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15 Laila Ghambari loves: The La Marzocco EC tamper Available at www.lamarzoccousa.com 2014 United States Barista Champion; director of coffee, Cherry Street Coffee House; Seattle I've always really loved the EspressoCraft tamper from Ken Nye. The shape of the handle fits comfortably into your palm, and the divot in the top of the tamper base cradles your fingers for a perfect grip. Recently La Marzocco decided to bring it back, and I'm so glad they did because it's one of my favorite tampers. It's nostalgic while also being updated for current espresso brewing methodology. It has that same great design that made it so popular originally, but now it has a flat 58.4mm base that is perfect for maximizing extraction and preventing side channeling. 16 Josh Taves loves: His tin travel mug Available at Urban Outfitters Owner, Kong Coffee Brewing; Denver It's the best mug for traveling and adventures! It holds 16 ounces so I never go thirsty and have plenty to share. It's sturdy enough to AeroPress into, and can be cleaned with just a quick rinse. Best of all, I can toss it in my bag and don't have to worry about it breaking! 17 Maxwell Mooney loves: The Bonavita Electronic Scale Available at www.espressosupply.com Coffee educator, The Spotted Cow Coffee Co.; Mill Creek, Wash. I love using the Bonavita electronic scale on my espresso bar because it has a generous platform for weighing portafilters, a great memory for taring so I can set up a scale per portafilter and always have accurate dosing, an easy-to-clean glass surface, a built-in timer, and a 0.1-gram accuracy. It has an easy-to-read LCD screen, and buttons that don't accidentally get hit when water lands on them. Also, it's both battery- and AC-powered. Booyah. 18 Brandon van Damitz loves: Coffee cupping sample trays Available at www.espressoparts.com Owner, Big Island Coffee Roasters; Puna, Hawaii As a farmer, I'm very pragmatic about the tools I use. To have a permanent place in the toolbox, three criteria must be satisfied: function, versatility, and durability. I implement the same approach for brewing, and the one tool I always use when preparing coffee is a coffee tray. Here's why: 1) Function: Great for weighing and holding grounds, coffee trays are ideal because you can fold them to pour your measured coffee into almost any brewing device. And they can hold enough coffee to suit most applications. Being both flexible and large, they are extremely functional and perform exceptionally well. 2) Versatility: Single-use tools waste space and decrease efficiency. Multipurpose coffee trays are not only wonderful for green and roasted coffee inspection and analysis, they make the best single-serve cheese and nut platter ever! But don't stop there. Let the elephants of your imagination run wild—vegetables, ice cream, charcuterie, crackers, gummy worms, etc. The possibilities are endless. 3) Durabilty: I picked up five trays at SCAA Portland in 2012 and I've abused them daily ever since. They hold up magnificently well. 19 Mohammad Agha mohammad Khani loves: Mypressi Available at www.mypressi.com Founder, manager, trainer; Iranian Barista Guild; Tehran, Iran The Mypressi reminds me of the magician's wand, or maybe Aladdin's magic lamp! Sometimes I think, if a barista has a wish for, say, when they are sitting in traffic, or on top of a mountain, it would be for an espresso! And the Mypressi can do that, any time, anywhere. The Mypressi was a miracle for me—times when no one would have thought espresso was possible, I would pull it from my pack. This device doesn't make 100-percent perfect coffee, and sometimes I do have a problem with low temperature from the Mypressi, but I really do enjoy it a lot. 20 Don Niemyer loves: The Emerilware Sauce Pan Available at www.emerilstore.com Barista, Rialta Coffee Tour; The Open Road, U.S.A. My family and I travel the nation in a small RV exploring coffee shops, so it's vital to live by two golden rules: Pack lightly, and always be prepared to make great coffee. An indispensable tool that helps meet both of those requirements is my 1-quart Emerilware Sauce Pan. It holds just enough water for a full Chemex, and the spouts allow me to achieve that slow, even pour required for an excellent extraction. Does it work as well as a spouted kettle? Not even close. But you can't warm up your butternut-squash soup in a Buono Kettle either. 73 www.baristamagazine.com