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.
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 Editor
$80 at Amazon
I’ve tested a number of coffee makers over the years that claim to simulate pour over well enough to replace the manual brewing method. None of them ever do, but Fellow’s Aiden comes the closest of any of the machines I’ve used. First and foremost, this coffee maker gives you a lot of control over the brewing process, allowing you to adjust temperature, coffee-to-water ratio and the bloom cycle to optimize the process. Despite all the options, the one-button interface is easy to use. There are separate baskets for single servings and batch brew, with the larger stopping the drip when you remove the insulated metal carafe. Plus, you can change the shower head for the best water distribution for the desired volume. Roast presets make it easy to get started and you can program your own for future use. Lastly, there’s a scheduling feature, which a lot of pour-over-esque machines don’t offer. — B.S.
$365 at Fellow
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.
$60 at Amazon
The AeroPress Go has been one of my favorite pieces of travel gear for as long as it’s been around. My only issue with it is that the included plastic cup doesn’t have a lid for the times I need to leave my hotel room before I’m done with my morning ritual. AeroPress now has a new version, called the Go Plus, that fixes that problem with a new insulated stainless steel tumbler.
With this setup, everything still packs into the cup and it remains your brew vessel, but the company now includes a magnetic splash-resistant lid when you need to take it to go. Filters are stored in a compartment on the bottom of the tumbler rather than their own small case, which makes them easier to keep up with. And, of course, you’ll still get a compact AeroPress along with a coffee scoop and stirrer to complete the all-in-one package. — B.S.
$80 at Amazon
I’ve used all kinds of travel cups over the years, but I’ll concede that my wife has found the best one yet. While there are trendier options, and Stanley will always be popular, Simple Modern’s Classic Tumbler has become my new favorite. It comes in 20-, 24- and 28-ounce sizes and includes two lids and a straw – everything you need for both hot and cold beverages. What’s more, this cup keeps my cold brew at its proper temperature for hours. In fact, the cup still has ice in it the next morning if I forget to empty it before then. Most importantly, everything is dishwasher safe, which isn’t always the case with insulated travel cups these days. — B.S.
$24 at Amazon
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 Amazon
I feel like each year that passes I upgrade my coffee game in some way. This year’s big purchase was a fancy Fellow espresso grinder, but the most surprising upgrade was this dirt-cheap cold brew maker. It couldn’t be simpler: You get a giant mason jar, a metal filter, and a plastic lid. But everything just works, y’know? The filter is easy to fill with grounds and doesn’t let more than a light mist of sludge through. The mason jar looks nice and doesn’t take up much room in my fridge, and the plastic lid pours well. I’ve used countless fancy cold brew systems — the one this replaced literally cost four times more — and this one is truly the most effective. — Aaron Souppouris, Executive editor
$30 at Amazon
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, Deputy Editor
$70 at Amazon
The most coveted piece of coffee gear, at least for this coffee nerd, is an espresso machine. Size can be a prohibitive factor, not to mention the best ones cost over $1,000. Thankfully, there are some compact options that will get the job done for half as much money, including the Breville Bambino Plus. This machine won’t take up too much counter space and it offers a simplified control layout for all skill levels. The ThermoJet heating system can be ready to pull a shot in three seconds and an automatic milk-steaming setup provides silky milk microfoam for latte art without having to hold the pitcher. And with high-pressure 9 bar extraction, you’ll be pulling cafe-quality shots in your Christmas jammies. — B.S.
$498 at Amazon
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.
$200 at Amazon
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.
$25 at Fellow
What do you get the coffee nerd who has everything? Well, we’re always down to try new beans. Most coffee roasters offer a subscription of some type with varying frequency based on consumption habits. And even if they don’t, you can still send a bag or two as a one-time gift. Some of my favorites include Vignette in Greensboro, North Carolina and Vesta in Las Vegas, which has been a lifesaver during CES. — B.S.
$17+ at Vignette Coffee
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.