and least expensive ways to make great coffee. In this process you can brew coffee for several people at once. However, since the coffee is sitting directly on the grounds for a period of time, it is prone to bitterness and oiliness, which could turn off some drinkers.

French press makes coffee by steeping the grounds in hot water, and then pressing the grounds out.

Step 1: Pour your ground coffee into the French Press and gently shake it back and forth to settle the grounds.

Step 2: Pour about half of your hot water evenly over the grounds. Hot water forces the ground coffee to release trapped gases, leading to expansion of the coffee and wonderful aromas for you to enjoy. A thick “crust” of coffee grounds will form.

Step 3: After about 30 seconds, stir the coffee grounds gently for 5 seconds to break up the crust and mix the grounds evenly with the water.

Step 4: Pour the remaining half of your hot water over the coffee. Place the lid on your French press with the plunger pulled all the way up. Let the coffee steep for about 4 minutes.

Step 5: Slowly press the plunger all the way down to filter the grounds from the coffee. Pour the coffee immediately into your mug - if it sits for too long in your French press it will turn bitter.

A good quality French press can be purchased at Laughing Buddha for Rs. 900 – Rs. 1400 depending on size/capacity.

Moka pot

A Moka pot produces dark coffee almost as strong as regular espresso. It is a steam-based stovetop espresso maker, often called a "stove-top" espresso or "Espresso Kettle" or even "poor man's" espresso. This is an inexpensive technique to make coffee where it uses only steam’s natural pressure to force water through a strainer, and produce a shot of espresso-like coffee.

The Moka Pot is filled with water in the bottom chamber and finely ground coffee is placed in a strainer just above the water. Once placed on heat, steam is created, forcing water through the strainer creating a strong shot of coffee.

Step 1: Fill the lower chamber with cold water just below the valve. Make sure you don’t use too much water because overfilling might affect the flavor.

Step 2: Insert the funnel and fill it with ground coffee. Don’t use coffee that’s too finely ground as it might clog the equipment. Try not to overfill the strainer with coffee and do not tamp the ground coffee to avoid creating too much pressure in the Moka Pot.

Step 3: Tightly screw the upper part of the pot on to the base.

Step 4: Heat the Moka Pot until the water boils and coffee begins to come out of the center post. Take your time and heat it slowly in order to extract the full flavor of the espresso. Make sure the heat is not too high in order to avoid the burnt taste in the coffee.

Step 5: Turn off the heat when the top of the pot is full of coffee. Hazel brown foam in the coffee lets you know when it is completely done. Before pouring out coffee, stir it in the upper chamber with a small spoon.

Step 6: Pour your coffee into a fancy coffee mug and ta-da! Your strong espresso-like coffee is all set.

Find Moka Pot at Laughing Buddha for about Rs. 700 – Rs. 1300, depending on size/capacity and material.

Milk frother

A milk frother is used to produce light, airy froth and foam for your favorite hot latte and cappuccino drinks.

Step 1: Heat some milk. It should be warm, not boiling.

Step 2: Fill a carafe with the milk upto1/3 to ½ of its capacity.

Step 3: Start working the hand pump in the milk frother, as fast as you can.

Step 4: You will get your froth within 30 to 60 seconds.

Step 5: Pour your frothed milk into your coffee.

Step 6: Enjoy your cappuccino.

Find good quality milk frother at Laughing Buddha For about Rs. 1500 depending on size/capacity.