So I planning to post this article end of last year but things got in the way. Better late than never right! At least, buying coffee as a gift is an all-year-round thing. It’s especially right now the way the world is and shopping being done online more than ever. What’s even better is that coffee and coffee equipment is widely available online.
Personally the past year I have experienced great tasting coffee from home. I have also upgraded and bought new equipment that I wanted for some time. That’s why I want to share 5 coffee gift ideas for true coffee lovers. I wanted this items on this list to be slightly different and geared towards the people who love speciality coffee. So here are 5 unique coffee gift ideas available online.
1. Gift Coffee Subscription
Let’s start with coffee itself as the first gift idea. Now there are lot of speciality coffee roasters who ship coffee to your door so I think it’s easy to pick a bag or two of coffee as a present. But I think to go to the next level is to gift someone a coffee subscription from a really good coffee roaster.
My choice would be Kiss the Hippo. They have built a reputation for selling some amazing tasting coffee that has been used by brewers to win competitions in the last couple of years. They provide lots of different types of coffee posting services but one of them is specifically designed as a gift subscription service (link to the page here). I think their gift subscription is broken down over few set options. So firstly they are available over 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. Then within these options, you can have the coffee delivered once a month, every other week or once a week.
Honestly, if someone got me this as a gift I would do cartwheels down my road everytime a new bag comes through the post. I would say the coffee once a month or every other week is ideal. Now Kiss the Hippo also do a 3-pack (250g each) coffee taster set at £33.00 if you just want to give a one time gift. But my choice will still be the gift subscription without a doubt.
2. A Cool New Brewer – Kalita Wave
There are lot of coffee brewer equipment you can buy someone nowadays. The Aeropress just comes to mind but in 2020 where travel has slightly been restrictive, I am going for for the Kalita wave.
So the Kalita Wave is a manual pour-over brewer that makes great filter coffee. It’s an alternative choice to the Haro V60 but in my opinion, it looks a lot better. With the wavy filter papers that gives me beach vibes for some reason. Then the Server Jugs are aesthetically really pleasing and nice to use.
The brewing process is slightly different from the V60 as the Kalita Wave has a flat-bed paper filter in contrast to the cone-shaped V60 papers. With some holes in the filter, the coffee drawdown is a lot quicker and I would say it’s a pretty easy brewer to get used too. They also have two different types of brewers, the glass top which makes and stainless Steel available in 1-2 cups (155) or 2-4 cups (185). Click this link to be directed to Amazon for current pricing, just ensure you match the paper filter size to the brewer and the server.
3. Coffee Storage Canister
If you drink or know someone who drinks specialty coffee then you will know coffee does not stay fresh and flavourful for a long time. So people who like to drink a moderate amount or lots of different types of coffee at a time then coffee storage canisters can be very useful.
There are plenty of coffee storage canisters available online, especially on Amazon. They probably all do a decent job but from reviews, there have some glaring issues. However, if you are going for a gift then my choice would be Fellow Atmos Vacuum Canisters because it functions well and looks cool. The Atmos suck out the air to prevent oxidation just by twisting the lid back and forth. They say you can improve the shelf life of coffee by 50%.
They are available in 3 different sizes from 0.4L, 0.7L, and 1.2 and the price range is reasonable from £30 to £35. Also, available in glass, matte black, and white I think they look pretty stylish compared to other coffee storage products. My go-to website to check out these Fellow Cannisters would be Crema (website link here) which has good prices if you live in the EU or want to purchase other coffee storage canisters.
4. A Coffee Book
The more you learn the more you earn…wait that’s not wait I was going for. The more coffee knowledge you obtain, the more the coffee will taste better…that will do. A good coffee book is a perfect coffee gift idea. We all know coffee drinkers are smart people (and not so when they haven’t drank any). But in the speciality coffee world, the whole process is a pure knowledge field that you can dive into without getting bored.
The ideal coffee book right now is definitely The World Atlas of Coffee (2nd Edition) by James Hoffman. This was published in 2018 and is available on Amazon (link here) right now at a really decent price. James Hoffman is a previous World Barista Champion, runs a Roastery Company called Square Mile Coffee and has a popular YouTube channel under his name. I don’t know why I am describing him. He is the most famous coffee guy in the world without a doubt.
His book is a great read that covers the coffee farming process to how it’s roasted. There are some brewing methods for some of the known brewers around the world. But what I like the most is the coffee history from different countries that produce coffee over Africa, Asia and the Americas. I enjoy buying coffee from a particular country and have read about its origins. It’s really interesting and this book is a good guide for cover lovers. A must-have for your bookshelf too.
5. Coffee Grinder
The last gift is something I recommend personally to anyone who is brewing coffee at home. Coffee grinders are crucial to good tasting coffee. But they are also expensive when you look at the Niche Grinder or the popular Commadante hand-grinder. So I would say the Wilfa Svart is the best choice as a gift as it’s actually well-priced for an exceptional quality electric grinder. I can confirm because it’s what I have been using since last year and I am glad to have purchased it.
The Wilfa Svart is an electric coffee grinder really for domestic use. It’s compact, well-built, grinds quickly and is not loud like builders are constructing a multi-story building next to you. It also has the size and aesthetic to fit into any kitchen. It’s not really designed to grind espresso-level coffee but it’s perfect for any manual brewers. I use it for the French Press, V60 pour-overs and even the classic Moka Pot.
I have done a post about it where I kind of review but mostly ramble about the Wilfa Svart. You Can read that article here. The Wilfa Svart is very popular and in-demand but it’s generally widely available and a lot of coffee roasters sell it too. It’s priced around £120 – £130 here in the UK. But if you read my review you can find how I got it for a little cheaper.
Conclusion
So there you have it, 5 coffee gift ideas available online. I hope these gift ideas are a bit different and unique so it can really surprise that true coffee lover. I means its hard buying coffee to stuff as lot of people drink it different. But the gift ideas I have listed is something I would have be very happy with if they were gifted to me.
See you in the next post Coffee Friends.