Gift guide · 12 ideas
Gifts for coffee lovers
For the person whose day doesn’t start until the first cup: gifts that make that cup better.
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Coffee people are easy to buy for and hard to buy well for. A bag of beans is gone in two weeks and a novelty mug goes to the back of the cabinet. What they actually want is the next step up from whatever they have: fresh-ground instead of pre-ground, foam on a weekday, a kettle that stops scorching the grounds, and one day the espresso machine they keep looking at.
The ideas run from a travel mug or a frother for under $30 to the machine the whole family chips in for. Most come with our pick from one of our top lists, chosen for a daily drinker rather than a collector.
A burr coffee grinder
The single biggest upgrade for anyone still buying pre-ground. Beans ground just before brewing taste like a different drink, and a few minutes at the hand crank becomes part of the morning.
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Slim (MSS-1B, black)
$30–$50
A hand grinder with ceramic burrs: the even, burr-ground coffee that pour-over and a French press reward, at a much lower price than an electric burr grinder and with no plug at all, so it goes to the cottage or the campsite as readily as it sits by the kettle. Hario began in Tokyo in 1921 making laboratory glass, and its name means “king of glass”.
What owners say: Owners like how even the grind comes out and how easily it cranks, and they count it cheap for a burr mill; how long a batch takes and how well it lasts are the points that split them.
A closer look: Set the grind before filling: a few test turns of the crank show where it sits, finer for pour-over and coarser for a French press. The handle comes off for storage, and the ceramic burrs don’t rust, so they can be rinsed under the faucet as long as they dry fully before the next beans go in.
- Hand-crank ceramic burr mill
- Holds 24 g (2 cups)
- Travels to cottage or campsite
Heads up: It holds about 24 g of beans, enough for two cups, and grinding by hand takes a few minutes, so it suits a cup or two at a time rather than a full pot for guests.
View on Amazon See our top 5 coffee grinders →A French press
Slow weekend mornings, when there’s time to let it steep for four minutes and pour two mugs at once. A steel one survives the dishwasher and the camping trip.
Secura Stainless Steel French Press (1 L, 34 oz)
$30–$50
Double-walled stainless steel that won’t crack like glass and keeps the second cup hot, in a one-litre (34 oz) pot with a three-layer steel filter and two spare screens in the box. The handle and knob stay cool to the touch.
What owners say: Owners say it keeps coffee hot well after pressing, looks smart on the counter and is easy to clean, and they find it sturdy.
A closer look: Stack a spare screen onto the filter for a cleaner cup when the grind is on the fine side, as Secura suggests. Swirling a splash of hot water round the pot first warms the steel, so the coffee holds its heat longer once it’s brewed.
- Double-walled steel, 1 litre
- 3-layer filter, 2 spare screens
- Won’t crack like glass
A rechargeable milk frother
Turns a drip coffee into a latte at the kitchen counter, for the one who stops at the café most mornings just for the foam.
CIRCLE JOY 3-Speed Rechargeable Milk Frother with Stand and 3 Whisks (black)
$20–$30
One wand with three speeds and three steel heads, so it covers more than the morning latte. A dual-layer spring makes silky milk foam on low, a balloon whisk whips cream to peaks on high, and a straight whisk blends batters and sauces.
What owners say: Owners like having three speeds to choose from and say the battery goes a long way between charges; views on the extra heads are mixed, and a few units gave up after only a handful of uses.
A closer look: Rinse the heads under the faucet or wipe them, but keep water off the body, as the maker warns it can get inside; for the same reason, don’t stand it upside down while a head is still wet. The case holds the frother and the spare heads for the office or a trip.
- 3 speeds, 3 whisks
- USB rechargeable, with stand
- Balloon whisk whips cream
A pod-or-grounds coffee maker
When they want real coffee and the rest of the house wants pods, one machine on the counter does both.
Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker (PB051C)
$150–$200
A K-Cup one morning and your own ground coffee the next: the pod adapter and a permanent filter basket both come in the box. Four brew styles (Classic, Rich, Over Ice and a concentrated Specialty) and a fold-away frother cover everything from a 710 mL (24 oz) travel mug to a homemade latte.
What owners say: It does everything its owners need, from a plain mug to a rich brew, in a machine that doesn’t take over the counter, and it brews quickly and is fairly priced. Whether the coffee comes out hot enough is where opinions split.
A closer look: Switching is a matter of the holder: the pod adapter for K-Cups, or the brew basket and permanent filter for your own coffee, measured with the scoop. For a latte, choose Specialty, which brews a small, strong concentrate, then froth the milk and pour it over.
- Takes pods or ground coffee
- Fold-away milk frother built in
- Iced coffee and latte concentrate
A travel mug that actually seals
For the commuter whose bag and laptop have seen one coffee spill too many.
Contigo West Loop 3.0 Autoseal Travel Mug (473 mL, 16 oz)
$20–$30
Contigo’s Autoseal lid seals itself between sips, so the mug can roll around a bag or the car without spilling, and a button locks it shut. It holds 473 mL (16 oz), fits most car cup holders and has a hook inside the lid for a tea bag.
What owners say: Coffee stays hot for a long time and nothing leaks or spills, owners say, and they like the lock button; it travels well and cleans easily.
