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If you suspect that your recipient might want something a bit more straightforward than Trade or Driftaway, try Blue Bottle’s subscription, which we named our most reliable pick. Their offerings are simpler with four coffee blends, a single-origin coffee, a few varieties for espresso, and a couple of nontraditional offerings like a New Orleans–style coffee made with chicory.
A recent Strategist favorite, Cometeer coffee pods contain a flash-frozen concentrate made from beans sourced from great independent coffee roasters across the country. You thaw them one at a time (they never really go bad), then add cold water and ice or hot water, depending on the season. You’re guaranteed a cup that tastes as though it came from your favorite local shop.
If you’re looking for a nonrecurrent gift, coffee professional LaNisa Williams (who works with cafés and restaurants in Los Angeles with a particular focus on BIPOC-owned businesses) says your recipient may be more surprised to receive Vietnamese coffee, a style she loves. Williams buys hers from Nguyen Coffee Supply and says this kit from the company — which includes a phin filter and a bag of beans — will teach anyone how to prepare coffee the Vietnamese way. “They roast all their own beans,” she says of the company, “and the alternate brewing device is awesome.”
Cxffee Black is an organization that seeks to “Make Coffee Black Again” by amplifying the work of African American members of the U.S. coffee community and bringing them closer together. Plus, Williams says, it “makes some of the best coffee I’ve tasted.” That’s why she recommends gifting Cxffee Black’s monthly subscription, which includes a bag of its Guji Mane blend each month along with a poster, exclusive music playlists, and “first dibs on exclusive coffees,” according to the organization.
We’ve written about the Stagg EKG kettle quite a bit before, and it continues to be one of our favorite gift recommendations. There’s no kettle more recommended by coffee professionals, who praise it for just about everything. “It heats quickly and allows you to adjust the temperature setting in one-degree increments,” says Jerad Morrison, a co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco. “It will even regulate and hold at your temp preference.” The gooseneck is beloved for its super-accurate pouring, and the overall design is “sturdy and eloquent,” says Kyle Ramage, a co-owner of Black & White Coffee Roasters in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Hario was the original creator of this type of spout, and though more advanced kettles (like the one above) have since come out, it still commands a lot of respect. Mody has had his for about eight years and says that even though there’s no way to get a precise temperature, you don’t have to overthink using it: “Just boil the water, wait a minute, and then pour it.”
Hario makes a stovetop version of the electric kettle above, but when it comes to analog, Walsh prefers their white enamel-and-wood model, which she uses to make pour-overs and tea. She’s mostly drawn to the aesthetic, she says, but as with all gooseneck spouts, it allows for gentle and precise pouring, a must for anyone who is serious about their coffee. “I’ve been using it for many years, and it’s just reliable and durable,” she says.
If a gooseneck spout isn’t a requirement, Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo recommends the Chantal Oslo. She was originally drawn to its stylish design but also notes that it is “blissfully uncomplicated” to use. You simply fill it with water, press the one button, and wait.
In the early 1980s, Italian brand Alessi commissioned world-renowned architect Michael Graves to design a kettle. It has since become a timeless, highly recognizable piece that’s sure to be appreciated by anyone who prefers a stovetop model with a larger spout.
In our roundup of the best coffee grinders, coffee professionals told us that if you’re serious about your coffee, you should buy your beans whole and grind them at home with a burr grinder to ensure an even brew and fresh taste. Burr grinders essentially work by passing the coffee beans through two cutting surfaces (whereas a blade grinder works more like a food processor or blender with a spinning blade, often resulting in uneven grind size). Burr grinders can get quite expensive, but thankfully our experts’ favorite, the Baratza Encore, is actually one of the least pricey of the bunch. Its affordability is why it’s so appealing as a first “serious” coffee grinder — and why it makes such a great gift. “It’s simple to use and super-consistent,” says Stumptown Coffee café manager Joanna Lareau.
When it came out a few years ago, Fellow’s Ode grinder was all the rage among professional and amateur baristas alike — and it has stayed a consistent favorite over time. “They really thought about every detail,” Morrison says. “The dial that adjusts the grind size is very intuitive. The cup that catches the grind is magnetic, so it clicks into position tightly and easily.” The machine even has a button that shakes out any chaff — the leftover coffee skins that mostly come off during roasting but usually not all the way — “into the cup instead of blowing them out onto your counter, which happens with other grinders.”
