Coffee Bean Gifts: Tips on Choosing Coffee Beans, Equipment and Accessories

Did you ever consider giving 'coffee bean gifts'  for those you love?... If not, why not? They are always popular with coffee drinkers, even if it's a simple gift. The true coffee addict always enjoys receiving relevant gifts: buy coffee beans for them, a gourmet coffee basket, or even some coffee making supplies, too.

And when you shop for gifts of coffee beans, you want the purchase to be special, appropriate, affordable, and wanted, too. Maybe you are worried: you feel you don't enough about choosing the right coffee bean gifts for that person, perhaps you think it's quite expensive, perhaps you're worried they won't like it.

So, if you follow my suggestions, you will find the whole process much smoother and easier, just like the coffee!

I. Why not give some real coffee beans?

When you give gourmet coffee gifts, you have a lot of choices and options. You can spend a little or a lot; give exotic beans or their favorites or even introduce them to something new. The first thing to take into consideration is the type of coffee they like drinking.

What coffee beans are those?

Is it straight off the local supermarket shelf or do they buy coffees that originate from other countries? Do they buy beans or pre-ground? If you know what they typically drink, you can choose beans that are better than what they now have, beans that are slightly different or go for a completely different experience. There are many different types of beans to choose from and you can give whole bags or samplers.

Costa Rica Coffee

Your coffee bean gifts recipient might like Costa Rican beans, which produce a bright, sweet and mild coffee with a seductive aroma. With high mountains, a long coffee growing history, and a focus on quality coffee beans, you'll find that Costa Rica Coffee is balanced, clean and milder.

Ethiopian Coffee

Ethiopian coffee is rather heavy with a slightly fruity taste while Kenyan is bright and fruity with a touch of exotic spice. If your friend or loved one likes rich, dark coffee then they will love coffee bean gifts from Sumatra which make earthy, full bodied coffee with a rich and smokey flavor that is truly delightful.

Bolivian Coffee

Those with a sweet tooth will appreciate Bolivian beans whose sweet candy-like aroma only intensifies upon grinding. And Bolivian coffee is smooth and creamy tasting with a citrus overtone but as it cools tastes of berries, chocolate and butterscotch.

Hawaiian Coffee

If you want to spend a little more on coffee bean gifts, especially if it's for someone like your boss or a business client, Hawaiian Kona coffee beans might be just right. Be sure you are buying 100% Kona or it will be a blend!

Peabody beans are the cream of the crop, making coffee that is rich and smokey, smooth and robust. Emporium Prime, the least expensive Kona, produces a cup that has a buttery aroma, light body and is very smooth. There's no way you can go wrong with 100% Hawaiian Kona for your coffee bean gifts.

Kopi Luak Coffee

For the ultimate in coffee bean gifts, consider Kopi Luak beans, the most costly on earth. The Kopi Luak is a small, furry animal in Indonesia that eats sweet coffee cherries and excretes the parchment-covered beans undigested.

The beans are then gathered, cleaned, stripped of the parchment, sterilized then roasted. The coffee from these beans has no bitterness but has a heavy body, a taste like earthy caramel and is almost syrupy in texture.

II. What about coffee equipment?

You may feel that buying coffee bean gifts is too risky because you're not sure of your friend's exact taste. You could still buy the best coffee makers for your friend. Actually, with the warranties, store returns policies, and online research tools to help you find out the current coffee maker ratings, it really isn't much harder shopping for coffee makers than shopping for coffee beans.

Find out what kind of coffee maker your friend uses now. There are only a few basic types: the drip coffee maker, the French press, the percolator, the Moka Pot and the espresso machine. While I wouldn't recommend buying a percolator, as it overbrews the coffee, any of the other choices are really quite appropriate.

What kind of coffee maker?

The huge advantage of buying a coffee maker as a present is that you know exactly what coffee bean gifts to buy next Christmas!

