We've already done our Under $30 / Under $75 lists, so now it's time to present those really big gift suggestions for you! If you're a regular visitor to CoffeeGeek, you're most likely someone who loves coffee and the processes involved in turning a bean into a beverage. Your reputation gets around. Relatives see you as the coffee guy or gal. Your office co-workers come to you for advice on the best brewer to buy. You get asked about Kopi Luwak... all the time.
Christmas comes around and your buddies, relatives and loved ones are most likely struggling to find the perfect gift for a true CoffeeGeek - and they end up buying you Nespresso pods or something. Hey, bless their hearts, at least the thought is there! But this list exists so that you can easily point them to the kind of things a true Geek About Coffee would want.
This list is for gifts over $75, and can go up to crazy prices for those who have the "money is no object" lifestyles. Some of these products are linked to CoffeeGeek's Amazon Affiliate Link (use this link when shopping at Amazon!), which helps offset the costs of running this website. For the entire month of December, we'll be donating 100% of the income generated from these holiday gift suggestion links to our favourite charity - CoffeeKids.
We encourage all our readers to make CoffeeKids your charity of choice too and consider donating money directly to this great organization. More than ever, they need your help.
And here we go - our holiday gift suggestions for items over $75!
If you have a hankering for donating some money to a worthy cause, but also like getting beautiful illy collector cups, this is the item for you, or even better, as a Christmas Gift you can give to two - one to the foundation, the other to your gift recipient.
These are the Ernesto Illy Foundation espresso cups. The idea for these cups came from Ernesto Illy himself, who said that coffee should never be drunk alone, always in company. Coffee is a beverage that encourages conviviality and conversation: enjoyed in the company of others it can lead to the kind of encounters and discussions from which great ideas are born.
This is why the Ernesto Illy Foundation has used the metaphor of a bird’s eye view of two coffee cups with a logo created by a Dutch designer for illycaffè during the1960s. The limited-edition, numbered pack contains two espresso cups and a single saucer. You get the cups by making a minimum 100 Euro donation to the Ernest Illy Foundation, donations that go to:
Research, preservation and development project of the native coffee plant in Ethiopia;
Pilot project in Colombia, dedicated to adverse communities, to introduce beekeeping and honey production in coffee plantations, as a new source of income and environmental sustainability;
Scholarships for the Masters degree in Coffee Economics and Science, that will give qualified students coming from coffee producing countries the opportunity to study in Italy, to improve their knowledge and to transfer this experience to their families and community of origin.
Want to get serious into home manual coffee brewing for results that will rival the coffee from any cafe? Prima has a very nice package deal going on that saves a substantial amount of money.
This package includes a Maestro Plus grinder (which can be upgraded with the Esatto weight doser attachment); a 8 cup Chemex brewer, a box of Chemex filter papers, and the expensive (but cool looking and functional) Hario Buono Kettle which works on all stove types, including induction stoves.
Together, this package gives you a great grinder, a beautiful and functional brewer, and a dedicated pouring kettle for getting the most out of your drip coffee. A perfect gift for a serious CoffeeGeek.
To us, this is the real breakout, outstanding espresso machine of 2011. It essentially takes all the best things from the $7,000 GS/3 and packages it into a $1200 machine from a major company making small appliances, and adds a few beneficial twists as well. We've written up a First Look on the Breville Dual Boiler based on a preproduction model. We're continuing to test a production version for a full Detailed Review.
What makes the Dual Boiler special? The list is long, but we'll keep it brief: a true dual boiler system with a 1litre steam boiler also acting as a heat exchanger for the brew boiler. A dual PID system with one PID managing the brew boiler and the other managing temperatures for the grouphead (the steam boiler has a more traditional thermister thermostat control). Excellent usability features including different ways to fill the machine, a super sized reservoir and drip tray, great steaming performance and so much more. Read our first look for many more details.
This is the ultimate home machine for a serious CoffeeGeek, under $1500.
The ground breaker. The game changer. The most influential espresso machine design of the last decade: the La Marzocco GS/3 manual paddle machine.
This machine was responsible for the wave of PID-controlled, "Heat Exchanger as a pre-heater for a brew boiler" machine designs that have come since and are the focus of so many high end commercial machines. This machine was also the one that broke the rule about a home machine running on a standard 110V plug not being able to have dual boilers or any real steaming power.
This machine is a full blown commercial machine for your home. It can be run as a full portable machine (self contained reservoir and closed drip tray) or easily converted to a plumbed in model without any real technical knowledge. It also features the paddle group - a fully manual-control way of brewing your espresso. The machine is not without its quirks, but to this day, this remains the ultimate in home espresso. You really cannot do any better (unless you get a custom, hand built Speedster and wait six months for it!).
