P Pat Cotter

2020 Holiday Shopping Guide: Odds and Ends

Nov 23, 2020
2020 Holiday Shopping Guide: Odds and Ends

Sometimes you might be shopping for the coffee lover who already has their setup. They may not need a new grinder, brewer, or machine. With that said, there’s always something extra you can find to really enhance your giftee’s coffee setup! That’s where we come in. Let’s take a look at some excellent odds and ends for you or someone on your gift list.

Storage

One thing many folks don’t think about is proper coffee storage. When properly stored, coffee can maintain its freshness for much longer than you might think. To do that, you need an airtight storage solution designed specifically for preserving our favorite beans. One way to achieve this is with Airscape coffee containers. These storage containers feature an internal sealing disk that gives you an extra level of vacuumed storage in addition to the gasketed lid. Available in multiple sizes, materials, and colors, there’s absolutely an Airscape for the coffee lover on your list. Our biggest advice when shopping for an Airscape is to keep in mind that the sealing disk does use up some of the capacity of the container, so it’s better to go a little bigger on the size of the container to ensure it’ll be enough storage for your or your giftee’s coffee of choice!

Tampers, Mats, and Leveling Tools

For the espresso brewer at home there’s a little more that you need than just a machine and grinder. If you’re using a semi-automatic machine, a tamper is a must have. To keep your workspace clean and your countertop free of nicks, you’ll want to add a tamping mat as well. Finally, an OCD leveling tool can really help you ensure an even distribution of grounds in your portafilter. For tampers, there are a lot of options. Many home espresso enthusiasts view tampers as a way to add some flair to their setup. There are simple options out there like the one pictured above, but for a new user you can’t go wrong with an Espro Calibrated Tamper. These tampers “click” at the right amount of pressure, which will help you find the sweet spot for your tamp. Tamping mats come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but you can’t go wrong with a simple tamping mat from Rocket Espresso. Durable and easy to use, this mat will keep your countertop nick and mess free and give you the perfect platform for tamping.

Mugs

No coffee setup is complete without mugs to drink from! So much of your mug choice comes down to the kind of coffee you like to brew. For drip brews/pour over we adore the Acme Union. This cup combines bold lines with usability and durability to create a pretty perfect coffee mug. If you’re looking for cups designed for milk drinks, the Fellow Monty comes in excellent latte and cappuccino sizes, and provides performance and elegance unique to Fellow’s prestigious name. Sometimes though, you just need a shot glass for that delicious naked espresso shot. For this, and other shot glass applications, we love notNeutral’s Vero demitasse cups. For the coffee drinker on the go, we highly recommend the Miir Travel Tumbler! Its spill proof, dishwasher safe design is perfect for your active lifestyle. And there you have it! Some quick tips on ways to expand your coffee setup outside of the standard items. We hope you’ve enjoyed our holiday shopping guides, and we wish you all the best in your gifting (and getting)!

Link to share

Use this link to share this article