In the US it’s the “holiday season” (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all happening within about a month) is in full swing. I thought it would be appropriate to look at coffee gift ideas available here in Thailand. Here are my top 10 picks for great coffee gifts for the coffee lover in your life or maybe just a gift for yourself.
The Basics
1) GRINDER AND POUR OVER (DRIP COFFEE)
Every coffee drinker needs a great grinder. I’ve tried many grinders but it has been the Hario Skerton grinder that I’m most happy with. It’s a great coffee grinder because it’s sturdy, holds a lot of coffee beans (75 grams), and has a clean way to collect the ground coffee. I also enjoy having a hand grinder because it is very portable. Hand grinders are also amazing because they are more flexible when it comes to grind size (coarse for cold brew coffee or medium coarse for my French press). Having a grinder that you can carefully adjust to the brewing style is key in producing great coffee at home or on the road.
Another very convenient piece of equipment for home brewing is some kind of pour over. You can read more about drip brewing here. For a unique drip brewing present check out this one on coffeeculture.asia
Coffee Delivered
2) COFFEE TASTE TEST DELIVERED
If you want to surprise your special coffee drinking someone with some freshly brewed coffee, then Blue Basket market is the place to go. Blue Basket has a curated food experience where every product was taste tested by Blue Basket personnel. Here are a few of the coffees you can get from here:
Brain Wake Cold Brew
680฿ for five bottles of cold brew concentrate with free shipping.
Storm Cold Brew
Or try the new comer on to the Thailand online coffee scene, Storm Cold Brew Concentrate. They have two flavors, BLACK and CINNAMON. It’s 97฿ for one bottle of cold brew concentrate which makes 400ml of coffee. They offer free shipping with no minimum order.
3) COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION
Start the new year off right by getting a gift that keeps on giving! A coffee subscription is an awesome and surefire way to excite the coffee drinker in your life. I found Coffee Collective, a company based out of Denmark, that has free worldwide shipping! Their prices are very reasonable. For 750g of two different coffees delivered to your door it is only about 1,100฿/month (1.46฿/gram). 750g of coffee should make about 40-60 cups of coffee! You can choose what kind of roast you prefer, espresso – if you are using an espresso machine, or filter – if you are using a pour over or other brewing methods. The coffee they deliver gives you a taste of everything, from a normal range of Direct Trade coffees to special roasts and micro-lots. It’s super easy. The way it works is you sign up with a credit card and then they will ship the coffee on the first Thursday of the month.
Phil Coffee Co Subscriptions
If you are looking for a local coffee subscription check out Phil Coffee Co. It is a bit more pricey at 2,950฿ for 1,200 grams which works out to 2.45฿ per gram, but the coffee they ship is from Kenya, Ethiopia, Brazil and Colombia, allowing you to explore coffee of different single origins from around the world. All coffee is single origin and lightly roasted to fully bring out the original flavors and characteristics of the beans. Phil Coffee Company was runner up for top roaster in Thailand 2018, so if you want to experience some of the best roasting the country has to offer this is the way to do it from the convenience of your home.
Shipping plan:
one 200g bag per month: 1st Wednesday of the month
Coffee Culture’s Subscriptions
If you are looking for a local coffee subscription reasonably priced and value for the money with a larger selection then you will want to check out Coffee Culture Thailand. With coffee subscriptions starting from 500฿ for 250 grams to be delivered every 2 weeks, which works out to 1.00฿ per gram. All coffee is locally produced and farmed in Thailand. With several different coffee subscription packages you will definitely find one that suits your needs, budget and volume for home use or even for corporate offices.