Chris Coffee's price includes shipping of this monster, making it a great deal.
We had a chance to test this brewer earlier this year in an informal private test, and were quite impressed with the results. This is Bunn's new Phase Brewer auto drip coffee machine.
What makes it special? When it comes to drip brewers, the most important thing that many manufacturers miss is the water temperature - namely, the temperatures are not hot enough for proper extraction. Bunn fixes this problem with a dual stage heating / brewing cycle on this machine. It takes about 10 minutes to complete a pot: 6 minutes to properly heat up all the water, and 4 minutes to actually brew.
This is also one of the few machines from Bunn to have all the bells and whistles normal consumer drip autos have: namely, digital controls and timers. We're not fans of timers on auto drip coffee makers - it means stale ground coffee - but for some this is a very important feature. It also uses Bunn's flat filter, which some believe can lead to a better brew in auto drip machines.
Lastly, Bunn's warranty is awesome - a full 3 years (most machines are 1 year or less).
There are many sought after illy espresso cups from their long line of Art Collection Cups. There's the recalled Blue Cup series, the Spirit Cup lined with gold, the missing maps cup from the Rauschenberg World Maps Cups (Paris' map, because it's trademarked!)... and this one.
This is the David Byrne, 1998 Silver Cup he designed for illy. Byrne, famous as the lead singer of the Talking Heads, is an avid photographer and artists. He designed these cups, hand dipped in silver, because he liked the idea of the espresso cup being a reflection of you - silver was the natural medium for him because it is one of the most highly reflective metals in the world.
These cups, sold by 1st in Coffee, are from David Byrne's own personal stock of the cups. they are extremely low numbers, and each cup is pristine. I got one for myself and the cup's number is 025! I've seen these cups go for over $1,000 on eBay in the past, and considering the source of these cups, they would be a highly prized and very special gift for an uber-serious espresso fan.
A very elegant 3 cup siphon complete with painted artwork from Yama. And as a bonus, it includes a butane burner (usually a $50 upgrade!).
Siphons produce some of the best non-espresso coffee you can drink today - the brewing method just lends itself to proper extraction and quick brewing times. The bonus is, it's a fantastic visual way to make coffee too! This is true table-service coffee, and a fantastic show to end your dinner party with.
This particular Yama model features a painted ceramic base, and a very stable stand system for holding the brewer in place during the brew phase. It uses a cloth filter system (extra cloth filters are easy to find and buy and are cheap), and the butane burner reduces heat up times by almost 75% when compared to cloth wick burners.
Ever since Hario "dumbed down" the (formerly) beautiful Nouveau siphons, this is one of our favourite siphons available today. I own two of these - the black model, and also a white one.
Let's face facts: Technivorms aren't going to win any industrial design beauty awards. It may not be pretty, but this is the drip machine of choice found in the tasting rooms of most of North America's top roasters. To paraphrase a saying, if it is good enough or an Intelligentsia or a 49th Parallel, it's good enough for your kitchen counter!
Technivorm has made much ballyhoo about being the only auto drip coffee maker to pass the SCAA's auto drip certification testing but there's a semi-dirty little secret here - very few companies have actually submitted their products to the SCAA for certifying! That's not to diminish the Technivorms, because after all, they do brew at very good temperatures - nearly ideal according to the SCAA.
This thermal unit includes a very well made tall thermal carafe but still includes Technivorm's patented brew flow system, which delivers the just-brewed coffee to the bottom of the carafe.
The Mypressi Twist V2 portable espresso machine was a great innovation when it was introduced a few years ago. It won a best product award from the SCAA, and has proven to be popular amongst many of the world's top baristas.
The Mypressi lets you brew a true double shot without the need for any electricity (if you heat your water with flame and hand grind your espresso). You can get as much as 16g or more coffee into the basket. It also uses those little NO2 cartridges you normally use for making whipped cream, and one cartridge gives you up to 4 doubles of espresso. The Mypressi comes complete with a pressurized filter basket, a non pressurized basket and an ESE pod adapter. This makes the Mypressi much more versatile in how it can be used.
The good news is, this is a continually developing product. Mypressi plans some upgrades that will be "backwards compatible" with the existing models, including a new rechargeable system. Buying this great portable espresso device is a very safe bet for good espresso and some great options in the future.
Wine folks have the Nez du Vin sets in a variety of sizes, and we in the world of coffee have the Nez du Cafe set made by the same people. Many folks in the world of specialty coffee consider this kit de rigeur in their training of palates and sensory skills for the tasting and testing of coffee. We consider it essential in the CoffeeGeek Lab.
