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Dads and Grads - A Coffee Gift Buying Guide

by Christian Di Bono

No matter what the occasion, it is sometimes hard to come up with coffee-related gift ideas, especially if you already have a budget in mind. Here is a short gift giving guide that should help you with the coffee nut (or soon to be coffee nut) in your life.

Under $25

A drip cone with Coffee filters. Melitta cones are the most well known. Both the cone and a box of filters should run you less than $10. With the correct temp water, you will have an easy and delicious cup of coffee.

Freshly roasted coffee of course! There are many sources on the net, many will roast and ship the same day, assuring that you get the coffee at it's peak of freshness. Prices range from about $10-$20 per pound shipped.

Basic French Press (PressPot). The French Press needs a very coarse grind, so hopefully your recipient has a grinder that is up to snuff. These can be well under $25.

Aeropress by Aerobie. Yes, the same guys who made the frisbee. They have this very cool little coffee gadget for around $25. It makes coffee somewhere between an espresso machine and a Vacpot.

Under $100

Cups. They can be espresso cups, latte cups, cappuccino cups, or just regular coffee cups. Decent sets can range anywhere from $50-$100 per set. I like the Illy cups, as they offer plain white, as well as collector sets with interesting designs.

Fancy French Press (Press Pot). There are some that are decorative, some that are thermal carafes, and others that boast a special filter. In the end, they do just as well as the basic models when it comes to the results. These range from about $50-$100.

French Press and Grinder to match. The Capresso Infinity grinder is a great little grinder for the price. If you want to get your special someone the complete package on the way to better coffee, nothing is better than a quality grinder and a French Presspot of your choosing.

An electronically controlled hot water pot. I like the Zojirushi Electric Dispensing Pot. They have 3 temp levels (175F, 195F, and 208F). Perfect temps for Green Tea, Coffee, and things like soups & regular tea. Models CD-LCC30, CD-LCC40, CD-LC50 (3, 4, and 5 liter models) are between $125-$150. They also come in black and neutral colors.

Under $250

A decent drip coffee machine that brews at the right temperature. I think the Technivorm is the winner here. No fancy electronics, but a great cup of coffee to be sure. There are several models that are good, but I prefer the thermal carafe models like the Thermo KB741, the Moccamaster CD Thermo, and the KBTS.

An entry level Coffee Roaster. The Hearthware i-Roast 2 coffee bean roaster will get someone into coffee roasting fairly cheap. Get them some green coffee to go with it, all for well under $200. Some vendors will give you some starter beans with the roaster.

Under $1000

An advanced coffee roaster. I like the Hottop KN-8828P for the geekiest of geeks. Very cool programming features, not to mention great-tasting coffee that comes out of it. They can be had for just under $900. Some vendors will give you some starter beans with the roaster.

An espresso machine of course! The Rancilio Silvia is a great machine in this price range. If you really want to be a hero, include a grinder. Again the Rancilio Rocky is a great match. About $600 for the machine, and about $300 for the grinder.