There are lots of avid aficionados that are passionate about their interests: sports fans and movie buffs, comic-book collectors and wine enthusiasts. Another group that comes to mind—coffee lovers! Some start their day with the beverage—the aroma alone from brewing coffee can be the driving force that gets them out of bed. Some cap an evening meal with a cup, and others sip on it throughout the day. While many consume it warm, others are all about iced. Cream and sugar, just sugar, an extra shot, or perfectly black. Yet one thing remains constant: Coffee lovers love their gourmet coffee…and all things coffee.
When you need a gift for a coffee connoisseur, there’s a world of possibilities. Why not harness more than one and really surprise this person by building an epic coffee gift basket filled with items that will stimulate their senses? If that thought just made you a little jittery, don’t worry! Check out our article “How to Craft the Perfect Gift Basket Made from Hawaiian Goodies that will tell you how to choose a basket or other container and how to assemble the items in it. In this article, we’ll give you some ideas of what to put in a coffee lover’s basket to make their dreams come true.
Lay the Groundwork
Have you ever stood in the coffee aisle at your local grocery store? It features an impressive coffee selection, everything from cans of specialty coffee to jars of instant coffee to bags of beans, plus flavored coffees (vanilla, hazelnut, pumpkin spice) and levels of roasted coffee (light, medium, dark). How great to have options, so you can get exactly what you prefer! But sometimes that may leave you a little lost. What’s the right choice for someone who truly loves coffee?
The smart solution is to pick what’s premium. Big Island Candies proudly features 100% pure Kona and Ka`u coffee (either medium or dark ground) from farms right here on Hawai`i Island. (Keep reading, because later we’ll have recommendations for decadent goodies that not only go along with a cup of coffee but put coffee at the heart of the tasting experience.)
Take the Plunge
While coffee makers and espresso machines are classic countertop appliances, there’s now another way to make coffee—one that is compact, even portable. Check out the AeroPress® Go™, which includes:
- A travel mug
- Coffee filters
- A plunger
- A few other components to brew hot coffee and cold brew
If your recipient prefers the French press process, take a look at the kitchen/cookware retailer Sur la table for a variety of functional, fashionable styles. They also feature an Accessories section that includes milk-frother wands, coffee bean grinders, and more.
Filter Your Search
With a variety of coffee makers out in the market nowadays, it may be good to stir up a little conversation with your coffee consumer and casually investigate how they make their coffee, if you’re not already sure or they don’t live with you. Perhaps find out what type of coffee maker they use:
- Carafe
- Single serve/K-Cup coffee pods
- AeroPress
- Or something else
This will help ensure their surprise basket includes accessories they can use. For instance, coffee filters tend to be size- and shape-specific to a machine. Some appliances require basket-style or cone-shaped filters and may require a paper or a reusable coffee filter. To be on the safe side, you could always add a gift card from a retail chain or wholesale retailer, so the recipient of your coffee gift basket can buy their exact filter type.
Once the filters get home, the question becomes how to store all of them neatly. Here’s a stylish suggestion for cone filters from West Elm.
Grab a Cup
Once the coffee has been brewed, it has to be poured into something, right? Shopping for coffee mugs can be really fun. With all the different styles, colors, and sayings, a coffee cup can make a statement. Target has a cool (or hot) collection of mugs and travel mugs. (This humorous one could very well sum up a coffee drinker’s philosophy in the morning.) Target also sells classy monogram mugs, each featuring a single capital letter, which will help personalize your gift even more. In fact, get two mugs: one to represent the first initial of the person’s first name, another for their last name. If you know their middle initial, grab a third!
And if Target isn’t your style, you can find coffee mugs just about everywhere. Keep your eyes open as you window shop downtown or on your next trip to find something just right for a coffee gift basket.
To Dye For
It’s safe to say most coffee drinkers know about the dreaded coffee droplet that always seems to land in the middle of a (white) t-shirt, blouse, or pair of pants. While you can’t totally stop that from happening, there are articles of clothing with the essence of coffee already in it. Crazy Shirts® has a line of Kona-coffee-dyed apparel for men and women, with several island-inspired designs.
Basket-Build Tip: Fold the shirt and place it in the basket, or, as a space-saving option, roll it up and put it in one of the coffee mugs if it fits, perhaps along with a gift card mentioned earlier.
Beautiful Blend
Coffee is satisfying on its own, but even more so when there’s a decadent treat to go with it. Macadamia Nut Biscotti cookies are Big Island Candies’ Italian-inspired confections made to be dipped into a cup of delicious hot coffee. These goodies are a game changer for a mid-morning or afternoon snack! Here’s another suggestion sure to make someone’s eyes and tastebuds perk up: Our Coffee Lover’s Gourmet Gift Box, a specialty assortment that includes one of our newest products: Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Brownies.
If this article was a cup of coffee, we’ve almost reached the bottom. Granted, we could always serve up another round of ideas, but these suggestions are great starters. With Kona coffee, personalized gifts like accessories, and the perfect snacks, we know you’ll pour your heart and soul into building an epic gourmet coffee gift basket for the coffee lover you know.