Designed in conjunction with the Specialty Coffee Association of America, this kit consists of an amazing 36 aromas comprising the most common (and uncommon) scents found in coffees. All thirty-six aromas in a wooden presentation box complete with descriptive cards, the set of four 'Art of Aroma' posters, and Jean Lenoir's bound book which contains a tasting sheet and coffee classification chart.
This kit will help you train your sense of taste with flavors that mimic the specific nuances found in coffee. You'll be a rock star of the coffee cupping world in no time - watch out Ken Davids!
Price is $350, or $275 if you're an SCAA member. Product Link (SCAA site - they have a horrible url system at their site; visit the "store" navigation buton, and search for Nez du Cafe)
I remember when I got my first La Pavoni Lever machine. There's almost nothing that is more hands on with your espresso, save perhaps the Presso manual espresso machine.
But Presso's got nothing on the La Pavoni lever. With this machine, you're getting electronic water temperature controls and great steaming ability built in from one of the world's oldest espresso machine companies. When you press (or pull) your shot, you are the direct pump: unlike other commercial lever machines that cock a spring for pulling your shot, with the La Pavonis, as you press down on the lever, you're directly pushing the water through a bed of coffee - push harder or softer for different types of extractions. Heck, push softly, then gradually push harder to do your own style of "pressure profiling".
This machine is a classic work of art, and if it was good enough for James Bond (featured in Roger Moore's first Bond movie), it's damned well good enough for you or your loved one!
The ultimate upgrade for a wide lineup of Baratza grinders, including the Maestro Plus, the Virtuoso, and the Preciso models. What is it?
The Esatto attachment converts your existing Baratza grinder into a very accurate weight based dosing grinder, complete with a new bin to use. You can dial in up to 3 presets, or manually choose the weight you want to grind. Fill the hopper up, pick your grind weight and press one button. The grinder will accurately grind the amount you set, in .1g increments and automatically stop.
In our testing, we found the Esatto to be accurate within .5g under most circumstances. This is fantastic for moka, drip, siphon, pourover, and press pot - you really don't need anything more accurate than that. When grinding for espresso, we've found the finer grind (which means slower grinding time) brings the accuracy down to about .3 grams, which is also extremely good for most espresso situations.
A very worthy upgrade to your Baratza grinder, and a definite choice gift for a true CoffeeGeek.
This is one of the few items on this list that I have not yet been able to test. But the Behmor 1600 roaster is a huge favourite with the folks who participate in our home roasting forums, and that is reason enough to include it in the holiday gift list. (apologies for the lack of photo - we couldn't find a suitable one to use)
Quoting from our chosen vendor, "This roaster makes perfect sense for those who want to roast their own coffee once a week, or those who roast coffee for the office, for family, or for gift-giving. It has pre-programmed roast times, heat curves, and an automatic cooling cycle."
The smoke removal system keeps the smoke out of your roasting but the aroma of fresh roasted coffee is still strong in your roasting area. The unit will set off most smoke detectors so keep that in mind.
The Behmor can roast up to a pound of coffee at a time, and has five preprogrammed "profiles", but you can also adjust and control the roasting profile on the fly. It's a nice, quiet roaster with legions of fans. It does have some quirks, but Sweet Marias has you covered in that aspect - read their guide to the roaster.
As our entry point espresso machine we're recommending this year for the Holiday Gift List, we're going with the Gaggia Color Machine.
Gaggia machines are great choices as entry point espresso machines: many of their cheapest models contain some of the best features of the higher priced models. This Gaggia Color machine (available in different colors) has a great 58mm metal portafilter, a good boiler system (stainless steel!), and a good pump. Costs are saved in the housing and materials used outside, but inside is a pure home espresso machine - a much better choice than the major brands' offerings.
This machine also offers hot water on demand and has a pod filter adapter included. A great choice for a budget but fully capable home espresso machine.
Do you like your coffee in XL size portions? Then this is the ultimate for you. This is Chemex' largest coffee brewer - the massive 13 cup handblown glass coffee maker.
It works with Chemex's paper filters filled to the brim, and barely works with the Kone V2 filters (watch out for overflow). But if size does matter, you won't find any manual pourover options that are bigger. Great for larger parties, for people who REALLY want a lot of morning coffee, and especially ideal for cafes looking to do larger volume manual brews.
Every Chemex handblown glass coffee maker is unique - they are hand made in the US, and each one has subtly different shapes. The design is a classic icon, featured in the MoMA Museum's permanent collection.
