A Coffee Expert Gift Guide: 7 Gifts Your Coffee Geek Actually Wants

We all know someone who always has a coffee in their hand. It’s that coffee enthusiast that admires the craft, or simply depends on caffeine. If you know someone who tinkers in their kitchen for hours brewing coffee different ways, or regularly reads books on the science of coffee brewing, then you need to prepare to give them a coffee gift this holiday season they’ll surely use.

Here’s the common scenario you want to avoid:

You walking through a department store, looking for something coffee related and end up settling for what is advertised to be the “must own” coffee toy of the year. Odds are, your coffee enthusiast will know your intentions were good, but end up using the device once and shelving it.

This isn’t your fault. Coffee people are just particular. And lucky for you, we know these coffee gifts are worth a shot (see what we did there?)

COFFEE: This is your fail-safe, as great coffee is an ideal gift for someone who loves the stuff.

• • Pro tip: Buy whole bean coffee and make sure to purchase it as close to the time you will be gifting it as possible. This will ensure it is fresh. (After roasting, coffee has a whole bean shelf life that’s equivalent to fresh produce, around 2-3 weeks at best, if kept in the original sealed bag from the roaster.)
    When it comes to selecting a great coffee, this can be a challenge. There are a wide array of not so tasty coffees out there.

Roasters Coffees Worth Gifting:

1. Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters
2. Cuvee Coffee
3. Novel Coffee Roasters
4. Sweet Bloom Coffee Roaster
5. Commonwealth Coffee

COFFEE CLASSES: This really takes the whole coffee experience to the next level. An educational opportunity is probably the most powerful gift you could give any home enthusiast or professional barista. Coffee classes will allow your coffee geek to brew better tasting coffee everyday through understanding the techniques associated with quality oriented coffee brewing and espresso. They will also further develop their coffee tasting palate and learn how to troubleshoot off tasting results.  (It’s a gift that keeps on giving!)

• At Texas Coffee School we offer gift certificate options for coffee cupping classes and even intensive full-day Espresso & Milk Classes, Quality Coffee Brewing Classes, and other barista training classes aught by  industry pros.

COFFEE GRINDERS: Within 15-30 minutes of being ground, coffee can lose up to 80% of its aromatic content, and can become extremely flat tasting.  This means that grinding fresh is imperative for brewing delicious tasting coffee at home.

• • When it comes to home grinders, Baratza is gold. Grinders have an immense impact on how coffee tastes and you definitely do not want to skimp in this area. For someone new to making coffee at home looking for a high-quality introductory grinder, the “Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee Grinder” model is a great bet.  It is relatively affordable, and a massive improvement over big box store brands of grinders.
  • There’s also Handground Precision Coffee Grinder for a more sleek and portable device at an affordable price.

For more detailed explanations of why we love these coffee grinders check out this blog post where we previously discussed them.

BREWING EQUIPMENT: Bonivita has you covered for your home coffee brewing needs. Their 8-cup coffee brewer  is a home auto-drip brewer that is certified to brew at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s standards (that’s a pretty big deal).  As far as home drip brewers go this is really a great bargain for the price-point and can brew a cup you’d be hard-pressed to tell apart from a high-end commercial brewer. (Many of us own this brewer and use it in our homes for consistent, no fuss, quality coffee brewing every morning.)

• • If pour-overs or other manual brewing techniques are more what they’re into, Bonavita has a range of gooseneck kettles that will be perfect for you.  We highly recommend their variable-temperature electric-kettles as they can heat water to a customizable temperature and keep it there, making pour-overs much more consistent.

CUPS: Once your coffee is brewed, you’re going to need something to drink it out of. Take the experience of drinking coffee further than just a cute ceramic mug.

• • We prefer the notNEUTRAL “Lino” line of cups.  These cups were designed with feedback and ideas from industry-leading baristas so everything from the flow of the coffee to the way the angles of the cup emphasize the sensory aspects of the beverage was considered.

COLD BREWED COFFEE MAKER: If they prefer coffee cold, the Cold Bruer is one of the market’s best cold-brewing devices. The Cold Bruer brings the experience of the beautiful, tall (and expensive) cold-drip towers you may have seen in a specialty coffee shop and shrinks it down into a small, affordable device perfect for the home. (Believe it or not, it also performs way better.)

• • Fun Fact: Compared to steeped cold-brewed coffee, cold slow drip coffee has a much more complex and intense profile and this device can really help your favorite coffee lover experience a cup like they never have before.

COFFEE ART: If you know a particularly artsy or design-oriented coffee-lover, the amazing prints from the Department of Brewology are a great holiday gift choice!

• • • Created by David Salinas, barista turned illustrator, these beautiful prints are aesthetically pleasing, smart and thoughtful tributes to our favorite beverage.