What’s better than an early morning Zoom meeting? Just kidding-we all hate those. However, if it’s accompanied by a really (and we mean REALLY) good cup of Joe, we might just survive. If you are confused about what you can gift a coffee lover, besides a cold coffee recipe, here are some top-shelf, locally sourced gifts that might just make anyone’s morning.
Looking for the perfect gift to give to the tea lover in your life? Look no further than to Asami Premium African teas. Asami brings you teas packed full of antioxidants, giving you a taste of bold, zesty, spicy, delicate, smooth yet subtle flavors from the continent of Africa.
Sourced directly from African artisan farmers, each bag of loose leaf or pyramid bag tea is made with all natural products based on African roots that support optimal health. Their Tropical Oasis box contains three healthy, caffeinated and non-caffeinated wellness tea options along with a Kenyan olive wooden tea scoop, making it a great gift for any occasion and season.
Biodynamic Coffee, $19.99
Give your favorite coffee lover the perfect morning cup of joe. Biodynamic Coffee Company selects the highest quality coffee, grown using regenerative farming practices with 100% compostable packaging and meticulously developed roast profiles – their roast-to-order coffee is the cleanest & tastiest coffee you can buy. The Rise & Shine blend is a great source of caffeic acid and antioxidants – compounds that reduce inflammation and can prevent premature aging.
Boca Java Coffee Subscription, $14.38+
Boca Java is the original roast-to-order gourmet coffee (and tea!) club, and the perfect gift for caffeine lovers who need a little automation in their busy lives. Roasted in small batches in Colorado only after an order is placed, Boca Java coffees are delivered directly to customers at peak freshness, with a ‘roasted on’ date proudly displayed on the bag.
Gifters can purchase one of two subscription types: the Gourmet Coffee Club, a hand tailored subscription from more than 150 different coffees. Specify how many bags, caffeine, grind type and the frequency of delivery, starting at $14.38 for a two-bag shipment. Their second option is a Coffee of the Month Club, hand selected for you by Boca Java’s roastmaster. Each month, you receive two coffees of differing origins and flavors. Treat yourself, or surprise someone with a three, six or 12-month coffee subscription gift, starting at $59.95.
Brooklyn Roasting Coffee, $18/tin
Editor’s Pick – Now that our days and months are blending together, fun and funky Brooklyn Roasting makes every morning seem just a little bit better with their super unique blends. Their fresh, locally roasted coffees toss ‘typical’ out the window, creating flavor profiles only your imagination can stir up. Try their Holiday Blend (because it’s ‘dark as 2020′), with beans from Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru, with a smooth body, medium acidity, and aromas that reminded us of roasted peanut butter and strawberry jam. Or, go even darker with their 2020-2021 Winter Blend, a sweet, clean-cupping coffee blend of high-altitude Peruvian beans with smoky Sumatra. Coffee notes include warm maple syrup and bittersweet toasted ‘burnt’ pancake. They have also just released a delish coffee infused peanut butter, just in case you need an extra dose of caffeine in the morning. Bring it on 2021, we’re ready for you.
Calabash Tea & Tonic’s ‘CALA-Box’, $39.99/month
Calabash Tea & Tonic, a popular Black woman owned teahouse with two locations in Washington D.C. offers a masterfully curated ‘wellness toolbox’ called CALA-Box as a subscription ($39.99 a month) or for single purchase ($44.95), containing customer favorite Calabash tea and spice blends and a selection of goods from other brilliant businesses along with Calabash’s signature ‘Love is’ messaging.
Each month a new CALA-Box is released with a fun theme like That Ol’ Black Magic, Mint Gang, Basilicious, and more. December’s CALA-Box theme is Hempy Holidays, and the box includes roasted hemp seeds, My Last Good Nerve latte, organic hemp hearts, organic full-spectrum CBD, CBD coconut lip scrub, and Buds & Suds, high-grade CBD and honey soap made special for Calabash by Brown Sugar Voodoo. Few products could be easily available from a local CBD dispensary that is specialized in selling cannabis-based or hemp products near you.
Chariteas Sustainable Teas, $10
Chariteas is committed to sourcing the world’s finest quality tea from the road less travelled. Chariteas works with sustainable tea farms in order to craft custom blends, and also has created a platform for teas from other countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia and Vietnam. With each purchase of tea, Chariteas works to replant trees in multiple regions of the world. The teas include white, green, and black teas, as well unique tisane blends like an organic color-changing tea with butterfly pea flower, mango, coconut, rosehips, and natural peach flavoring.