We were hard pressed (by many requests) to add a super auto to the list this year, and quite conflicted about it. On one hand, this is all about quality coffee and espresso. On the other hand, we recognize that many people need convenient coffee.
Mark has tested many super automatics over the years, and has done some private consultations on various models; My office was looking for a good super auto so I asked his advice: He pointed me to the Krups Super Autos. He said that the Krups models, manufactured in France, were the lesser of most (super auto) evils. They had short brew paths short grinder paths, a zero-grinds retention system, proper brewing temperatures and nice auto controls. It all seemed quite good.
We have a previous version of this model in our office and I have to be honest - it produces better espresso than every cafe we have within 6 blocks of our workplace. It even does a decent job auto frothing milk (there's no manual frothing option unfortunately). It is small, relatively quiet, and easy to use and clean.
The Espresseria model has some nice upgrades over our version. It includes a full auto frothing solution including insulated jug; an upgraded filteration system, larger capacities in grinder and reservoir, and a better puck delivery / cleaning system in place. If I had to recommend any super automatic, this is the one.
A fantastic one-two punch for great home espresso with the included option of grinding for all coffee brewing methods!
The Rancilio Silvia needs absolutely no introduction: Rancilio sold over 20,000 of these machines in 2010 alone, and suffice to say, it is one of the most recognized and respected "serious" home espresso machines of the past decade.
Included in this combo is the amazingly capable and versatile Baratza Preciso grinder. In our testing, we found the Preciso to be on par with the grinding ability from Baratza's Vario grinder, but with a tiny bit more speed and even better grinding at the press pot end. This grinder can handle literally everything you require from it, from true Turkish grinds all the way to a good, uniform press pot grind.
You save some money on the combo, and this order also includes free shipping in the US.
It's a shame, but it looks like balancing siphon brewers are becoming virtually extinct. Gone are the original Royal Brewers, the Caffetino and other models. Mark really wanted to feature a balancing brewer in this guide this year so I looked around and while this was only one of three or four online I could find, it definitely is one of the more elegant and detailed models I've seen at a reasonable price.
At $595, this model isn't cheap. But it is beautiful and a nice reproduction. It can brew up to eight cups, and it is all handmade, including the glass portion.
Balance brewers do their thing much in the same way a siphon brewer works, but the process is side to side instead of top to bottom. Kettle's on the right, counterweight and brewing vessel on the left. When the kettle is full of water, it sits lower and keeps the cloth wick alcohol burner lit. As the kettle loses its water due to steam pressure, the kettle gets lighter and lifts. Eventually, the counter-weighted lid for the alcohol stove will clear the bottom of the kettle, and snap, closes over the flame to extinguish the heat source. The brewed coffee is then drawn back over to the kettle automatically via the vacuum formed inside by the contracting water vapour. Wallah - the 1850s version of an automatic coffee brewer!
It's hard to think about ice coffee brewing in the middle of winter, but our article on iced coffee brewing methods was extremely popular last summer, so we're including one choice on our Holiday Gift List, and it is one of the most beautiful (and compact) ice brewers available today.
It is the Hario Pota bronze (or copper) ice slow drip coffee maker. It works like any of the ice tower brewers, but in a much more compact form: the top contains the globe for your ice to slowly melt in; the middle portion contains the drip controller (for drips as slow as 1 every 5 seconds!) and the filter and ground coffee container. The bottom is the collection jar where the ice brew coffee ends up. The appliance is finished off with a nice bronze (or copper) base, and a matching cap.
This is possibly the best home multipurpose grinder you can buy. It is the Baratza Vario-W grinder.
It is the first home / semi-pro grinder sold to have accurate, 0.1 gram dosing built right into the grinder. This is a very big deal. Accurate dosing for various brewing methods is crucial to attaining the best possible tasting cup.
The grinder is fast, quiet, and efficient. It is built to commercial standards (right down to the plug) and can see light to medium duty in a cafe. The scale is built right into the grinder and is accurate to within 0.5 grams of whatever weight you dial in, and usually a lot closer (the "float" that happens when the grinder stops and and an additional few fractions of a gram fall into the basket is hard to control, and Baratza has figured out nice algorithms to take this into account).
It's only downside is you cannot grind directly into a portafilter. But for every other grinding need, it is superb. It is the top of the line in home grinders, bar none.
Column Description Whether it's up to the minute, happening this day, this week, or in the recent past, this column's goal is to present coffee and attempts to make the experience truly culinary. You'll find short reviews about past events, interesting coffees coming on the market, new and different ways to enjoy espresso and other brewing methods, and give an insight into efforts around the globe to make coffee a truly culinary thing. Column written by Mark Prince.
