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Each year our staff and contributors round up their best gift ideas for cooks, eaters, and the kitchen-curious. Read on for the buzziest gifts for coffee lovers.
Let me be clear as I lay out the best gifts for “coffee lovers,” because there’s a wide range of people who fall into this particular category of caffeine obsession. Some (like me) have fallen deep down the rabbit hole of specialty coffee equipment and single-origin beans. For those discerning coffee lovers, the ones who labor over their morning brew until it’s perfect, you can be sure there will be barista-grade espresso machines and brewing accessories on this list. Of course, some coffee lovers care about efficiency over luxury. If you’re shopping for a Nespresso stan or a programmable drip machine enthusiast, I’ve got you covered with things like coffee subscriptions that make great gifts, adorable mugs, and worthwhile upgrades to their coffee bar setup. Below, find the best gifts for every kind of coffee lover.
Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle
If I know someone who’s interested in getting into coffee, I’ll gift them a Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle at the first opportunity. This electric kettle has been the gold standard since 2017, and that’s probably not changing anytime soon. It features an exacting temperature gauge, a gooseneck shape for precise pouring, and thoughtful design details like fingerprint-resistant matte paint. You can even schedule a boil so your water is waiting for you in the morning.
Yield Green French Press
I’ve tried a lot of French presses over the years, but none of them have sparked joy in my heart like Yield’s vintage bottle green glass French press. It’s made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass that also happens to be dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning, and it makes 28 ounces of coffee, which is perfect for my two-person household.
Coffee Subscription
Want to be the first person your crush thinks of in the morning? I can’t work magic, but gift them a coffee subscription and see what happens. All the subscriptions I’ve vetted and recommended allow for some customization of type of bean (whole or ground), roast level, flavor profile, and frequency of deliveries. Click through for the whole list of best coffee subscriptions, or consider these three standout services below.
Alessi 9090 Espresso Maker
Alessi’s iconic collection of kettles and moka pots has grown and grown–but in my eyes the most beautiful is still the 9090, the Italian design house’s first coffee maker, created by Richard Sapper. This stainless-steel stunner holds 6 servings of espresso and is just as happy on an induction stove top as it is an old-school range.
Acaia’s Pearl S Coffee Scale
Acaia’s Pearl S scale has all the bells and whistles you could ask for and then some—it even has a digital brewing guide that walks you through every step of the pour-over brewing process. Get this for your friend who still uses a baking scale for their morning brew.
Barista Warrior Reusable Filter
BA contributor Sarah Jampel was onto something when she switched to this reusable coffee filter to avoid the 6 a.m. no-paper-filter panic. Besides guaranteeing you’ll always have a cup, this steel filter cuts down on paper waste and does away with that papery taste you sometimes detect in pour-over.
Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Grinder
Grind consistency, only achievable with conical burr or flat burr grinders, is key for stellar coffee. Baratza is at the top of the conical burr game–and because Baratza is owned by Breville, it has been tested alongside the espresso machine we recommend for most beginners, the Breville Bambino Plus. (Just in case you’re looking for a big, impressive double appliance gift.) Worried a coffee grinder is too practical a present? Let BA contributor Carla Lalli Music convince you that this is the way to “change a person’s life”.
Sablo Ceramic Espresso Cups
These two-toned, 2.4-ounce ceramic espresso mugs are not only adorable, they’re also dishwasher- and microwave-safe. They come in a set of four, which makes them a perfect gift for someone who just got an espresso machine and always wants to make macchiatos when people come over.
Yeti Rambler 6-Ounce Stackable Mugs
The moment I laid eyes on these chunky little Yeti mugs, I was in love. They’re the perfect size for drinking a cappuccino on my back porch while wrapped in a giant blanket, but they’re equally great for hot toddies and cocoa by the campfire. They’re also stackable, so even your friend who owns way too many mugs can find space for these.