Civilized Coffee, Single Origin Whole Bean Roasts, $13.45-14.95
Editors Pick – Someone once called coffee ‘the favorite drink of the civilized world’. Civilized Coffee believes this tradition, borrowed and shared across many cultures, has the power to unite and inspire. With their vast network of coffee farmers from around the world, they use these relationships to source the finest coffee available at the fairest price. All of coffee is roasted and packed in their Jacksonville, Florida facilities. We absolutely loved their delicious Kenyan Blonde Roast, with toasty notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, and citrus flower, or the high altitude Ethiopian Teaberry Medium Roast, with notes of jammy red currant, cinnamon spice, and creamy caramel. Available on their website and Amazon.
Copper Cow Coffee – 12 Days of Pour Over Advent Calendar, $69
From Pumpkin Spice and Churro Lattes to Coconut and Classic Creamers, these Vietnamese pour over coffees are the most delicious way to help countdown to the holidays. Treat yourself (or a loved one) to the best pour over coffees and cult favorite natural creamers, all wrapped up in a beautiful limited release box that you’ll want to use all-year-round. Don’t wait, though-it’s only available during the holiday season!
Horn Coffee Subscription, $55+
A new ethical, delicious, and roasted-to-order brand that every coffee-obsessed fiend will love. Horn Coffee currently sources and roasts top shelf beans from sustainable farmers who are leaders in fair labor practices from countries like Colombia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Peru and Brazil. While the beans are organically grown abroad, the coffee is roasted in Reno, Nevada using environmentally friendly methods through industry-leading technology that produces zero emissions and is powered by 100% clean energy. Prices start are as follows: 3-month subscription ($55), 6-month subscription ($109), 12-month subscription ($219). Horn makes one of the best decaf coffees, with high praise from our non-caffeinated, coffee-loving crowd.
Hunu Collapsible Coffee Mug, $22
Perfect for the eco-conscious coffee lover on your list, Hunu is the collapsible, convenient, leak-proof, pocket-sized cup created as a sustainable alternative to the 165 million single use cups that end up in landfill every day. The HUNU cup holds 9 oz of coffee, tea, or whatever you please, and folds down to just 2 centimeters. Available at wearehunu.com and Amazon.
LOMLI Coffee was created for the busy, on-the-go person in mind. Each LOMLI Coffee bag is an individually wrapped, nitro-sealed coffee sachet that steeps just like tea – perfect as a holiday stocking stuffer or a gift for your loved one who is obsessed with coffee! All you have to do is add hot water, steep for a few minutes until you reach your desired taste, and you can enjoy the most deliciously smooth French Roast blend. LOMLI aims to make high-quality coffee accessible and enjoyable for any occasion and circumstance. The LOMLI steeped coffee bags are 100% compostable, eco-friendly, and sustainably sourced from Colombia. Get a 10 pack for $22.
As a Black female-owned business, Kahawa 1893 is a sustainable, premium coffee brand that brings the rich flavors of Kenya directly to coffee lovers in the United States. Coffees include Kenyan Peaberry, Serengeti Blend, Ethiopian, Safari Blend, 1893 Espresso, and Single-Serve Coffee Packs (coffee bags that steep in 5 minutes). Kahawa 1893 supports hardworking Kenyan female coffee farmers through its online “customer tipping” program, allowing 100% of proceeds to go directly to female coffee producers, while Kahawa 1893 matches all tips to double the impact.
illy Francis Francis X7.1 iperEspresso Machine, $295
Editor’s Pick – A beautiful, iconic design known only to illy from world-renowned maker Francis Francis, the X7.1 Machine creates full-bodied espresso with ease, and is available in glossy red, white, or sleek black. Features include advanced technology including steel internal thermoblock, and a Pannarello steam wand that froths milk for the creamiest of cappuccinos and lattes. The machine uses a proprietary pod system to give you the perfect brew, and can be easily setup as a subscription, or ordered as needed. Available on illy.com and Amazon for $295.
illy Single Origin Arabica Whole Bean Selection – $14.99+
The single-origin Arabica Select collection of whole bean coffee are uniquely roasted to bring out the tastes of each Arabica origin. Try each selection or the full bundle to experience the floral notes of coffee from Ethiopia, chocolate notes from Guatemala, caramel from Brazil, fruit notes from Colombia and spice notes from India. Available on illy.com for $14.99 each or $74.95 for the full bundle.
Editors Pick – Coffee that tastes as good as it looks on the counter? Methodical has you covered. They source specialty grade coffees from top quality coffee farms in Africa, Central and South America. All coffees are roasted locally in Greenville, South Carolina to express the lives they have lived – the place, the weather, the soil – and to honor the skilled people who cultivated it. A variety of roasts and bean flavors are available, as well as gift subscriptions. Try their medium roasted Kenya Ndiamini ($24) with notes of sweet red apple, toasted coconut, and citrus, or try the Ethiopia Dur Feres ($18), with notes of blueberry, blackberry, cherry, and green coffee leaf. We tried the Blue Boy, a blend from Guatemala, Ixlama and Honduras, El Rincon Del Sabor. This coffee needs no cream or sugar-just let it’s smooth aromas and flavors of chocolate, soft red berries, and sweet notes of burnt raw sugar play on your palate.
