If you have a coffee lover in your life then a wonderful idea for a gift is some form of coffee kit. They will love it, there are very affordable options, and most of them can be easily ordered online.
However, if you yourself are not a coffee drinker, or not on their level then where do you start? Well here is our definitive list of gifts for coffee lovers. Anything on this list is a great option, high quality, and coveted by most coffee lovers.
So without further ado, let’s get into it!
Best Gifts for Coffee Lovers
How to Make the Best Coffee at Home by James Hoffman
How to Make the Best Coffee at Home is the newest contribution of coffee guru James Hoffmann. It is his all-in-one guide on how to brew a good cup of coffee. This is a wonderful gift for a coffee lover in your life. Having read the book I can attest that it is a superb read and packed full of bright beautiful photos. And so not only is it a great read but it is also just a really good coffee table book.
If your friend/relative/spouse is a true coffee lover then they will have either heard of James Hoffmann or really need to. This is a great book that is very readable, not too long, and packed with helpful tips for brewing better coffee over a wide range of brewing methods. While you can opt for the kindle version, it is such a beautiful book that we strongly recommend purchasing the hard copy. This is a nice cheap coffee gift that any coffee lover will thoroughly enjoy.
Coffee beans
If you know anything about coffee lovers we all say that we are not coffee snobs but we totally are! Coffee lovers can tend to be very particular about their coffee which can make buying a gift for them such a pain. So to buy them coffee beans when you don’t know anything about coffee might seem like the height of folly. In fact, maybe they have even given you the talk about the importance of fresh quality beans which convinced you to never talk coffee with them again.
But to do it well is actually easier than you might think. It will take a little more preparation than some other gifts on this list but is well worth it. In advance you will have to know two things about your friend; whether they grind their own beans or use pre-ground, and what is their preferred coffee maker. From there, simply jump onto google and type in ‘best coffee roasters near me.’ Then you simply pick no. 1 on the list and give them a call telling them whether you need coffee grounds or whole beans and for what coffee maker and ask what beans they would recommend. And they will sort you out quickly with some delicious coffee beans. This tends to be a cheaper coffee gift for coffee lovers and will impress them at the same time!
If you really wanted to spoil them, you could buy them a bag of premium Kona Coffee. See our guide to the Best Kona Coffee for some top picks.
The other option is to sign them up for a coffee subscription or sampler box from a company such as Atlas Coffee Club or Trade Coffee. A coffee subscription is a great option to give your friend the chance to try a bunch of coffee from different roasters. The coffee is also only roasted after being ordered to ensure freshness. For more information check out our review of Atlas Coffee Club and Trade Coffee subscription.
Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker
The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker is one of the best cold-brew coffee makers on the market. It produces a smooth, rich cold brew concentrate that can be diluted with water, ice, or milk.
The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker makes brewing a breeze with several thoughtful design features. The first is a rainmaker lid to ensure water is evenly distributed over the coffee grounds. The second is an automatic brew release switch that is activated when the coffee maker is placed on top of the carafe.
The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker comes with a glass carafe and lid to store the cold brew in. This is a compact, affordable brewer, perfect for whipping up a batch of cold brew to get you through those hot summer months.
The Aeropress
This rather iconic and eclectic-looking coffee maker is perhaps one of the best gifts for coffee lovers. It has been around for a number of years now and has acquired something of a cult following. And the reason is that it can make superb-tasting coffee, is remarkably enjoyable to use, and is additionally light and durable enough for travel or hiking. There really isn’t much not to love about the Aeropress. And the other reason that this is quite a safe option is that it would be a great coffee gift for either the novice coffee lover or the veteran. If you are wanting to really spoil someone you could throw in the Hario Olive wood server with it- they will love it!
Particularly if your friend/spouse/relative is someone who either travels or hikes a lot then you really don’t need to read any further, the Aeropress is right for them and they will come to love it! If you are not convinced then read our Aeropress review for a full rundown.
The Hario Drip Scale
Another thing you may or may not realize is that an essential part of any coffee lover’s kit is a set of coffee scales. Coffee brewing is a precise art and so the more consistent and accurate you are the better flavor that you will produce overall. So for us for example, we have owned our Hario Drip Scale for around three years now and we have probably used it for 90% of the coffees we made during that time.
It is also worth noting that coffee scales differ from standard kitchen scales. They all have an inbuilt timer which is helpful for coffee brewing and also tend to have a longer time before they automatically switch off. This particular scale again really is the time-tested model that is literally owned by thousands of committed coffee lovers all over the world. It is a great scale and a great gift idea.
