Upgrade your at-home coffee game with these easy fixes

Bialetti

Moka Express Espresso Maker (six cup)

from $41.52

$41.52 at Walmart, originally $49.39 (six cup)$51.92 at Amazon, originally $59.99

Years ago, I was convinced that my at-home coffee setup would not be complete without dropping $1,000 on a fancy espresso machine.

That all changed after I discovered the brilliance of the moka pot. I first discovered this adorable, kettle-like coffee maker while studying in Rome and have been loyal to it ever since. I love that it creates espresso-like beverages without the four-digit price tag.

I use mine each morning to brew my frothy hot drinks or refreshing iced coffee.

Read the story: Moka pot coffee: unlock cafe-quality iced lattes at home with this $50 Italian staple

Illy

Intenso instant coffee

from $12.99

$12.99 at Amazon$13.99 at Illy

Coffee snobs, you might want to sit down for this.

Instant blends are not as bad as you have made them out to be. In fact, this unassuming packet of instant coffee beat out every bag of drip that we tried in our taste test in partnership with the Drexel Food Lab.

Whether you are looking for something better than the watery sludge served on most flights or want a convenient option for early morning wake-ups, Illy’s instant coffee isn’t the crime against coffee that you may think.

Read the story: Instant coffee v drip: our blind taste test may unravel your assumptions

Aeropress

Clear and Colors 3-in-1 Coffee Press

from $49.95

$49.95 at Amazon$49.95 at Walmart

Travel frequently? Ditch the hotel coffee for the strong cup you can make in an Aeropress.

It is “easy to use, easy to clean and the coffee it makes is the perfect middle ground between drip’s reliability and French press richness”, writes our resident coffee expert, Joe Ray.

After testing all of AeroPress’ models, he deemed Clear and Colors as the very best. Ray has used his for years, enjoying the aesthetic upgrade from the original that he likens to the “grayed-over eyes of a dead fish”.

Read the story: Is an AeroPress coffee maker worth it? I tested every model – here’s the good and surprisingly bad

Counter Culture

Coffee Beans

$35

$35 at Counter Culture, originally $35 (with code SCHOOL)

Instead of upgrading your coffee maker, try leveling up your beans. Put down the Maxwell House and Folgers, and try a specialty coffee brand for a brew with notes far more complex than “coffee” and “burnt”.

Recently, I tried Counter Culture, an independent coffee brand, sharing the limited edition and year-round options that have kept me energized for the past few months. You can purchase them per bag, or opt for a subscription, which sends two bags of beans to your home for under $40.

Read the story: I tried 11 coffees from Counter Culture, the accessible small-batch roaster converting coffee slobs to snobs

Coffee Water

Mineral Packs

$19.95

$19.95 at Amazon

Does your drip coffee maker produce watery coffee that sends you straight to a mobile order on your Starbucks app every morning? Your water may be to blame.

In our guide to brewing better drip, Morgan Eckroth, a former US Barista champion, emphasized the importance of water quality, which she says “plays a huge part in coffee flavor”. For an upgrade, she suggests using remineralized water to improve your coffee’s taste.

Read the story: Four ways to brew better drip coffee

KINGrinder

K6 Manual coffee Grinder

$109

$109 at Amazon

Another expert recommendation for leveling up your drip coffee? Freshly grinding your beans. According to head barista of % Arabica USA, Emma Carrero, this extra step “preserves aroma and flavor much better than pre-ground coffee”.

Ekcroth, a former US Barista champion, agrees, recommending a stainless steel burr grinder. Our Filter UK colleagues recommend this one, which they note is particularly great for travel or smaller portions.

Nespresso

Aeroccino 4

from $119

$119 at Amazon$129.95 at Sur La Table

A milk frother takes a boring cup of coffee and turns it into an elevated experience. After testing a slew of popular models, Michael Berk, a veteran consumer journalist, deemed Nespresso’s Aeroccino 4 the very best.

“The Aeroccino 4 is dead simple to use, among the most compact of its type, the quietest and fastest unit we tested – and it turns out quality foam on every setting, with both dairy and oat milk,” he writes.

Read the story: The best milk frothers in the US for everything from lattes to hot chocolate

Owala

Stainless Steel SmoothSip Coffee Mug (20 oz)

from $29.97

$29.97 at Amazon$29.99 at Owala

It doesn’t matter how good your coffee is if it spills everywhere before you get to enjoy it.

“Since 2024, my reliable Owala has never let me down. Finally, I don’t have to choose between spending $10 on takeaway coffee and a drenched laptop or ruined pair of pants,” I wrote in my review of Owala’s FreeSip Coffee mug.

Read the story: I never leave home without my trusty, leak-proof Owala coffee mug