A closer look: Press the button to drink and let go to seal, then lock it before it goes in a bag. The lid opens right up for cleaning and goes on the dishwasher’s top rack, but the steel body is washed by hand.
- Hot up to 11 hours
- Push-button lid that locks
- Tea-bag hook in the lid
A temperature-control kettle
Pour-over and French press want water just off the boil, not at it. A kettle that stops short of boiling is how the coffee-obsessed stop scorching the grounds.
Breville IQ Kettle (BKE820XL, 1.8 L)
$100–$150
Five one-touch settings heat water to the right temperature for French press coffee and for each kind of tea, from 79°C (175°F) for green tea to a full boil for black, and a keep-warm button holds it for 20 minutes.
What owners say: Owners value the temperature settings and the keep-warm button, and some have had theirs going for seven years; it’s easy to use and boils quickly.
A closer look: Green tea turns bitter in boiling water, which is why its setting stops at 79°C (175°F). Keep-warm can be switched on before, during or after heating, so the kettle can wait on its base while a pot of loose-leaf tea brews, ready to refill the pot at the same heat. The soft-opening lid lets the steam out gently, and the cord wraps into the base.
- 5 temperature presets
- Keeps warm for 20 minutes
- One-touch button per tea type
An espresso machine
The big one, for someone who talks about crema and watches the barista’s every move. One to split between siblings.
Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine (BES870XL)
Over $300
A conical burr grinder with 16 settings fills the portafilter with fresh grounds, the water is held at a steady temperature through the shot, and the steam wand makes milk smooth enough for latte art.
What owners say: Owners like the flavour of the coffee and find it easy enough to use day to day. Durability and how steady the temperature stays get mixed reports.
A closer look: Change the grind one step at a time and taste as you go: a sour shot wants a finer grind, a bitter one a coarser grind. The Razor tool in the box levels the dose before you tamp, the tamper lives on the machine so it never goes missing, and a separate spout pours hot water for an Americano.
- Built-in grinder, 16 settings
- Pressure gauge on the front
- Tamper built into the machine
A bean-to-cup espresso machine
For the latte drinker who wants café coffee without learning to tamp. A bean-to-cup machine grinds the beans, pulls the shot and froths the milk at the touch of a button.
See options on AmazonA digital kitchen scale
The step after the grinder: the same dose of beans and water every time, so a good cup can be made again tomorrow. For the person who’s started saying words like “ratio”.
Etekcity Food Scale with Bowl (EK5250)
$20–$30
Tenths of a gram up to 1,000 g, then whole grams to 5 kg (11 lb), so a packet of yeast, a pinch of salt or a dose of coffee beans shows up on the display. It reads millilitres and fluid ounces too, with settings for milk as well as water, and the bowl flips over it as a cover when it’s put away.
What owners say: Owners rate it for accuracy, right down to small amounts, and say there’s nothing to learn before using it; they find it fairly priced and like that it tucks away in a cabinet, though not everyone agrees with its weight readings.
A closer look: Use the bowl for loose things like rice, sugar or chopped vegetables, or take it off and set your own mixing bowl on the platform for a big batch. It switches itself off after two minutes idle, so keep the additions coming, and the batteries come already fitted.
- 5 kg (11 lb) capacity
- 0.1 g steps to 1kg
- Bowl doubles as a cover
A personal blender for frozen coffee
Iced coffee from the drive-thru most afternoons? Cold coffee, milk and a handful of ice turn into a frozen coffee in the same cup they carry out the door.
See options on AmazonA vacuum bottle for coffee
Coffee from their own pot, still hot on the job site or in the bleachers hours after breakfast, instead of whatever the gas station is brewing.
THERMOS Stainless King Compact Bottle, 475 mL (16 oz)
$20–$30
A classic steel vacuum bottle for coffee or tea: it keeps drinks hot for up to 18 hours or cold for 24, with a cup on top and a stopper that pours with a twist, without coming out. The name goes back to 1904, when Thermos was founded in Berlin to make Reinhold Burger’s vacuum bottles.
What owners say: Compact and still hot hours later, owners say, and it does the job it’s bought for; the lid design and its lifespan are open to debate.
A closer look: At 475 mL (16 oz) it holds two good cups, enough for a commute or a morning out in the cold, and the cup on top means sharing without a second mug. Rinse the stopper’s thread after sugary drinks so the twist stays smooth. Thermos also makes it in 1.2 and 2 L (40 and 68 oz) sizes for a bigger crowd.
- Hot up to 18 hours
- 475 mL (16 oz) capacity
- Leak-proof when closed
A fast-boil camp stove
Camping is no excuse for instant coffee in their book. A compact stove system boils water fast and packs away inside its own pot, small enough for a backpack.
See options on AmazonTips for buying for a coffee lover
- Find out how they make coffee now before you buy: a grinder only helps if they brew their own grounds, so it’s no use with a pods-only machine or one that grinds its own.
- The press and the vacuum bottle can go in the dishwasher; the machines can’t, and their milk parts want a rinse after every latte, so think about who’ll be doing it.
- If it plugs in, check the counter space and the outlet first. An espresso machine is about 30 cm (1 ft) wide and taller than that, and wants to live out on the counter, not in a cabinet.
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
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