Ott CBD Infused Coffee, $22 for 4 oz
This hemp-infused coffee is an ideal gift for your adult loved ones, especially after perhaps the most stressful years our generations have ever faced. The Relaxation Series (ground or whole bean) is a medium roast coffee blend with smooth notes of caramel, chocolate, and fruity flavors. This blend is for when you’re craving a late-night warm and soothing nightcap to wind your energy down. The Productivity Series (ground of whole bean) is a medium roast coffee blend with smooth notes of caramel, chocolate, and vanilla flavors. Enjoy a cup of alertness, focus, and mellowness free of the caffeine jitters, anxiety, and crashes.
Queen City Collective Coffee, $3+
Freezing your tush off in a one-horse open sleigh? Forget to stuff those stockings? Don’t fret. Queen City Collective in Denver has all of your on-the-go gifts and holiday coffee needs. Their steeped coffee is an individual single serving of coffee that’s been nitrogen flushed to seal in all the freshness. All you need is hot water and a quick steep (like making tea) to enjoy QC coffee anytime, anywhere. Available in single pack, 5 pack or 10 pack counts.
They also have full size bags like the Belfonte ($16.50), inspired by Zissou’s SS Belafonte-a double origin coffee that’s quirky, with layered flavors of smooth chocolate & sweet berries. Or, try the Claudia Hernandez ($18.50), named after their cultivator near the rural village of Santa Elena in La Paz district, and part of the full transparency, blockchain Catracha Coffee project.
Rising Tides Coffee, $14.95
Rising Tides Coffee Co is bringing joy to your mug each morning with their fair trade organic, small batch, artisan roasted, craft coffee! Not only is it their mission to ethically source the world’s finest beans, they also take great joy in giving back to the community locally, and globally. Rising Tides Coffee Co offers three unique flavors AND each bag donates to a unique charity based on how it was created. Available on Amazon
Tea Runners Tea Subscription Boxes, $25
An amazing brand that delivers a little comfort and self-soothing through an extraordinary tea discovery service. Every month, members receive a curated or customized collection of four top quality loose leaf teas, along with tasting notes and brewing instructions. Many of the teas included in the monthly subscription boxes are award-winners from the Global Tea Championship Awards, and most of the teas come from award-winning companies. Receiving a perfectly crafted gorgeous package of splendid and rare teas is an experience that anyone can appreciate. Grab their seasonal holiday offers while supplies last. Available on Amazon.
True Serenity Tea Subscription, $90/12-month
True Serenity Tea’s mission is to provide high quality, innovative and delicious loose leaf teas and tisanes delivered to your door, or an anytime serene moment. At only $8 a month, you’ll get a box filled with unique teas ranging from classic to luxury, as well as awarding winning teas in white, green, black, and tisane blends, and a small gourmet snack for your teatime. Our box contained Green Apple, a relaxing green and black tea blend that smelled and tasted like juicy apples, Blissful Turmeric with marigold petals, spices and black pepper, Blue Luna Blue with butterfly pea flower and lemongrass, and Moonlit Jasmine green teas.
Vinci Housewares Coffee Systems, $79-99
Vinci Express Cold Brew ($79) – Enjoy cold brew coffee year round with Vinci Express Cold Brew. The patented Circle Flow Brewing Technology eliminates the long wait of the traditional 18-24 hour cold brewing process and provides fully extracted cold brew in as little as 5 minutes. Simply fill the carafe with room-temperature water, add medium to coarse ground coffee to the filter, select brew strength, and enjoy deliciously, fully brewed cold brew coffee in minutes.
The Vinci Auto Pour-Over 12 Cup Coffee Maker ($99)
A fully automated pour-over brewer that spins as it brews, the Vinci Auto Pour-Over replicates the manual pour-over method and replaces it with an automated pour-over process. Not only does the Vinci Auto Pour-Over brew delicious pour-over coffee, it will also improve and replace typical counter-top coffee brewers. It ensures proper water dispersion by extracting all coffee grounds equally for a more balanced and better-tasting cup of coffee.
What’s Your Tea is locally sourced and operated by California native and Black female entrepreneur, Andrée Honore Smith. Andree is involved with every detail from the specific leaves that are used to the packaging. The company started out with four flavors and has now branched out with coffee, cookies, body oils, and so much more. Fans love all the flavors, but the Coconut Cali black tea is a top seller. Also, check out their tea and cookies pack ($54.99), with all four signature flavors of WYT – Blueberry Boss, Lavender Love, Coconut Cali and Bougie Hippy, as well as limited edition tea cookies – Honey Butter and Berry Rich.
