Whether you’re buying a gift for someone just dipping their toes into the world of coffee because they’re suddenly home all the time, or for a seasoned obsessive who has considered starting their own coffee YouTube channel, we have some great ideas for holiday gifts. We’ve broken this guide into three experience levels for your potential giftee, with unique items across multiple price points. We’re pretty confident there’s something here for every coffee snob, and maybe even a gift for yourself.
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Perfect For: The Person Who Finally Started Making Their Own Coffee During Quarantine
Coffee Explorer Kit
For someone who is just making their way into the world of coffee, a set of beans may seem simple, but offers the chance to explore various flavors and blends from regions across the globe. Whether it helps them understand their personal flavor preferences, or steers them toward their new favorite bean, we think this Coffee Explorer Kit is a great introduction to small lot, sustainable coffees.
The Mug by East Fork
For all the joys of brewing a delicious cup of coffee, the quiet pleasure of sitting at the kitchen table and wrapping your hands around a warm mug might just be the best part of the whole experience. You may not be able to gift that intangible, but this mug is the next best thing. Asheville, North Carolina-based brand East Fork has developed a cult following for their beautiful and durable pottery over the past few years, and their mugs are one of the best things you can drink hot coffee out of. They’ll also last decades, which is a pretty good deal for the price.
Baratza Encore Burr Grinder
A coffee grinder is one of the easiest ways to improve a budding barista’s brewing setup, and make them feel like a pro. And if you want the grinder the real pros use, meet Baratza’s Encore burr grinder. While the friction in a blade grinder will cause the beans to heat and affect their flavor, a burr grinder creates less friction and thus keeps the integrity of the beans. All this is to say that the Encore is not only one of the cleanest grinds you’ll get, but is the best bang for your buck.
Le Creuset French Press
A solid French Press is an essential piece of brewing equipment for anyone getting into coffee, and Le Crueset’s French Press is about as solid as they come. Plus, it looks pretty damn elegant on a kitchen counter. It’s simple, it’s beautiful, and it’s available in a lot of different colors.
Ember Gen 2 Mug
Ah, technology. It has gotten us to the moon, and enables us to watch TikTok videos of dogs in panda costumes halfway around the world as we’re falling asleep in bed. And now, it’ll keep coffee at just the exact temperature of one’s choice for over an hour. This is a great gift for someone who drinks their coffee slowly over the course of the morning.
Complete Coffee Kit with Automatic Brewer
In the age of Work From Home, we understand that brewing a never-ending pot of coffee is the only way to power through the day. So, for the coffee novice who also craves convenience, this all-in-one kit will set them up with everything from bean, to grinder, to automatic brewer. As for the time saved, well, we have no illusions about how it’ll be spent.
Perfect For: The Person Who Got Kind Of Serious About Making Coffee During Quarantine
Phin Filter Coffee Kit
If you’re buying for someone who’s been exploring different methods of coffee brewing, check out this Phin filter + coffee bean combo kit from Nguyen Coffee Supply. In addition to the compact brewing setup that’s great for (future) travel, it comes with a bag of Nguyen Coffee Supply’s beans, which are grown in Vietnam, and roasted in Brooklyn. To help them make a proper Vietnamese coffee, make sure they pick up some sweetened condensed milk too.
Mokha Monthly Subscription
Yemeni coffee beans are some of the rarest and most coveted in the world ($16 a cup when it was offered at Blue Bottle) because getting the beans out of Yemen is no easy task. The journey of Mokhtar Al-Khanshali, Port of Mokha’s founder, was written about in a recent bestselling book. With this subscription, you can have a bag of these special beans every month.
Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale
Anyone who’s been getting serious about home coffee brewing probably already knows the benefits of using a scale. But sometimes a scale is not just a scale (sorry, Freud). Acaia’s Pearl scale is one of a new generation of digital scales that integrates a timer, various weight modes, and a proprietary app to help track coffee input, water amounts, and more. This scale is perfect for anyone who gets excited about the science of coffee.
Fellow Stagg EKG Pour-Over Kettle
If sometimes a scale is not just a scale, then sometimes a kettle is more than a kettle. Fellow’s Stagg EKG kettle has a 60-minute hold feature, as well as precise temperature control. The Stagg kettle also integrates with Acaia’s Brewbar app for even more control. Kendall Jenner has one in her house for tea, if that means something to you.
Royal Brew Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker Home Keg System
The smooth flavor of nitro cold brew is no longer the sole domain of coffee shops. Anyone can now use this home keg system to tap a few glasses of the good stuff right in their kitchen. Combine some cold brew concentrate with the nitrogen cartridges, and voila. Go ahead, make every morning feel like summer. We’re not jealous. Really.
Ratio Eight Cobalt Coffee Maker & Thermal Carafe
If you’re shopping for someone who cares a lot about good coffee, who’s also more of a “pre-orders a Tesla” than “restore a classic motorcycle” type, this is the do-it-all gift they’ll be psyched about. This automatic brewer pours straight into a thermal carafe to keep coffee warm, plus incorporates a bloom cycle into the brew (anyone who’s pretty into coffee will know what this means). And the mid-century modern design will make it a very attractive addition to their kitchen.
Perfect For: The Person Whose Expert Coffee-Making Skills Intimidate You, A Little
Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast
For someone who’s already very confident in their brewing technique, Mark Pendergrast’s extensively researched history of coffee will be a nice foray into a side of things they haven’t much explored. Pendergrast examines coffee’s colonial impact around the world with the same depth that he explains how Starbucks changed America’s relationship to the beverage and its culture. For anyone who’s serious about coffee, this history will be a fascinating read.
Aerolatte Cappuccino Artist Decorative Stencils
Know someone who might consider becoming a competition-level barista? A set of decorative foam art stencils will take their cappuccino or latte game to a new level. Make sure they send you photos of their creations. We have a feeling they will.
Third Wave Water
Coffee is mostly water. Like, 98% water. So, the better the H20, the better the coffee. Third Wave Water’s mineral supplement packs will allow a coffee obsessive to get a very balanced water and flavor no matter what the source. Translation: a more delicious cup.
Chemex Handblown Water Kettle
Will this hand-blown kettle improve the quality of a pot of coffee? Probably not. Will it look great on anyone’s stove? Absolutely. After all, it’s part of MoMA’s permanent collection.
Coffee Pro Certification
World-renowned coffee pro Willem Boot has created a full coffee training curriculum that teaches everything from Q Grading (quality grading of coffee) to advanced roasting techniques. All of which are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association and are available through online videos. Your recipient can take the full curriculum, or take whichever specific courses they’d like to round out their own knowledge.
Versailles Coffee Maker
Even if someone really has it all when it comes to coffee, they probably don’t have this 24-karat gold vacuum-brewer. Made to replicate the device Emperor Franz Josef used in the 1850s, this handcrafted work of art is a thing that indeed exists, if you’re truly looking for something ridiculously extravagant.
