Some folks are hard to shop for, while others seem to already have everything they need. When my shopping list stalls at one of these types, I reach for a few trusty reliable gifts I’ve accumulated over nearly a decade of testing giftable products and services to for CNET’s annual holiday gift guides.
A coffee subscription is perhaps the most reliable gift in my arsenal, with a (so far) perfect record of happy and well-caffeinated giftees. To date, I’ve bestowed a membership to a unique coffee club on three coffee drinkers in my life. The joyous texts I get periodically, accompanied by a snapshot of that month’s colorful bag of beans bring me as much pleasure as the coffee appears to bring them.
Everyone loves a surprise bag of good coffee.
A coffee subscription gift is low-risk, high-reward
As long as you know your giftee, ya know, drinks coffee, there’s a good chance this gift will hit. The only sleuthing you may want to do is for the type of roasts they’re accustomed to — dark roast, light roast. If you don’t know and can’t find out, a subscription for medium roast coffee is safe.
I’ve found a monthly drop of new and interesting coffee resonates particularly with folks who already have most of what they need and aren’t looking for more stuff. Consumables such as coffee, wine or chocolate won’t cause any “where do I put this” anxiety.
You’re not just sending boring bags of beans
Equator is another coffee subscription with premium beans sent in chic packaging.
I’ve tested nearly a dozen coffee subscriptions from the more basic versions to the super high-end options. Most curated coffee subscriptions run somewhere between $15 and $20 per bag — about what you’d pay at a store for a 12-ounce bag of quality, fair-trade whole beans from an independent roaster. You often have the option of sending a subscription as short as three months or as long as a year.
Here are a few of my favorites to give.
Atlas Coffee Club is one of the cheaper and more giftable coffee subscriptions and sends beans from all around the world in funky packaging. Atlas costs just $15.75 a month for a 12-ounce bag if you give a year’s subscription — that’s $89 total. Six months costs $99 ($16.50 a bag). Each delivery includes a postcard explaining a bit about the coffee and the coffee-producing region the beans came from.
The artful bags each month’s batch of beans come in is half the fun of a Trade coffee subscription.
Bean Box coffee tasting: If a subscription isn’t your vibe, I’d suggest sending a coffee tasting. Bean Box has some of my favorite samplers, particularly this coffee and chocolate pairing box for the coffee drinker with a sweet tooth. The $72 sampler includes eight specialty coffees from indie roasters and four artisan chocolate bars from serious chocolatiers.
Giving any subscription multiplies the goodwill
When you send someone a coffee subscription that comes monthly. Not only are you saddling that person with a monthly surprise, but the goodwill towards you is multiplied by however many times one of those packages of tasty eats or drinks arrives. If you weren’t already the favorite child, grandchild, niece, nephew or cousin, you will be soon.
