Caffeinated
Home Espresso

Build a setup
you’ll keep.

The home barista section. Equipment without snobbery, recipes that work in a Maltese kitchen, and a small directory of mentors who will come to you. No affiliate-link incentives masquerading as recommendations.

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Three honest entry points.

01
Build

Build your setup.

Espresso machine, grinder, and the ten extras you actually need. Every recommendation is something we'd buy with our own money.

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02
Improve

Improve your shots.

Dialling-in workflows, milk technique, water chemistry. The five things that move the needle once the kit is in place.

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03
Cook

Cook with coffee.

Recipes you'd serve at home: the Tonic Espresso, the Saltbed Latte, an honest cold brew, an affogato done right.

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Featured guide

The one to read first.

All guides →
◦ Choosing your first espresso machine
Home Espresso · Beginner

Choosing your first espresso machine

A 1,200-word, no-snobbery walkthrough of the three machines worth owning under €1,200 in 2026 — and the one everyone recommends that you should skip.

Caffeinated
The Equipment Quiz

Find your perfect home setup.

Five questions about your budget, space, and habits. We recommend an espresso machine, a grinder, and the kit you actually need — not what you'll regret in six months.

Latest guides

From the bench.

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◦ Dialling in a new bag of beans
Home Espresso · Intermediate

Dialling in a new bag of beans

The five-shot workflow that gets you from 'where do I start' to a clean cup, in under fifteen minutes per bag. With grinder maths.

◦ Milk at home, without a steam wand
Home Espresso · Beginner

Milk at home, without a steam wand

Three methods, ranked. The French press is better than you remember. The Aerolatte is worse.

◦ The grinder question
Home Espresso · Intermediate

The grinder question

Why the grinder matters more than the machine — and the four grinders worth your money in 2026, by use case.

Recipes

Cook with coffee.

All recipes →
◦ Tonic Espresso
Recipe · Beginner

Tonic Espresso

A single shot over ice, Mediterranean tonic, a strip of lemon. Three minutes. Drink it on a balcony.

4 min · Serves 1 · Espresso machine
◦ The Saltbed Latte
Recipe · Intermediate

The Saltbed Latte

Marija Portelli's signature: a doppio under velvet milk, finished with flaky sea salt. Sounds wrong; tastes like Naxxar in winter.

6 min · Serves 1 · Espresso machine
◦ A weekend's worth of cold brew
Recipe · Beginner

A weekend's worth of cold brew

Five minutes of work, twelve hours of patience. The bottle that will get you through a Maltese August.

5 min · Serves 6 · French press
◦ Affogato, the right way
Recipe · Beginner

Affogato, the right way

Two scoops of fior di latte, one ristretto, one teaspoon. Ratios matter; cup temperature matters more.

2 min · Serves 1 · Espresso machine
Mentors

People who will come to you.

All mentors →
◦ Elena
Mentor

Elena Schembri

Trainer · Roaster · Valletta

SCA-certified trainer. Runs in-home one-to-ones — full-day setup audit, dialling-in walkthrough, milk programme. Speaks Maltese, English, Italian.

€140 / half-day Book →
◦ Rohan
Mentor

Rohan Patel

Brew Bar Lead · St Julian's

Filter specialist. Comes to your kitchen with a V60, an Aeropress, and a kettle, and leaves you knowing the difference. Ex-Workshop Marylebone.

€90 / session Book →
◦ Marija
Mentor

Marija Portelli

Head Barista · Naxxar

By appointment only. Two-hour milk-and-espresso clinic at Eden Kafé, max two people. Bring a notebook.

€120 / clinic Book →