Buying something special for the coffee lover in your life is often easier said than done. Picking the right coffee or that perfect piece of equipment can be really difficult.
But don’t worry! For the holiday season, we’ve put together our 2021 specialty coffee gift guide, which can make the experience of buying that perfect thoughtful coffee gift much easier. Anything from this list of specialty coffee staples is sure to put a smile on someone’s face.
Let’s take a look!
Coffee is always a great gift
If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to leave a specialty coffee lover happy, well, it’s coffee.
One of the best things about coffee is its diversity. With that in mind, one of our favorite options for this holiday season is our Organic Apex Cariño Blend, which is a finalist for the 2022 Good Food Awards.
Cariño, which is Spanish for “sweetheart,”was originally designed specifically for espresso but works well in other brew methods too. It is composed of honey- and natural-processed coffees from Honduras, Peru, and Ethiopia.
Despite its name, this type of processing doesn’t involve any actual honey from bees. Instead, it gets its name from a sticky layer that coats the bean called “mucilage.” This is often removed, but for honey processing, leaving it on imparts more sugar into the bean as it dries.
For our Apex Cariño Blend, this means a sweet and complex flavor, with notes of black cherries and honey. This blend also has a delicious and creamy mouthfeel that lingers on the tongue.
The HG Sampler
We want to help bring coffee lovers new things, which is why we launched the HG Sampler. This is a selection of our best-selling coffees, spanning a range of roast profiles and paying tribute to some of our longest-running coffee sourcing relationships.
In the box, you’ll find three coffees: 6oz of our Funky Mamacita, 6oz of our Highland Humanity, and 6oz of our Justice blend. For a great holiday exercise, you can try cupping them side by side and talk about which you prefer!
The Chemex
The ever-iconic Chemex is an excellent gift for anyone who loves pour over coffee. Although it has a relatively modern appearance, this brewer has in fact been in production since 1941.
Designed by the German chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm, the Chemex brews a clean, nuanced cup. This remarkable cleanliness is in part attributed to the filters used by the brewer. They are 20 to 30% thicker than other paper filters, meaning they retain more oils and solids, keeping them out of your cup.
As well as brewing a delicious cup of coffee, the Chemex also looks gorgeous on any kitchen counter. So gorgeous, in fact, that it’s actually part of permanent collections in some museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian.
Hario V60
Simply put, the Hario V60 is a must-have brewing device for any home barista. Launched in Japan in 2004, its name references its V shape and the 60° angle of its cone.
At launch, the V60 was only offered in ceramic and glass, but today plastic and metal models are also available. Some experts actually prefer plastic, as they believe it retains more heat throughout the brew.
We recommend that you pair it with a quality gooseneck kettle to create the perfect pour over gift hamper.
Baratza Encore
The Baratza Encore is the perfect entry-level grinder for those looking to add to their home coffee setup.
With 40 different grind settings, it can be easily adjusted for any brewing method, whether fine for espresso or coarser for immersion brewers such as the French press.
Thanks to its small design, the Encore is also great if you don’t have loads of kitchen space. It can sit in most cabinets or slide in near other appliances, for instance.
Hario Skerton Pro
The Hario Skerton Pro is perfect if you love brewing coffee on the go. Its compact and durable design make it suitable to use both at home and outdoors, as it can easily slot into a suitcase or a backpack. Furthermore, its ceramic conical burrs ensure a precise, uniform grind every time.
The Skerton can also be adjusted for a range of grind sizes. If you are looking to pair it with another gift, a great match would be a portable brewer like the AeroPress.
Subscriptions
What’s better than one bag of coffee? A monthly supply of it!
For the holiday season, we’re currently offering three and six months of our coffee subscriptions, so you can give someone you love the gift of coffee – for a while.
With those two pre-paid subscription packages, you can choose from four curated collections: Roaster's Choice, Signature Blends, Single Origins, or the Higher Grounds Apex Series. (Shipping costs are included!)
Signature Blends: our most popular offerings, where we combine coffees from two or three different countries or regions to create distinctive profiles
Single Origins: coffees from one single producer cooperative within one country, such as Mexican Maya Vinic, our flagship product
Apex Series: our most unique, special, and top-quality coffees, often from single farmers
Roaster's Choice: the coffees our team is loving most right now
If a subscription isn't right for you, just choose a bag or two to share. Justice and Maya Vinic are two of our favorites.
Our Organic Justice Light-Medium is our take on a breakfast blend. With flavor notes of vanilla and citrus, this blend combines a smooth Guatemalan coffee with a complex, delicious Ethiopian.
For a more chocolaty option, try Organic Mexican Maya Vinic. It’s one of our flagship coffees and represents our long-lasting friendship with the Maya Vinic co-operative in Chiapas, Mexico. In the cup, you can expect notes of cinnamon and roasted nuts, along with a balanced mouthfeel.
Whether big or small, a festive gift is a simple way of reminding your loved ones that you’re thinking of them. Plus, you can rest easy knowing that they’ll be drinking better coffee!
What are you waiting for? Buy them something special today!