When it comes to making a great cup at home, us coffee nerds are constantly learning and love to try new things. Whether the person you’re shopping for is a newly indoctrinated pour over lover or obsessive over every brewing parameter, we’ve compiled a list of the best gear for coffee geeks that you can get this holiday season. Spanning brewing, grinding and, of course, drinking, we’ve got a range of options that can help the java geek in your life expand their at-home setup or just try something new. And for the person that already has it all, we’ve got something for them too.
Quick Overview
Miir New Standard Carafe
Fellow Carter 3-in-1 Sip System
AeroPress XL
$70 at Amazon$70 at TargetSee more optionsMore options
Cusinart Electric Burr One-Touch Automatic Grinder
$45 at Amazon$45 at WalmartSee more optionsMore options
Fellow Tally
$185 at Amazon$185 at Sur La TableSee more options
Cosori Gooseneck Electric Kettle
Baratza Encore
Hario Mizudashi cold brew maker
Fellow Prismo AeroPress attachment
Technivorm Moccamaster KBGT
Miir New Standard Carafe
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Miir New Standard Carafe
Miir’s insulated stainless steel carafe is everything I ever wanted a Chemex to be. The top is a funneled pour over brewer, complete with pour spout, just like a glass Chemex. There’s a stopper too, so you don’t lose heat between servings. What’s more, the top part is removable so you can add one of the company’s leak-proof lids for transport. So if you’re thinking of giving a multi-serving pour over maker this year, Miir is a great option for keeping coffee warm for hours. — Billy Steele, Senior News Editor
Fellow Carter 3-in-1 Sip System
Engadget
Fellow Carter 3-in-1 Sip System
Fellow’s Carter Move Mug is one of my favorite travel cups due to its great insulation, curved lip and included splash guard. With the Sip System, the company makes the Carter an even more compelling gift option by adding slide and cold lids to the arsenal. Now, the mug is a complete package, easier to use while driving and better suited to cold beverages. — B.S.
AeroPress XL
Aeropress
AeroPress XL
The tried-and-true brewing method has been supersized, and the bigger version makes a great gift for coffee nerds. The AeroPress XL offers twice the capacity as the original, which means the coffee nerd in your life can make enough for two people at once – or a super-sized serving for themselves. This version also comes with a carafe for brewing into. The XL still offers the ability to make espresso, pour over and french press-style brews depending on how you use it. And even though the bigger model takes up more space, it’s still quite packable for travel. — B.S.
$70 at AmazonExplore More Buying Options$70 at Target
Cusinart Electric Burr One-Touch Automatic Grinder
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Cusinart Electric Burr One-Touch Automatic Grinder
Before I upgraded, I had a Cuisinart DBM-8 that served me well for years, and it was still doing so when I put it out to pasture. It’s a burr grinder so it provides a consistent grind size with 18 different options to choose from. The hopper holds eight ounces of beans while the canister can accommodate enough ground coffee for 32 cups. Since the coffee drinker on your list probably won’t need that much often (if ever), there’s a selector that will automatically grind between four and 18 cups worth at the press of a button. — B.S.
$45 at AmazonExplore More Buying Options$45 at Walmart
Fellow Tally
Fellow Tally
Fellow Tally
You certainly don’t need to spend a lot on a coffee scale, but some companies throw in extra features that make us reconsider, especially when you’re shopping for someone special. Fellow’s Tally is a good example of this, combining weight accuracy with a Brew Assist Mode to help dial in the correct ratio for perfect pour-overs. There’s also a Timer Mode for more experienced users that only need time and weight info for their brewing process. Tally can be used in Weight Mode as a small kitchen scale that reads out grams, ounces, pounds and milliliters (up to 5.5 lbs). The rechargeable battery should last around three months, but you can still use the Tally when it’s plugged in via a USB-C port. — B.S.
$185 at AmazonExplore More Buying Options$185 at Sur La Table
Cosori Gooseneck Electric Kettle
Engadget
Cosori Gooseneck Electric Kettle
A good kettle is essential if you want to up your home-brewing game, and it can help make a bunch of other things too like tea, ramen and more. Cosori’s Gooseneck Electric Kettle packs most crucial features into a relatively compact kettle that’s also priced right at $70. Goosenecks can be intimidating but they give you much more control when pouring over a Chemex, and we think Cosori’s, with its matte black finish, also looks pretty nice on most countertops. It has a stainless steel interior and five presets so you can easily get the perfect temperature for things like green tea, black coffee and more. Plus, the “hold temp” option lets you set and forget the water for a bit; you can turn it on before you start your morning routine and come back to perfectly heated water, ready for whatever’s picking you up that morning. — Valentina Palladino, Senior Commerce Editor
Baratza Encore
Engadget
Baratza Encore
Coffee grinders come in all shapes and sizes and with varying degrees of performance. You can get a solid Cuisinart for less than $40 that will serve you well, but if you’re looking to impress the coffee aficionado in your life with a nice gift, you’ll have to do better. Baratza’s Encore grinder has been a popular choice among roasters and coffee pros for a while now. It’s a little pricey for a grinder, but it offers a ton of attractive features that will immediately improve brewing regardless of method.
The controls are simple: There’s an on/off button on the side and a pulse button on the front. The Encore offers 40 grind settings so you can get the exact coffee you need for automatic brewers, AeroPress, Chemex, French press and more. This grinder is also relatively compact, so it won’t take up a lot of counter space, and it fits nicely under your cabinets.
Hario Mizudashi cold brew maker
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Hario Mizudashi cold brew maker
If the coffee geek on your list enjoys cold brew coffee during the warmer months, this is a great gift option for them. I’ve been using the Hario Mizudashi for years and I really enjoy the consistent, smooth results it produces. The simple, affordable pitcher holds a filter where you load the coarse-ground coffee of your choice. You then fill it with water, give the wet grounds a quick stir and secure the lid. In 8-12 hours, you’ll have delicious cold brew ready for ice and a splash of milk (if that’s your preference). While you can simply remove the filter and serve from the pitcher, it’s not air tight, so you won’t want to use it for days-long storage. There’s also plenty of liquid trapped in the filter when it’s submerged, so you’ll want to let that drain in another container instead of wasting it. — B.S.
Fellow Prismo AeroPress attachment
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Fellow Prismo AeroPress attachment
The AeroPress is a versatile brewing device and that’s why we keep it on your coffee gift guide list. But with the help of Fellow’s affordable attachment, you can help the coffee drinker in your life take the humble method up a notch. The Prismo houses a pressure-actuated valve designed to mimic the process of making espresso so you can “pull a shot” without a machine. This creates the “crema” that you don’t typically get just by brewing stronger coffee with the AeroPress alone. The Prismo also comes with a reusable filter so you’re not burning through the paper ones an AeroPress usually requires. Prismo is not compatible with AeroPress XL. — B.S.