The Coffee Lovers Gift Guide, 13 of the Best Gifts For Any Coffee Lover This Christmas
Introduction
Coffee is serious business for Australians, especially those who like to brew at home. Whether you brew filter, espresso or both, the market is filled with an endless amount of accessories to achieve the perfect cup of coffee which also double up for those perfect Instagram photo props.
When contemplating what to buy the coffee aficionado in your life, you don’t want to get it wrong. So we and spoke with Costa Arvanitopoulos, co-founder of Barker St, to find out what is a must-have in the home barista kit this Christmas.
Barker St Marketplace Gift Voucher
$10 and up
Buy a marketplace voucher here
It comes as no surprise one of the most essential items to achieve a café quality coffee is premium coffee beans. This is where a gift voucher to the Barker St coffee marketplace comes in handy. “We have a selection of over 200 different coffees to choose from and its growing weekly. All coffee is roasted fresh to order and shipped directly to your home or office to enjoy. It’s a perfect gift for any budget” Says Costa
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle
$235
Control the temperature of your water to perfection with the Stagg EKG Electric Kettle. “This kettle hits all the right spots. Beautifully designed with variable settings like water hold (maintains the same temperature for up to an hour) and a timer which lets you get the most out of your pour over brewing. The gooseneck spout has been designed to give you the right amount of water flow for each pour.” Says Costa.
ACAIA Scales
$230
Costa says “Truly one of the most underrated accessories when brewing coffee is scales. It’s a must have for any home brewer especially for filter brewing. Acaia scales weigh your coffee within 0.01 of a gram and has a built in timer. It also connects to your phone via the app which heals you review your brew and tweak it around for a better tasting brew next time around”.
Drift Magazine
$28
“Without a doubt my favourite coffee lifestyle magazine on the planet!” says Costa. Each Drift Magazine captures the essence of coffee lifestyle in a particular city, from the people to the cafes and landscapes they reside in. With travel being a distant memory for most of us right now, Drift can take us on a journey through cities such as Havana, Stockholm, Bali, Melbourne and New York with some fabulous photography too. This is by far the perfect coffee table book.
Barker St Subscription Gift Voucher
$72 – $660
Buy a subscription voucher here
Coffee beans delivered to your door every month without lifting a finger? A subscription gift voucher can take care of the reoccurring burden of ordering coffee before running out. Costa mentions that “The subscription gift voucher is our most popular voucher for Christmas gifting as it is a gift that continues many months following Christmas. We have 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions and you can choose between a single origin or blend.”
Aeropress
$45
Most cafes or various online stores
“The go to brewing method for the majority of people getting into filter brewing at home and for good reason. Compact, easy to use and most importantly it produces a fabulous cup of coffee. If you want to start brewing filter coffee, we couldn’t recommend the Aeropress enough.” Says Costa
Melo Drip
$45
Go all coffee nerd with the Melo Drip. “This is one of those coffee nerd products but really helps with giving you a sweeter and clearer tasting coffee. Instead of pouring one large stream from your kettle, you pour the water over the Melo Drip and it basically slowly rains over your coffee to give you a more even saturation of your coffee grounds which in turn gives you a sweeter tasting coffee” Costa says.
Fellow Prismo Aeropress
$45
Turn your Aeropress from filter brewing into espresso shots with this small but powerful gadget. “Even I was surprised at how this little gadget was able to turn my Aeropress into a device which made great tasting espresso shots. The Prismo generates additional pressure that forms a creamy and bold espresso shot” Costa says
Miir Coffee Cup
$85
We all need a reusable cup, so why not make sure it keeps your coffee warm. “My go to coffee mug when on the go. Nice slim design which keeps my coffee warm for over one hour when out and about, love it! Made with a thermo 3D double wall vacuum insulation which in short means, this cup will keep your coffee warm for a long time.” Mentions Costa
Comandante Hand Grinder
$450
Create perfectly grounded coffee with the popular Comandante hand grinder. “This is a hand grinder that competes with manual grinders, it’s that good. The standout features of the Comandante grinder is the High-Nitrogen Stainless Steel Burrs which allows for stellar grinding quality. It also has an extremely easy grind setting dial which makes adjusting the grind size painless and quick” Costa says.
Breville Barista Express
$999
www.breville.com/au
You’ll forget the name of your barista with the Breville Barista Express coffee machine. Costa says “Whenever people ask for a coffee machine recommendation, I point them straight to the Barista Express. Doesn’t take up too much room, has an inbuilt grinder, strong wand for making milk, powerful pump for extracting coffee, easy to use/clean and produces a really good cup of coffee”.
Baratza Encore Grinder
$230
Every home coffee machine needs a grinder to match, if your coffee machine doesn’t have an inbuilt grinder you have found your new grinder. Costa says “This is a great entry level coffee grinder at a very reasonable price. With its easy to use functionality, 40 different grind settings and ability to produce a consistent grind during every use, it’s a great machine to get you started on your home brewing journey”
Hario V60
$13 – $30
Various cafes and online stores
The world-renown Japanese coffee brewer is known for being one of the best ways to make filter coffee at home or at the office. Costa mentions “I pretty much use my V60 4-5 times a week. It’s not just a great brewing method for coffee nerds but it is also one of the best ways to learn filter brewing. Also the cost of entry is so low, it’s a perfect way to get started even when on a budget.”
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