I’ve wanted to write a gift guide for a few years now, and finally have the time to start one! If you’re looking for some last minute ideas for gifts this Christmas, consider some of these items. Toddy T2N Cold Brew System The original toddy brewing system for home use. Features an all-plastic design that fits in your refrigerator. I’ve owned one of these for several years now an love using it to make toddy at home! Just pick up a bag of beans from your local coffee roaster, and add cold water! In just 24 hours you’ll have a fresh batch of iced toddy. Perfect for summer’s in Arizona! When you make toddy like this, it’s pretty strong. I like to use 50% water when I serve it. Acaia Scale By far one of the fanciest coffee scales you can purchase. It’s a favorite among coffee professionals and is used in coffee shops worldwide. It features the ability to measure the weight, flow, and progress as you brew coffee using a pour over. The scale comes in both black and white, and looks almost exactly like an Apple wireless router. Highly rated in the coffee community, for usage in coffee shops, or at home. Dragon Brewer with Case A manual brewer. Involves some blown glass, a kettle brewer, and looking awesome. Chemex Ottomatic A “foolproof” brewer for making coffee the Chemex way! It comes with the 6-cup Chemex as well as some filters. This brewer sells for $350 so it’s not an inexpensive device. The brewer pre-soak to bloom the coffee and extract the oils. The whole process takes 5-6 minutes and a hot plate keeps the coffee warm after brewing. Six Cup Chemex This is the six-measuring-cup size Chemex suitable for two to three mugs of coffee. The Chemex method of brewing coffee is one of the most popular. The fact that your hot water is only coming into contact with your coffee, and paper filter, plus the glass, is highly desirable (compared to a plastic coffee maker). Made in the USA. Chemex Filters I’ve been using these filters for a while now for my every-morning coffee. They work great, they’re inexpensive, and perfectly form fitted to the Chemex. These are a finer-grade coffee filter than your standard grocery-store filter. Bonavita 1.0L Electric Kettle An electric kettle with a heating base. It’ll take your water to a full boil in about 2 minutes. Beautiful product for $50. Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill I’d best most people grind a few days worth of coffee before heading out on a camping trip. Show yourself to be a true coffee enthusiast by hand-grinding your coffee using the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill. Hario V60 Buono Coffee Drip Kettle One of the best and most popular kettles in the coffee community. If you’re looking for a sturdy but well designed kettle for heating water, the Hario V60 Buono Kettle is perfect. It comes in 1 liter, or 1.2 liter (I suggest the larger). Goes great with the Hario Ceramic Dripper (or any dripper method, for that matter). Aeropress One of the best ways to make coffee at home, the office, or on the go! Each Aeropress makes enough coffee for two servings. The Aeropress method is one of the newer ways of making coffee which utilizes a plastic suction to filter water through coffee grounds. It produces one of the purest coffee tastes. Some of the best coffee shops in the world make all of their single-serve coffees using an Aeropress. Made in the USA. Baratza Encore Grinder Currently offered at over $100 off on Amazon. The Baratza Encore Grinder is one of the best entry-level burr grinders. Called the “go to” entry level grinder. Low RPM and low-noise are hallmarks of the Baratza Encore. And, for around $200 it’s a good deal. Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffeemaker When it comes to brewed coffee, some times you just want a simple coffee maker that will make enough coffee for you and your guests. The 12-cup coffeemaker makes enough coffee for about 4-5 mugs and gets the job done for about $20. Drip coffee filters Drip coffee filters are one of life’s necessities, if you plan to use a drip coffee maker. Have you ever stopped to consider the paper used in these coffee filters? It’s the perfect blend of porous fibers that combine to keep your coffee grounds out of your cup. It’s only when you don’t have the correct size, or the correct type that you notice how important the simple coffee filter can be. I’ve bought coffee filters at the grocery store, and at coffee shops, but most of the time I just order them from Amazon.com. The Department of Brewology The Department of Brewology has been creating awesome illustrations of coffee for a few years now. They sell this awesome Chemex print that looks absolutely terrific on any wall. But especially your wall, or the wall of a coffee shop. Imagine one of these babies hung on the wall, framed, and behind glass. The illustrations are all done by-hand and printed on paper that won’t fade or yellow over time. The Department of Brewology also has a number of other prints and sizes so do yourself a favor and take a tour around their web site. Bodum French Press Bodum has an absolutely huge variety of French Press products for sale. In a number of ways, it is difficult to choose which one to buy. May I suggest this one? It comes with a large glass demitasse for holding your coffee, and looks great, too. If you ever break the glass, you can get a replacement for a reasonable cost. The French press method of brewing coffee is one of the oldest, and can be learned in just a few minutes. I suggest watching a video, if you’ve never done it yourself. Filtron Cold Water Coffee Concentrate Brewer Another take on the cold-brew method of making iced toddy. Brazen Plus Coffee Maker If you’re looking for a home brewer with some more controls than a standard Mr Coffee can provide, the Brazen Plus might be what you are looking for. It offers controls for pre-soaking bloom options, setting exact brewing temperature, calibration for altitude, and pulsed water flow. Bonavita Pouring Kettle (Stovetop) Another winner when it comes to stovetop kettles. The $32 kettle is one of the best stainless steel kettles. Check out that awesome gooseneck pouring spout. You’ll look like a hero pouring hot water. Or as much of a hero as you can look while pouring water. Kalita Wave Dripper 185 An import from Japan, the Kalita Wave is a brewer for 3-4 cups of coffee. For this one, you’ll want to use Kalita Wave 185 coffee filters or similar. This dripper is placed over a pot and is made of stainless steel. Note, if you’re looking for a single-cup size, get the 155 model. People often say that the flat bottom design with three holes promotes a more even water flow than similar products. It promotes a better cup of coffee. Ratio Thermal Carafe A 40 oz thermal carafe perfect for storing hot coffee. I really like the concept here: Use it as the basin for your pourover, and have hot coffee all morning! Note: When I’m linking to Amazon, the link includes my affiliate code. If you’re not into that sort of thing, don’t click and just go and search Amazon. Cheers and Merry Christmas! If you think I’ve left out an important product, fear not! I have a contact form and also I’m planning to add more products as I have time. I’m completely aware that there are lots of cool products missing. The best local coffee gift you can buy is your favorite bag of beans. It makes a perfect Holiday gift.