If you’re looking for a manual grinder, it doesn’t get any better than Comandante, says Tom Bomford, coffee director at New York City’s Black Fox. The steep price shows that it’s just as good — or even better, Bomford says — than a lot of electric grinders on the market. “With a hand mill, you will find that more of your money goes into the blade quality and the grinder’s internal gears,” he says. He’s owned one himself for a couple of years, using it for smaller pours and taking it with him when he travels, and it hasn’t shown any signs of wear.
For a more affordable hand grinder, Caroline Bell, the owner of Cafe Grumpy in New York City, says the Porlex is a solid choice. Just like the Comandante and other high-quality electric models on the market, it has burr blades, which means the grind size is really consistent. She also thinks it’s great to travel with “or to gift someone if you don’t want to assume anything about the setup of their kitchen,” she says.
A coffee scale is a must for serious coffee drinkers, according to Selina Ullrich, the director of coffee at East One Coffee. It is “essential to achieving consistent success with your brewing,” she says. Both she and Bettencourt told us this Acaia scale is their favorite, as it’s nice to look at when not in use and incredibly functional when it is. “Its minimalist simplicity also has a lot of hidden functionality,” Bettencourt explains. “Useful features include a timer, dual timer, weight displays, and even Bluetooth capabilities (for obsessives who like to keep track of their brews on their smartphone through the brand’s accompanying app).” Ullrich adds that on top of being precise, this scale is “durable and water- and heat-proof if you use the rubber mat it comes with.” It’s a bit pricey, but she promises “it is a fantastic tool for anyone trying to progress as a home coffee brewer.”
While Elbourne agrees the Acaia Pearl is both a worthy scale and gift, he told us he knows many folks who swear by this slightly smaller one, which “costs a fraction of the price” and comes from a coffee-minded company. The only noticeable difference between the two, he says, is this scale “doesn’t count quite as fast, so you’ll have to stop slightly sooner if you’re aiming for a super-exact number.”
Even cheaper is the Escali Primo, a scale so reliable that we named it our best-overall pick. The design is simple, the buttons are intuitive to use, and it will last a very long time. Best of all, you can choose from nine colors to coordinate with your recipient’s kitchen.
“Aeropress fans are fanatics and always experimenting with different ways to play with their brews,” Elbourne says. For the Aeropress user in your life, Williams recommends this nifty attachment that ingeniously converts any Aeropress into a pressurized coffee maker that can pull an espresso shot. “It means the user is able to have an espresso shot on the go,” Williams says.
Coffee-loving Strategist contributor Dinah Lenney wrote about her obsession with coffee spoons a couple of years ago. The best of the best, she concludes, is this set of two egg-shaped spoons. Beyond the pretty metallic color options, she praises their weight and heft, noting that the bend of the handle was satisfying to hold, just slightly curved to accommodate her thumb.
Before coffee beans reach consumers, they go through a testing process called “cupping,” where they’re sipped from special spoons for quality control. Serious coffee drinkers such as Vonie like to practice cupping at home as they perfect their brews and grinds, and if you’re shopping for someone who cups or wants to start cupping, she recommends gifting them a cupping spoon from Umeko Motoyoshi’s Umeshiso. “These spoons are staples throughout the entire coffee world, and come in various sizes and colors to suit your personality and cupping style,” Vonie explains. Her favorite is the Little Dipper in goth black.
Gifts for dadFor an affordable but still thoughtful gift, Cary Wong, a member of the Partners Coffee Education Team, recommends this brew stick, which you can use both to agitate the grounds in a pour-over and measure in or out grounds if you’re off by a gram or two. “Plus, it’s nice-looking and well packaged,” he says. He notes that Kruve makes a lot of cool coffee gear in general that is worth browsing.
“If you are someone who finds themselves buying pre-ground coffee, then this coffee-storage canister is a relatively inexpensive way to store it well,” Bomford says. The seal is supertight so the canister is resistant to temperature changes, and the bottom part of the lid moves down as you make your way through your grounds, keeping out oxygen and light and therefore ensuring a fresher cup.
Battery-operated handheld frothers, which pretty much all have a small flat whisk at the end of a long handle that whirs quickly when you press a button, tend to be weaker than their electric (and much more expensive) counterparts. That’s why Mody and McCarthy were amazed by the performance of the NanoFoamer when they tried it a few months ago. It produces a texture surprisingly close to café-quality foam, a consistency they previously thought would be difficult to achieve without the force of a steam wand. “It kind of blew my mind, honestly,” McCarthy says.
This is one of Fellow’s newer products — a sieve that removes micro-size dust from your ground coffee. “It’s a great way to up your coffee-making game at home,” says Wong. “It results in a much better consistency, a cleaner cup, and more flavorful coffee. Plus, it’s affordable and easy to clean. You just have to rinse it out.”