The Chemex
This elegant-looking piece of art is actually a pour-over coffee maker and is widely loved and used in the coffee world. It looks stunning, makes superb-tasting coffee, and is particularly well suited to making larger batches of coffee. If they love coffee you can be sure they will love the Chemex.
In fact, interestingly enough, this brewer is unique in that it is actually a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A good conversation starter on any benchtop. But seriously, it does make fantastic-tasting coffee especially if your friend has dabbled into pour-over coffee or talks about single-origin beans. It is also handy that because it is one piece of blown glass it comes with both the coffee brewer and carafe/server in one. A solid gift for coffee lovers.
The Ember Coffee Mug
What do you buy the friend who already has it all? Well, one safe option is this cutting-edge smart coffee cup. I can almost guarantee they won’t own it. This rather elegant-looking black coffee cup is probably the most advanced cup that you have heard of. Basically, the idea is that coffee lovers can be easily distracted and sometimes make a superb brew only to get distracted and come back to the disappointment of a cold cup of coffee. Well with the Ember Mug, no longer.
This techy cup allows the user to preset the temperature at whichever they would like their coffee kept so that they could even leave for a few hours and come back to find their brew good to go! It allows you to choose your preferred drinking temperature and then it will keep your drink at that heat either for 1.5 hours if away from the charger or all day if on the charger. This is a perfect coffee gift for those who drink their coffee black. However, be warned that while it is the most advanced coffee cup you have heard of, it may also be the most expensive. This bad boy isn’t cheap!
1Zpresso Jx Coffee Grinder
1zpresso has hit the world by storm these last few years and is now the manual coffee grinder of choice for many coffee lovers. This is a hugely popular coffee grinder and one we most readily recommend. To put it simply we believe that 1zpresso represents the best price-to-quality ratio that is currently on the market.
The 1Zpresso Jx is an affordable, yet premium hand grinder. It has a superb build quality, excellent grind consistently, and is known to last. The 1Zpresso Jx is mainly used for soft brews, or there are other 1Zpresso grinders in the lineup like the JX Pro or K Max which can be used for both pour-over and espresso.
We convinced our own brother to get one of these because they are just so good. They fall into the premium camp as opposed to other grinders like the Porlex or Hario and yet won’t break the bank like some premium hand grinders. You can also buy an additional travel case which is well worth it if you intend to travel or hike with this grinder.
The Jx is a fairly standard model that is neither the cheapest nor the best 1zpresso offers but instead falls somewhere in the middle. It has 48mm stainless steel burrs and an impressive 120-grind settings. It is also a very fast hand grinder which as any user will tell you is an important consideration.
In this list, this is about middle price, not super expensive, but not cheap either.
The Baratza Encore
This is a bit more of a pricey coffee gift that perhaps would better suit a spouse or partner situation rather than the common acquaintance. Basically, it is a burr coffee grinder that is of excellent quality for the price point. In fact, the Baratza Encore really is the go-to grinder in the specialty coffee world for manual brewing methods (basically everything but espresso; French Press, Aeropress, Pour Over, Moka Pot, etc.). It comes with high-quality burrs and is just a great wee grinder that your coffee-loving friend can appreciate and use.
So especially if your special friend hasn’t yet begun to grind his or her own beans then this is a fantastic coffee gift that will help them to really lift their coffee game. It is by no means the cheapest item on this list, however.
Acaia Lunar
This is certainly a premium gift on this list. We wouldn’t recommend this state-of-the-art coffee scale for your average coffee lover. But if you know someone who is seriously into specialty coffee and loves geeking out then this is a wonderful option. The Acaia Lunar really is the gold standard when it comes to coffee scales.
A few of the basic features include a 20ms response time, Bluetooth connectivity, real-time flow rate indicator, an LED display, and just remarkable precision. This particular model is more suited to espresso being water resistant and having a small footprint to fit onto a drip tray. For soft brewing methods (non-espresso), we recommend the Pearl which has a larger footprint.
This Acaia scales are beautiful, the top of their field, and every coffee lover’s dream. However, if you aren’t a coffee lover, you will balk at paying this must for a coffee scale!
Smeg Milk Frother
Smeg is a well-known name in the world of kitchen appliances. They are almost always elegant, feature rounded edges and gentle curves, and are statement pieces in their own right.
