ALLFeature
The Best Gifts For People Who Are Into Coffee
What to get the coffee-obsessed people in your life this holiday season - from those new to brewing to the coffee-obsessed.
ALLFeature
What to get the coffee-obsessed people in your life this holiday season - from those new to brewing to the coffee-obsessed.
Whether you’re shopping for someone who’s just dipping their toes into the world of coffee or getting something for a seasoned obsessive who already has their own coffee YouTube channel, this guide has a bunch of great gift ideas. It’s broken into three sections based on the experience levels of potential gift recipients, with unique items across a range of price points. From self-heating mugs to latte art stencils, you’ll find something worth giving here (maybe even to yourself).
We’re recommending these products because we actually use them. Equipment you buy through our links may earn us a commission.
For someone who’s just making their way into the world of coffee, a variety pack of beans offers the chance to experience various flavors and blends from across the globe. Whether it helps your friend understand their personal flavor preferences or steers them toward their new favorite bean, this Coffee Explorer Kit is a great introduction to small lot, sustainable coffees.
Get Driftaway Explorer Kit ($22-$80) →
If your friend or loved one is just starting to expand their coffee palette, Nguyen Coffee Supply’s variety pack will let them explore both robusta and arabica beans that are sustainably sourced and pack a caffeinated punch.
Get Nguyen Coffee Supply Vietnamese Coffee Trio ($45)→
Sitting at a kitchen table and wrapping your hands around a warm mug might just be the best part of drinking coffee, and here’s how you can gift that experience. Asheville, North Carolina-based brand East Fork has developed a cult following for their beautiful, durable pottery over the past few years, and their mugs are especially weighty and comforting. (They’ll also last for decades.)
Get The Mug from East Fork ($38) →
A coffee grinder is one of the easiest ways to improve a budding barista’s brewing setup and make them feel like a pro. 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 (and thereby affect their flavor), a burr grinder creates less friction and helps maintain the integrity of the beans. All of this is to say that the Encore is not only one of the cleanest grinds you’ll get, but also offers the best bang for your buck.
Get Baratza Encore Burr Grinder ($170) →
photo credit: Emily Schindler
A quality 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. It also looks pretty damn elegant on a kitchen counter. Simple and attractive, this press is available in a lot of different colors.
Get Le Creuset Stoneware French Press ($75) →
Another attractive brewing option, Yield’s modern glass take on the French Press will stand out on anyone’s counter or coffee station (and it’s dishwasher safe). The green and amber options are backordered until February, but the cobalt one should arrive in time for the holidays.
Get Yield Design 850 mL Glass French Press ($85)→
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Ah, technology. It’s gotten us to the moon and allows 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 a hot beverage at the exact temperature of your choice for over an hour. This is a great gift for someone who drinks their coffee slowly over the course of the morning.
Get Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2 ($100) →
There are two types of coffee people: enthusiasts who want to explore and try different roasts and blends, and people who only like their coffee one way, every time. For the former, Trade offers a diverse array of expertly curated beans from local roasters throughout the United States. You can gift a starter pack of anywhere from 2 to 24 bags, and the recipient can decide how frequently they receive their beans.
Get Trade Coffee 3-Bag Gift Subscription ($60)→
photo credit: Emiy Schindler
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 travel, it comes with a bag of Nguyen Coffee Supply’s beans, which are grown in Vietnam and roasted in Brooklyn. For a proper Vietnamese coffee, be sure to send some sweetened condensed milk too.
Get The Original Phin Kit ($27-$30, was $29-$32) →
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.
Get Mokha Monthly Subscription ($28/month) →
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. This one from Acaia has a timer, various weight modes, and a proprietary app to help track coffee input, water amounts, and more. It’s perfect for anyone who gets excited about the science of coffee.
Get Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale ($150) →
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Along the same lines, sometimes a kettle is more than just 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.
Get Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle ($159-$189) →
The smooth flavor of nitro cold brew is no longer exclusive to coffee shops. Now, you can use this home keg system to tap a few glasses of the good stuff right in your 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.
Get Royal Brew Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker Home Keg Kit System ($150) →
If you’re shopping for someone who cares a lot about good coffee and is 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 double-walled carafe to keep your coffee warm, plus incorporates a bloom cycle into the brew (anyone who’s pretty into coffee will know what this means).
Get Ratio Six Automatic Pour Over Coffee Maker ($345) →
Chances are, your gift recipient already has a go-to coffee mug for working from home but could use an upgrade in the to-go department. The Fellow Carter travel mug fully optimizes your coffee drinking experience, thanks to the wide mouth and top-tier insulation — and it has a leak-proof seal, so you can toss it into a tote bag when you have to make the trek to the office.
Get Fellow Carter Travel Mug ($30-$35)→
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 different side of things. Pendergrast examines coffee’s colonial impact around the world and explains how Starbucks changed America’s relationship to the beverage and its culture. If you know someone who’s serious about coffee, this history will be a fascinating read.
Get Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World ($23) →
Know someone who’s trying to become 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.
Ge Aerolatte Cappuccino Artist Decorative Stencils ($17) →
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 the source. Translation: a more delicious cup.
Get Third Wave Water Mineral Supplement ($17) →
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.
Get Chemex Handblown Water Kettle ($76) →
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 the courses are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, and they’re available through online videos. Your recipient can take the full curriculum or choose specific classes to round out their knowledge.
Sign up for Coffee Pro Courses ($50+) →
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 looking for something ridiculously extravagant.
NYC restaurant news you can use for the week of November 30th.
From latkes to jelly donuts, you’ll find excellent Hanukkah takeout specials from these Seattle restaurants and bakeries.
NYC restaurants offering latkes, sufganiyot, kugel, brisket, and gelt to make Hanukkah 2021 more festive.