Shipping plan starting from: One 250g bag per month
Check out their coffee subscription plans here: https://coffeeculture.asia/coffee-subscription-thailand/
Honest Bee – Try some gourmet instant coffee
Lately I have been trying push aside my American bias and give instant coffee another chance. While I have not found an instant coffee that stacks up to a freshly made drip coffee, espresso, or cold brew I am finding some are definitely better than others. Villa Market carries Cafedirect Machu Picchu instant coffee which is a premium instant coffee. I tried it for the first time the other day and though the first sip was punchy with sharp acidic flavor typical of instant coffees it mellowed much quicker and did not linger. Pretty much every sip after that was similar but a little less intense. I will say I finished my cup and did not find the flavor degrade while it sat and got cold. Many times I have to wince to get that last slurp down, or I throw it down the sink, but with Cafedirect’s Mahcu Picchu I was able to drink it down to the last drop, no wincing involved. It’s 350฿ for 100 grams which makes each cup about 7฿, not the cheapest but then again it does not taste like the cheapest.
MICROGROUND
Something on my list is to try a microground instant coffee. This is a coffee that has been ground super fine that way it brews crazy fast. Kind of like a Turkish coffee grind. This is a totally different “instant coffee” because this is really a freshly brewed cup of coffee. This is the same method that the Starbucks’ line of instant coffees uses. You can get a brand called Essenso on Lazada here.
FUN COFFEE STUFF
4) GET A BADASS COFFEE CUP
Every coffee drinker needs a great cup. I really like the design of these Kronos cups. They are double walled like a Bodum cup, but I like the ring around it that makes it easier to hold. The double wall design means your hot drinks stay hot and your cold drinks stay cold. Something great about the double wall design is the cup does not sweat, meaning your table and work space stay dry. There is a range of sizes from the KRONOS Double Wall Ice Tea Cup coffee cup which is 350ml, which should be big enough to hold your brew plus some ice down to 80ml KRONOS Double Wall Espresso Cup.
You can order these cups from Metacup and TO GET -5% be sure to use coupon code: “COFFEESIMPLE”
5) COFFEE THEMED SHIRT
A perfect present for a coffee drinker is a way for them to show their love for coffee. Shopee has a few t-shirts that I found fun. They are written in English so here is a translation of what they say:
Go On Your Own Mini Coffee Tour
6) JJ MARKET COFFEE EXTRAVAGANZA!
You could offer to sponsor a coffee fueled trip through JJ (Chatuchak) market. If you have not been there or at least not been there in a while I’m sure you will be amazed at how many coffee stalls there are. Imagining grabbing some kind of drink at even half of them makes me dizzy with caffeine. Last time I was at JJ there were buckets of cold brew and I just couldn’t get to all of them. As a further bonus, down in the indoor JJ Mall there are a couple of great coffee equipment shops selling everything from filters, elaborate cold drip sets, siphons, to all other sorts of equipment. Take your coffee loving buddy to experience all this craziness and embrace the size and intensity of JJ.
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Inspire
7) BEAUTIFUL COFFEE CULTURE PHOTO BOOK
If you like to be inspired by pictures, then this coffee coffee-table book is sure to delight. It has great authentic coffee culture pictures, showing everything from baristas, to vintage equipment and lots of coffee. I find this kind of book enjoyable to flip through or have set up on my shelf open to a photo that inspires me. You can buy Coffee Style by by Friedrichs, Horst A. (PHT) / Manthey, Nora online at Kinokuniya.com
Coffee Related
8) TOOTHPASTE FOR A BRIGHT NON-COFFEE SMILE
I know it’s not the sexiest gift, but a toothpaste that helps fight back against coffee stained teeth is the sign of true love. Your coffee drinking friend or lover will be thanking you for years to come! The two most recommended toothpastes for fighting coffee stains are, Colgate Total Whitening and Arm & Hammer Complete Care Plus Whitening and Stain Defense.
You can get Colgate Total Whitening at basically any store, Boots, Watsons… Arm & Hammer on the other hand is an imported product and can be found at Villa Market or on Honest Bee.
So there it is, my list of coffee and coffee related gifts for the coffee drinker in your life. Whether they are just now getting into coffee or they are a seasoned-3-cups-a-day-micro-lot drinking connoisseur there should be something cool on this list for them.
Happy Holidays from Coffee Simple!