The Smeg milk frother is no exception. This appliance has won prizes for its appearance, and is simply an excellent, if expensive, milk frother. It heats and steams milk whether for hot chocolates or more preferably coffee-based drinks quickly and seamlessly. It can froth up 250ml or 8.5oz of milk at a time or heat up to 600ml or 20oz.
It comes with seven different programs that can be selected from the dial on the front of the appliance. The milk quality is faultless, and it is slightly ridiculous how much this milk frother can do.
We wouldn’t recommend this as a gift for all coffee lovers, but if you are looking to gift it to someone who loves decor and aesthetics and could use a milk frother, then look no further!
Technivorm Moccamaster
This imposing-looking machine is really the cream of the crop when it comes to drip coffee machines. It is the sort of one that can be used in a cafe setting and has solidly led the field for the last few decades. It is retro in design, has hardly any features, and makes really really nice drip coffee or batch brew.
The lack of features is a deliberate choice to focus on longevity and simply do one thing really well. The Moccamaster is very easy to use, will literally last a lifetime, and makes large batches of coffee for families, offices, or small social functions. For a long time, this has been our favorite drip coffee maker and we don’t see that changing any time soon.
If your friend or spouse loves drip coffee then do them a favor and buy them the Moccamaster.
Fellow Precision Set
Fellow is a household name in the specialty coffee community. And this gift set really is any coffee lover’s dream made real. The Precision set includes the Fellow Ode Brew Grinder, the Fellow Stagg EKG variable temperature kettle (the very kettle we own), and some premium beans from Kenya.
Again this is not a cheap coffee gift but instead a premium option. It is also a bit niche as it must be for someone who loves coffee and yet doesn’t presently own a burr grinder or a gooseneck kettle. Both this kettle and burr grinder is designed for soft-brewing methods; particularly pour-over and Aeropress.
The grinder has a solid track record since it was released and is one of the grinders of choice for soft brews. The Fellow Stagg EKG is an absolute classic. It is an electric gooseneck kettle that has an LED screen, variable temperature control, a hold function, and a heap of other features. This is the kettle we own and use every day for pour-over, and really is the best in its field.
So an excellent kit that looks beautiful and functions superbly. However, not again not cheap, and should only be purchased for someone who doesn’t already have their own quality burr grinder they use and love.
Flair 58
Flair Espresso designed the iconic manual espresso maker. They are portable, beautiful, and can make an excellent shot of espresso. They have various different models from the basic and cheap to the newly released and sought-after Flair 58. A manual espresso maker is not for everyone; it requires patience and a willingness to overcome a fairly steep learning curve. It is also more finicky than electric espresso machines.
However, if you have a coffee geek in your life then this is a great option. Flair is strongly trusted in the specialty coffee community and has only been improving its espresso machines in the last number of years.
In particular, we would recommend the Flair 58. We have strongly considered buying it as has virtually every other coffee lover we know. The 58 refers to the 58mm portafilter which is commercial size and means you can now use all normal espresso accessories with the Flair. The Flair 58 has an electric component for the first time, leading to better temperature stability while not compromising the manual aspect of the machine.
This is the sort of coffee gift that makes me slightly envious just to write about—highly recommended.
Breville Barista Pro
A Breville espresso machine is really the go-to machine for most people who have fallen in love with good coffee. They aren’t niche or super-expensive like a Rocket or Lelit or La Marzocco, but they are packed full of high-end features, are affordable, and can make superb coffee. In fact, we ourselves own a Breville espresso machine and find it can easily beat most of the coffees we get from local coffee shops.
The strength of the Breville Barista Pro is that it is an all-in-one espresso machine. It includes an inbuilt conical burr grinder as well as all the necessary accessories to make espresso. If you get one literally all you need to buy are beans and then you are away laughing. Some of the features of the Barista Pro include an astounding 3-second warm-up time, PID temperature control, pre-infusion, an Led screen, and programmable shot control. For those who are familiar with Breville, this model is the new and improved successor to the Barista Express.
In fact, this espresso machine even won the best new product at the 2019 specialty coffee Expo! This isn’t a cheap gift for a coffee lover, but it is one that will literally make their year. It can make coffee shop quality coffee with a little practice and can easily steam milk well enough to do latte art.
A great gift for coffee lovers.
Well, we hope this guide to gifts for coffee lovers has been informative in helping you find the right gift for that coffee-loving friend who is so hard to buy for! Any of these coffee gifts they will be sure to love!
Happy buying!