Why? A real coffee bean drinker is usually willing to try different types of coffee makers, in their quest to find the best coffee makers. To us, it seems each type of coffee bean seems to favor certain machines over others. For example, you can make espresso coffee in a Moka Pot, a French press, a drip coffee maker, but the best results are always in the espresso machines the coffee is designed for.

Most likely, they'll already have a drip coffee maker, so you could buy one of the other less expensive machines:

Moka Pot Makes a Lot!

For example, the Moka Pot is a coffee machine that produces a stronger roast of coffee on the stovetop. It's easy to use, produces a coffee similar to espresso, is relatively quick, and a very popular choice in Italy. While not the cheapest around, the moka pot is a particularly stylish way to make coffee!

Time to give the French press (or cafetiere)

Or consider the French press. I absolutely love the French press: it's simple to use, easy to clean, and very versatile as a coffee maker. The only drawback is that they are expensive to replace if you break the glass beaker, and I've broken four or five through my own carelessness.

However, as a coffee drinker, I would absolutely love someone to give me one: they are beautiful to look at, easy to care for, and make great coffee out of most types of coffee beans. This is one of those coffee bean gifts that never fails.

The Espresso Maker gift

You may decide to upgrade your friend's coffee experience, particularly if they are espresso drinkers. I do drink some espresso, but have hesitated to buy an espresso machine as it can really only make one style of coffee. However, these could be a really wonderful present, if a little pricy.

To buy an espresso maker is perhaps the most difficult of all the decisions, so to make things easier: you need to know that the pressure in many 'cheaper' machines isn't usually enough to make good espresso, so buy an espresso maker that comes with good reviews, good user comments, and a recognizable brand (such as Gaggia, Alessi, Bialetti, or Delonghi).

To find out more about the different coffee makers available, check this article that explains the differences between coffee makers clearly with pictures.

What about grinders, too?

If your loved one or business associate doesn't have a coffee bean grinder you can include one in your coffee bean gifts basket. Coffee bean grinders are indeed an excellent option, as a way to make the coffee taste that bit livelier, fresher and perhaps is the single most effective way to improve the quality of the coffee.

There are different types of coffee bean grinders: the blade coffee grinder, the burr coffee grinder, and the manual coffee grinder. The blade grinder uses a simple blade to shred the beans whereas the burr grinder gently crushes the beans between two serrated metal rollers.

Overall, the coffee bean grinder is a modest purchase, especially if you choose the blade coffee grinder or the manual coffee grinder. But for the biggest improvement, you would look at the most expensive grinder: the burr coffee grinder. This machine allows the grind to be adjusted, doesn't affect the delicate flavor in the coffee beans, and represents the best choice. Just look at Starbucks!

III. Coffee mugs, coffee cups, coffee snacks, too

If your budget doesn't stretch so far as the more expensive coffee equipment, and you don't know which coffee bean gifts to buy, you can still buy a wide array of coffee goods that will suit any coffee drinker, no matter how they consume their beverage!

Coffee mugs are perhaps the most obvious, whether you buy them off the shelf or make them yourself as I recently did. You can choose one that suits the recipient's interests, tastes or style! And if you can't find one, use a company like Zazzle or Cafepress to make and design your own!

And why not get a matching cup and saucer or a mug with a ceramic top to keep the drink hot. For summer or winter, you may consider vacuum mugs that preserve the temperature of the drinks.

Other less expensive items include stylish coffee measures, coffee spoons, or even snacks such as caks, biscuits, scones, premium cookies, mints, or their favorite coffee chocolates or candy.

And, don't worry, coffee drinkers are sincere!

They'll thank you for bringing them so much pleasure in such a small parcel! Why? Because they'll know and appreciate how much time and thought you put into buying their present. They'll also know how difficult it was to buy because, if they really love their coffee, chances are they are quite picky!

Now, let's go shopping for some great coffee beans gifts...

And finally...

Wherever you are, remember "Only Coffee Beans Make Great Coffee"! And enjoy that cup of coffee!

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