White Barn Coffee & Whiskey 3-Wick Candle
Some coffee-scented candles can be overpowering, but this one from Bath & Bodyworks has a subtle scent thanks to the combination of coffee, whiskey, and a hint of vanilla. It’s the perfect warm, cozy scent for people who are highly motivated by the smell of freshly brewed coffee, but should probably skip that fourth cup.
Blue Bottle Craft Instant Espresso
Most instant coffee is objectively bad, but Blue Bottle’s instant espresso is in its own league. Just add a tablespoon of instant coffee to an ounce of hot water, mix it with some steamed milk, and people will wonder whether you’ve been attending barista night school. This is a great gift option for anyone who travels a lot, or for yourself when you need a quick caffeine boost during the hectic holiday season.
Lau Pottery Studio Cups
Hurricane Fiona flooded Lau Pottery’s San Juan studio, destroying stocks of clay as well as a kiln. Lau is slowly getting back on its feet and turning out the idiosyncratic, charming ceramics beloved by local chefs and home cooks alike. Keep your eye on Lau’s website and Instagram for drops of its offbeat Valentina coffee mug–the ideal shape and size for a cappuccino.
Zojirushi Insulated Bottle
I’ve had my 16-ounce Zojirushi thermos for years, and it still looks brand new. This completely leakproof, insulated bottle can hold up to a lot of wear and tear, and I especially love it for long car rides and cold-weather hikes when I know I’ll want a hot cup of coffee once I’ve reached the summit. I once left this thermos in my car overnight in the dead of winter, and my drink was still warm the next morning.
Hario Skerton Pro Coffee Mill
This is the perfect gift for that one coworker who keeps a Chemex on their desk. Hario uses ceramic conical burrs in this small but mighty manual grinder to mimic the precise, even result of an electric machine. It’s a fraction of the size and cost, and honestly, if you’re making pour-over instead of notoriously finicky espresso, a hand grinder will do the job splendidly.
Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine
Gifting someone a first espresso machine is a bit like gifting them their first car (but uh, cheaper, and less dangerous). You want something that’s fairly easy to use, won’t break down, performs well, and isn’t too big to parallel park. That’s the Breville Bambino, our rec for most home espresso enthusiasts. At just 7.6" x 12.5" wide, it takes up very little counter space, it’s easy to use and not fussy, and, even with that compact footprint, it has a system which ensures water is the perfect temperature for espresso—plus a milk wand for beginner latte art.
Grindz Professional Coffee Grinder Cleaning Tablets
They say the best gifts are the ones people won’t buy for themselves, and even the most devoted coffee people can sometimes skimp on deep-cleaning their equipment. Since burr grinders are notoriously difficult to clean, get them a pack of these professional-grade grinder cleaning tablets as a stocking stuffer.
Glass Pure Over Mug Kit
When BA contributor Anna Rahmanan tested this glass pour-over kit, she learned that it takes 1.5 million trees to make the 275 billion coffee filters produced every year. When I tested it, I found out that a delicate-looking borosilicate setup could brew a particularly strong cup of coffee. The design allows for slow, even dripping, which means well-saturated beans and robust flavor.
Café Specialty Grind and Brew
This sleek little drip coffee maker is not your mom’s Mr. Coffee machine. Café’s Specialty Grind and Brew has both a built-in grinder and a built-in water filter, and it makes coffee that lives up to the Specialty Coffee Association’s extremely high standards. That’s why our colleagues at Epicurious named it the overall best drip coffee maker of 2023.
Ovalware Cold Brew Maker
For the person who spends every summer wondering out loud (i.e., complaining) why cold brew is 30% more expensive than average coffee—a one-liter cold brew maker. That’ll make a Big Gulp–size cup of strong iced coffee, without the coffee shop surcharge.
Hario Technica Siphon Coffee Maker
My obsession with the TV show (and the book) Lessons in Chemistry resulted in a weeks-long deep dive into the world of siphon coffee. While the process is time-consuming, it makes one of the smoothest cups of coffee I’ve ever had. If you have a coffee fanatic in your life who already has every kind of brewing method and coffee accessory covered, odds are they don’t have one of these.
