The 30 Presents for Coffee Lovers

According to The Journal of Nutrition, around 75% of adult US citizens consume coffee. This indicates that coffee use is fairly widespread. However, it can be difficult to choose the ideal present for your favorite coffee lover. After all, some people are devoted to cappuccinos, while others are just looking for an inexpensive, quick fix of caffeine. Aside from testing various brewers, grinders, and even instant coffee, our kitchen team members have also contributed their personal recommendations for coffee. We have lots of well-considered suggestions, so you may choose if the coffee enthusiast in your life is serious about their daily routine or just enjoys sipping it.

Wee espresso cup

This handmade, dishwasher-safe ceramic cup holds just 3 ounces, so instead of an impossibly tiny loop, it has an easier-to-grab ceramic tab.

The espresso drinker on your list will adore the tiny, colorful Felt+Fat Espresso Cup. This mini cup is available as a single piece or in sets, and it comes in an assortment of colors (including off-white, gray, red-orange, and pink). It holds 3 ounces of liquid, so it’s just the right size for a pick-me-up shot. Senior editor Marguerite Preston, who has used a number of these little cups for a few years, said she would get them for “anyone who makes espresso at home, whether with a machine or a moka pot.”

Insulated glasses

These sleek, stylish cups are made of a heat-resistant borosilicate glass that’s comfortable to hold and dishwasher-, microwave-, and freezer-safe.

It’s annoying when hot coffee gets cold or when iced coffee turns lukewarm. To keep her drinks at a relatively steady temperature, senior staff writer Lesley Stockton swears by the Bodum Pavina Double Wall Glasses. Made from heat-resistant borosilicate glass, the stylish tumblers feature a double-wall construction, which keeps beverages at their desired temperatures longer. These smooth, rounded glasses are also just nice to hold, and they can be put in the dishwasher, microwave, and freezer.

Waste-free filter

Your loved one will never have to buy another paper coffee filter. This fine metal mesh cone comes with a lifetime guarantee.

$35 from Amazon

Made from titanium-coated stainless steel, the Barista Warrior Reusable Coffee Filter saves money and eliminates paper waste. Unlike paper filters, this fine mesh version doesn’t strip the natural oils from the coffee, so it can produce a richer cup, but that also means it will let a minimal amount of silt through. (If your coffee-loving friend isn’t a fan of French press coffee’s slight grittiness, they may be better to stick with paper filters.) This version fits the Chemex and the Hario V60, and it comes with a lifetime guarantee. Staff writer Samantha Schoech has been using hers for more than 10 years (and she admits she’s never done the recommended vinegar soak), and it still works beautifully.

Convenient brew

Cafflano Klassic All-in-One Pour-Over

This lightweight, all-in-one grinder, brewer, and insulated mug works well anywhere—just add beans and hot water.

Yuki Izumi, coffee director at Hi-Collar, a café and sake bar in New York City’s East Village, recommends the Cafflano Klassic All-in-One for someone who is always on the go. “I bought it for one of my friends who constantly tours as a musician, and he loves it.” The multi-tasking vessel contains everything a person needs to brew and hold their coffee: a ceramic burr grinder, a kettle, a stainless filter dripper, an insulated tumbler, and a lid.

Delicate stovetop kettle

This elegant enamel Japanese stovetop kettle offers excellent pour control.

Wirecutter’s coffee aficionados (including a former barista) swear by this little stovetop kettle from a Japanese enamelware maker. The Tsuki Usagi Jirushi Slim Pot’s spout provides excellent precision and control. And with its slender profile and elegant design, it looks beautiful on any shelf. Some people even water plants with it.

Drip coffee for one

This flat-bottomed dripper produces evenly extracted, flavorful coffee, and it goes directly into a cup.

This dripper should appeal to pour-over experts because you have to pay extra-careful attention to the rate and aim of your pour. In our tests, it produced some of the best brew.

In our search for the best dripper, we brewed more than 150 cups of pour-over coffee. And we found that the single-cup Kalita Wave 185 Dripper made consistently flavorful, balanced cups, thanks to its even water drainage. This easy-to-use dripper comes in three simple materials: glass, ceramic, or stainless steel—all of which resist staining. If your favorite coffee drinker prefers a bit more sartorial flair, and they have their technique down, the Hario V-60 Coffee Dripper Size 02 (our runner-up pour-over pick) now comes in a variety of muted, modern colors, including dune, matte pink, and purple heather.

Generous pour-over

This beautiful glass vessel makes plenty of delicious, brightly flavored coffee all at once.

Both utilitarian and aesthetic, the Chemex brewer is the pinnacle of pour-over gear. Designed in 1941, this minimalist coffee maker has earned a spot in the MoMA’s permanent collection. It doubles as a carafe, and in our tests it produced a bright, delicious brew that our panelists loved. Also, the Chemex can brew six cups of coffee at a time, unlike our other favorite dripper, the aforementioned Kalita Wave 185, which maxes out at 12 ounces.

Coffee cozy

This neoprene cozy zips over glass Chemex carafes to insulate hot brews and to pad the vessel, guarding it against drops and scratches.

Although we love the Chemex coffee maker, we admit that it cools off quickly. Enter the zip-up neoprene Hexnub Cozy, which offers the glass vessel some much-needed insulation. It comes in multiple sizes to fit every Chemex model, and it also protects the glass from bumps, bangs, and scratches. To clean off any spots or spills, the recipient can simply rinse the cozy under a faucet with a little dish soap.

Best-o Nespresso

This miniature, more-affordable espresso machine makes the same great-tasting espresso as much-pricier Nespresso machines.