Bomford says the difference between brewing with tap versus filtered water will be “eye-opening for anyone.” These mineral supplements are a super-accessible way to achieve that — you just drop one packet into a gallon of water, use that to brew your coffee, and you’ll immediately notice a better-tasting cup. It makes sense, given that water is the primary ingredient in both coffee and espresso. “These are a great place to start if you don’t want to change your equipment but you just want to improve your coffee today,” he says.
For some coffee-related literature, barista turned coffee educator Erica Jackson recommends gifting a subscription to the quarterly magazine Coffee People. She says it’s a great way to keep up with the latest and greatest debates and developments in the industry. According to Jackson, its editor, Kat Melheim, “founded the magazine to expand our perception of the humans who produce, brew, and serve coffee daily.” Reading it, she adds, will “take coffee lovers beyond their daily routine and into the collective creative genius of the global industry.”
“This book is all the rage in the coffee world right now,” says Mody. By Edward F. Fischer, an anthropologist at University of Vanderbilt, it explores Guatemala’s relationship to the coffee industry, in particular in connection to Mayan communities and German immigrants. It takes a historical lens to start and then moves through to today, all outlined by different waves of the coffee movement there.
“This book is all the rage in the coffee world right now,” says Mody. By Edward F. Fischer, an anthropologist at University of Vanderbilt, it explores Guatemala’s relationship to the coffee industry, in particular in connection to Mayan communities and German immigrants. It takes a historical lens to start and then moves through to today, all outlined by different waves of the coffee movement there.
Mitchell Kass, the founder and creative director of trend-forecasting agency Trend Council, thinks this “smart” mug from Ember would be a hit with “anyone who hates drinking lukewarm coffee.” (This is especially true if they don’t own a microwave.) It comes with a saucer that doubles as a charging dock and can be programmed to maintain your preferred drink temperature, making it a unique and high-tech gift for pretty much any coffee aficionado. Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio is another fan, but notes that she relies on her 14-ounce size (as opposed to the ten-ounce one shown here) — so take note if your recipient likes a bigger mug.
This is the mug Wong uses at home — and he loves it. Even though it’s made from porcelain, the material is mixed with potter’s clay, resulting in a textured surface. “That makes it so nice to hold,” says Wong. “Plus, it absorbs heat, so it keeps your coffee warm.”
For a ceramic option, try these handcrafted mugs from Masienda, which are a pleasure to drink from. They have a smooth, thick rim; a sturdy base; and a handle that’s satisfying to hold. Just like with its masa, the company sources these earth-tone beauties from Mexico.
These handblown glass mugs are a favorite of Bomford, who owns several sets himself, because they feel much more expensive than they are. “One of the main appeals of a good cocktail would have to be the nice glassware,” he says. “Likewise, coffee just tastes better when it is served in an elegant glass. It’s not just about the way it looks, but about how your drink opens up, how you get your nose into it.”
These cappuccino cups, designed for professional baristas, first became popular about two decades ago when “third-wave coffee was still just a few main companies, like Stumptown and Intelligentsia,” says Mody. “But I’ve started using them after a long hiatus.” He loves the feel, with the handle at the perfect height, as well as the thickness of the walls, which provides great heat retention. “It gives you the feeling of being in an Italian café,” he says, “one of those where you stand at the bar and drink an espresso shot and walk away. I think they’d be great as a simple, classic choice to add to someone’s mug collection.”
We named this tumbler the best overall travel mug after talking to a bunch of experts. “It’s super-sleek and retains heat and cold really well,” says Allie Caran, the product manager at Barista Valet in New York City. Morrison explains that the double-walled interior is responsible for the temperature hold. “It’s stainless steel, so it washes really easily,” he says, “and doesn’t hold on to any flavors.”
The KeepCup also came up multiple times among our experts. It’s made of glass, so it’s easy to clean, and it has an ecofriendly cork ring so you can comfortably hold it while on the go.
Runners can be picky about their gear — and rightly so. Your friend’s favorite energy gel might make you feel sick, and your tried-and-true sneakers could leave another runner with shin splints. That lands runners firmly in the “hard to shop for” category, but it is still possible to find gifts for the runners in your life that they’re sure to love. (We didn’t include any running shoes on this list, because we think the best kicks are dependent on fit and feel and trying them out in person. And, of course, we’ve got a guide on how to choose the right ones for yourself.)
Drawing on our favorites, plus the input of avid runners, coaches, Strategist staffers, and other experts, we’ve compiled the best gifts for all runners — whether they’re tackling their first miles or collecting medals. To help you shop, we’ve sorted all our gift ideas by price range.
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