One of the many great things about us coffee lovers is that we’re easy to buy for. We get that unwrapping-the-presents feeling every time we open a bag of freshly ground coffee, so receiving a bag never gets old. And opening gifts is even better when it comes with a waft of caffeinated deliciousness.
So some actual, real-life coffee is the obvious choice of gift for the coffee lover in your life – may we steer you towards some jute single origin? – but there are loads of other possibilities, which is why we’ve put together this gift guide jam packed with the best coffee gifts out there.
There’s no coffee tat here. No coffee joke books. No gift packs with more air and unrecyclable plastic than a cheap Easter Egg. Nothing that says “Don’t speak to me till I’ve had my first cup of coffee”. Just surefire-hit gifts to make any coffee lover smile.
A reusable cup
Of all the litter we blithely generate, takeaway coffee cups look fairly benign, with their muted tones and rustic textures, but recycling them still takes its toll on the planet. Every coffee fan should have a reusable cup – there are some lovely, design-led ones out there – and, even if they already have one, a spare is never a bad thing, since it’s easy to forget yours as you head out for the day. We think the jute reusable cups are rather nice. Made from single-use paper cups, they’re extra specially virtuous and come in 8oz and 12oz sizes.
A flipping good flask
Of all the reasons not to relish long motorway journeys, ‘bad coffee’ is high on many people’s list. There are a few ways to go here. One, you can opt for a high-end, high-tech, high-spec Nasa-standard capsule of a flask that’ll keep the brew at the perfect temperature for hours on end, without impacting its subtle flavour notes. Or you can go retro and embrace that flasky flavour with a vintage Thermos – many of us have a fond nostalgia for that classic accompaniment to camping holidays and coach journeys.
Alternatively, see your giftee for the coffee nerd they are, and buy them an AeroPress.
Brewing kit to expand their coffee-making repertoire
Do you know which brew method your giftee generally uses at home? You could get them an upgrade on the kit they use, or nudge them towards trying a new coffee-making method.
The classic kit for pour-over brewing is the V60 dripper. The Hario brand is the queen of this method – they also do a lovely pour kettle. You’ll need some paper filters, too.
A Chemex is another pour-over coffee maker that produces enough for a few people at once. It’s a good one for sociable coffee drinkers.
The cafetière (aka French press) and stovetop (aka moka pot) methods look pretty old-school and you might think your coffee aficionado is above them – not so. It’s always good to have these two in your repertoire, and there are some very handsome examples about these days.
If your giftee is into espresso and espresso-based drinks (lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos, etc) then encourage their displays of at-home barista prowess with a beautiful Italian-made espresso machine. While some machines incline towards manual operation, the De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul Automatic Coffee Maker is more of a push-button choice, without compromising on the quality of the espresso end product. There are also more budget friendly options, of course – we love this neat De’Longhi Dedica Manual Espresso Machine.
A few more cute coffee gift ideas
- Make them a coffee (and walnut) cake
- Their new favourite coffee mug – or cup, it might be a cup
- Grab them a stylish – and highly practical – jute apron
- Get them the additional bits and bobs for making the likes of espresso martinis and gingerbread lattes
- Slide a jute gift card their way
- For the freshest possible at-home brew, it’s best to grind your own beans. Grinders need not be very pricey, although there are, of course, some serious bits of kit out there