The Rise of the Home Coffee Bar

The Rise of the Home Coffee Bar

Kenneth Thomas

 

I don’t remember a specific day when I thought, ‘I officially now have a home coffee bar’.  It just evolved over time.  It started with a cheap batch brewer and has expanded to an inordinate amount of gadgets, mugs, and coffee.  These days, my coffee haul is big enough that I have to rotate different equipment onto the bar and hide the rest, assuring my wife it’s a seasonal rotation.  So, how about you?  Did your home coffee bar evolve like mine?  Did you build one into your kitchen design from the get-go?  Do you aspire to make coffee at home and just need this blog post to convince you?!  


Home coffee bars are a coffee trend growing faster than you can say portafilter.  It’s a trend that explores creativity, ritual, comfort, and curiosity.  It’s a trend I believe will be a good addition to your life’s story.


The Idea of Coffee at Home Isn’t New.  

We’ve just changed the parameters.  I would argue a home café could be as simple as a batch brewer and a genuine love of coffee.  The café aesthetic can be different for each person, but I think the goals overlap.  People want to have the autonomy to make their own coffee and/or coffee for others.  If they’re like me, they also enjoy the ritual of making that first cup in the morning.  Some have a coffee bar for even more practical reasons like it’s flat-out cheaper to do it yourself, high quality home brewing gear has become much more accessible, and coffee how-to education is now always just a few clicks away.

I remember the first espresso machine I ever saw in someone’s house.  It belonged to a fiery Italian friend of mine.  We had a Christmas party at his house and you better believe he was proud of that espresso machine and coffee’s Italian heritage.  We had espresso shots (whether we wanted them or not) intermingled with sips and bites of everything from apple cider to sausage balls and fruit cake cookies.  When I was still wide awake at 2 AM, I knew the culprit wasn’t the fruit cake cookies.

Stefan Tribble, a fellow coffee geek, had a bespoke home barista setup as part of the design when he built his house.  “We wanted to have the same coffee shop experience at home,” Stefan said.  “I love being able to alternate and create different coffee with various methods and changing it depending on what I’m in the mood for.”


A Little Side Rant…

I don’t know who originally said it, but several years ago I heard the wise quip ‘comparison is the thief of joy’.  I have pondered that many a time moving forward.  I think it can apply to home cafés too.  Don’t look on social media at these absurdly aesthetic home coffee bars and compare yours!  Don’t think your coffee bar isn’t good enough or that you don’t have the right equipment.  Comparison is the thief of joy!  I have a cheap gooseneck kettle that’s not aesthetic or trendy, but you know what?  It heats the water up and pours it the exact same way as the fancy stuff!  Focus on your why.  Why do you want a coffee bar?  Why do you enjoy making it at home?  That why is different for everyone.  It’s important you find your why.  Let that be your focus and not a comparison to some unattainable aesthetic you see on social media.  


Coffee Station Ideas

So, just beginning?  Start small.  Buy a mug you really like.  Claim a dedicated section of your kitchen counter.  I recommend the trifecta of a gooseneck kettle, a grinder, and a brewing vessel of some sort as your first bigger purchases.  Make your coffee bar appealing to you.  For mine at home, I spice things up with a nice plant (that my wife keeps alive) and a framed liturgy for The Ritual of Morning Coffee from Doug McKelvey’s book, Every Moment Holy.  Rotate and try different coffees.  At Umble, we have a single origin medium roast, decaf, and dark roast that are always around and we have a rotating light to light-medium roast we call Umble Reserve.  Umble Reserve is the best place to taste what we’re really enjoying in coffee from month to month.  There are other great roasters out there too.  Be brave and branch out!


THE TAKEAWAY

  • Reasons we like a home café
    • Autonomy
    • Ritual
    • Hosting others
    • Cheaper than buying coffee out
    • Cool coffee gear is getting cheaper and more accessible
    • Coffee education is now at our fingertips (narrator interrupts and mumbles Umble!)

 

Make your home coffee bar your own - if you’re happy with it, then we give you two thumbs up.

  • Here are 5 great purchases for starters
    • Bag of coffee you enjoy
    • Mug
    • Brewing device
    • Gooseneck Kettle
    • Kitchen scale


The Big Picture

When it really comes down to it, I see a home coffee bar as an opportunity to make the story of my life richer.  Sometimes that’s because of the quiet ritual, sometimes the surprise I get from trying a new coffee, and sometimes just the joy of sharing my love for coffee with someone else.  If you don’t already make your coffee at home, take the plunge and give it a try.  If you do have a home coffee bar, the Umble Team would love to know thoughts and opinions below.

Keep striving for excellence in everything you do.  Live a story worth telling.  …And create your own perfectly imperfect home coffee bar!


Sources / References

  1. New York Post – Gen Z Home Café Trend
  2. Better Homes & Gardens – Cafécore Home Design Feature
  3. The Coffee Veteran – Home Café & 2025 Trends

 

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