In our tests, drinks made in the pint-sized Nespresso Essenza Mini had the same quality as those made in models costing $400 or more. Our testers were also smitten with this machine’s simplicity. Espresso enthusiasts need only fill the reservoir with water, pop in a capsule, and choose espresso or lungo. What follows, in seconds, is a rich crema atop a flavorful shot. Even more wonderful, the Essenza Mini comes with a two-year warranty, lifetime access to Nespresso’s technical hotline, and flat-fee repairs in perpetuity.

Superlative French press

This French press offers superior filtration and excellent heat retention, thanks to a double-walled carafe. It’s available in brushed stainless steel or matte black

For someone who doesn’t have a copious amount of counter space and wants a full-bodied cup of joe in a jiffy, a French press is a great brewing method. After testing 15 presses and making more than 75 pots of coffee over the years, we’ve selected the shapely Espro P6 French Press as our upgrade pick. It makes great-tasting, grit-free coffee, and it also keeps that coffee hot for hours, thanks to its insulated double walls. As is the case with all Espro models, the P6 is designed to stop extracting once you’ve pressed, so if coffee sits in the press for a couple of hours, it won’t turn as bitter or sour. And, best of all, the P6 is dishwasher-safe, so cleanup is a breeze.

Best cold brew

This easy-to-assemble maker consistently produces the strongest, boldest coffee.

Anyone who loves drinking iced coffee year-round will likely love receiving a good cold-brew coffee maker. For this method, you soak grounds for several hours in cold water; the process creates a sweeter, milder-tasting coffee that’s also low on bitterness and acidity. (There’s even a camp of coffee drinkers who heat up their cold brew to get a smoother hot cup.) After testing, our very favorite cold-brew model is the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker. It produces cold coffee with balanced acidity, a stronger aroma, and a cleaner finish than what you get from the competition. On top of that, we found that the OXO model is the easiest to use and clean.

Classic moka pot

We love the classic design of this moka pot. It’s especially simple to use, and it brews rich, flavorful coffee.

The 1933 classic Italian coffee maker gets an update from a luxe Italian designer, with colorful, mixed-pattern motifs.

Senior staff writer Sarah Witman tested six moka pots, which make an espresso-like coffee on the stovetop. And she confirmed that her beloved Bialetti Moka Express was the best, in terms of both function and fashion. This pot has a simple design, so it’s easy to use and clean, and it brews smooth-tasting coffee. With its art deco–inspired shape, it looks chic on any countertop, too. That’s particularly true if you opt for the Dolce & Gabbana version, which has a striking, cherry-red bottom and an intricately patterned top inspired by two-wheeled, horse-drawn Sicilian carts. This moka pot is pricier than the original, but it’s still a fraction of the cost of an actual espresso machine.

For coffee on the go

This lightweight, compact coffee and espresso maker is perfect to travel with—it produces an excellent-tasting cup of coffee, without electricity.

Wirecutter’s coffee fanatics are obsessed with the original AeroPress. In 2005, inventor Alan Alder wanted to create a device that brewed pour-over coffee, sans the fussy process, and it has been a hit with coffee nerds ever since. Just add ground coffee and hot water to the tube-like chamber. After two minutes, plunge the coffee through a paper filter for a bright, smooth brew. While the original is certainly portable, the AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press conveniently houses all of its accessories (stirrer, scoop, filters) in a container that doubles as a cup. When she worked in an office, staff writer Mari Uyehara kept an AeroPress in her desk drawer. The coffee’s that good.

Handy filter keeper

This bamboo stand is a pretty vessel for storing cone coffee filters.

If the coffee drinker on your list brews using several methods, they may appreciate having a better way to organize all those filters. The Unibene Bamboo Coffee Filter Holder neatly stores all of the filters for a standard coffee maker, an AeroPress, and a pour-over dripper. And it looks so much neater than a random stack of cardboard boxes with filters spilling out.

Coffee sampler pack

This cleverly packaged, roasted-to-order coffee sampler will surprise and delight even the most expert coffee enthusiasts.

This cardboard box, containing eight 4-ounce bags of beans, looks unassuming, but it unfurls like a scroll, revealing intricate line drawings and brewing advice. Each bag within the Onyx Coffee Lab Collection Box indicates the roasting date, the coffee’s origins, tasting notes, details on how the beans were processed (natural or washed), and where the flavor falls on a scale of “traditional” (chocolaty, nutty) to “modern” (citrusy, floral). If your coffee-loving pal happens to fall for a certain bean, they can order bags up to 5 pounds directly from Onyx or start a subscription.

Beans by the month

Atlas takes subscribers on a world tour of coffee, with beans arriving from a different country each month.

Wirecutter staffers love coffee subscription services. Our resident coffee snob, supervising editor Ben Keough, insists that the Atlas Coffee Club makes the best gift. Each month’s coffee comes from a different country, and not just from Colombia or Ethiopia (as with many other services). Atlas also gets beans from countries such as Peru, Rwanda, and Papua New Guinea—ideal for coffee drinkers looking to expand their horizons. Each package includes a postcard with fun facts about that country’s coffee industry. And through an onboarding questionnaire, the recipient can select their roast and grind preferences.

Excellent instant coffee

This hand-roasted instant coffee has notes of citrus, apple, and molasses, and it blows away old notions of instant coffee.

For busy coffee drinkers or those who travel a lot, instant coffee would be a boon. It’s a shame, then, that it’s long had a reputation for tasting awful. Not so anymore: Our kitchen team tested 15 instant coffees and found some great ones. Verve Coffee Roasters’ Streetlevel Craft Instant Coffee makes a particularly good gift. With notes of citrus, apple, and honey, it has some acidity, and its mild flavor is unlikely to offend anyone. Note: We prefer it brewed with 9 ounces of water, instead of the recommended 10.