Espresso accessories range from essential to decorative. Here is the honest ranking.
Genuinely worth it
A scale with a timer, small enough for the drip tray. Weighing in and out turns espresso from guessing into measuring. The highest-value purchase after the grinder.
A WDT tool with 0.3 to 0.4 mm needles. Eliminates clumps and the channelling they cause. Cheap, and the single biggest improvement to puck prep.
A tamper that fits your basket properly. The one supplied with most machines is undersized plastic. A 58.5 mm tamper in a 58 mm basket leaves far less unpacked coffee at the edge.
A bottomless portafilter. A diagnostic tool — it makes channelling visible.
A knock box. Ends the pucks-in-the-sink problem.
Situationally useful
A distribution tool — helps if you do not use WDT, largely redundant if you do.
A puck screen — mainly for keeping the shower screen clean.
A dosing cup — useful for single dosing.
A precision basket — IMS or VST. A real improvement, and a small one relative to grinder and technique.
Skip
Tamping stands with calibrated springs — level matters, force does not. Bottomless portafilters with novelty finishes. Anything promising better crema.
The order
Scale, WDT, tamper, bottomless. Then stop and buy better coffee.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026