If you’re making a list—and checking it twice—of people to get gifts for this holiday season, it’s likely you’ll be shopping for at least one coffee lover. But what do you buy for the coffee aficionado who already has everything they could possibly need to stay caffeinated?
Every year at Fresh Cup, we ask our team of coffee experts and beverage fans to pick their favorite coffee-fueled gifts for the year, and 2024 is no different. Here’s a batch of fresh suggestions, from our team to yours.
Twenty-Four Blackbirds’ 65% Fine Drinking Chocolate, $24
I love a good mocha in the winter and am obsessed with Twenty-Four Blackbirds’ 65% Fine Drinking Chocolate mix. The small-batch bean-to-bar chocolate maker in Santa Barbara uses just two ingredients: organic cacao beans from the Dominican Republic and organic cane sugar. The cacao’s nutty and buttery flavor profile happens to pair beautifully with espresso. Mix with your favorite milk for a standard mocha, melt down with just a little water for a thick drinking chocolate, or add equal parts espresso for an intense and indulgent twist on a cortado. — Amber Gibson
Beans from Talitha Coffee, Varies
San Diego’s Talitha Coffee raises the standard for what it means to live out a company mission. The company was founded by Jenny Barber, a survivor of childhood sexual exploitation. After more than a decade in nonprofit work, Jenny and her husband, Robert, started Talitha Coffee to create a more tangible way to support other survivors of human trafficking. The company provides jobs, SCA-certified training, and other types of assistance, while the Talitha Survivor Support Network helps survivors access resources from Talitha and other partners.
In an interview with Daily Coffee News, Jenny said that Talitha has “connections with support groups, counseling, tangible needs, housing, helping with budgeting, medical care, even as far as scholarships, if they want to go down that route to go to school. We’re making sure they have a successful support system.”
I recently finished off a bag of the Shantawene – Ethiopia and greatly enjoyed it. Up next, I’ve got my eye on the Rwenzori – Uganda. — Garrett Oden
Perfect for the coffee lover who thinks they’ve tried every kind of brewing tool, Flair’s fully manual lever espresso machine is a new way to get up close and personal with your brew. Though there’s a slight learning curve, it’s been so fun for me to experiment with variables like pressure, temperature, and brew time. I use a mirror to see the crema forming in the naked portafilter, and it always fills me with joy (there’s an optional spout, too). If you’re looking for a more affordable version, Flair recently relaunched the NEO Flex, available for $99. — Chloé Skye Weiser
Matryoshka Motorsports Shirt, $20
I wear this shirt at least once a week and almost always end up looking for it a second time when it’s in the laundry. (Is that TMI?) Nashville-based Matryohska Coffee is my favorite for coffee shop gear that doesn’t follow the expected design norms. This shirt is comfy and supports a really fun coffee shop ( to learn more, read my interview with founder Abbey Chiavario. — Lydia Stolper
notNeutral Vero Cortado Glasses in Amber, $20
There’s something special about enjoying a cortado from a well-designed glass. If a cortado is supposed to be the perfect balance of espresso and milk, I’d argue that the notNeutral Vero Cortado glasses change that equation to equal parts espresso, milk, and vessel. They are the perfect combination of elegance, weight, and tactile design. We purchased these for Victus Coffee’s first brick-and-mortar location, and no joke, our cortado sales went up as customers marveled at the amber-colored glasses on display. I love these glasses so much that I bought a set for home! — Anne Mercer
(Fresh Cup partnered with notNeutral in our Welcome Box)
The Goldleaf Coffee Journal, $34.98
Coffee enthusiasts like myself have savored countless brews in 2024, each one reflective of a global journey—but it can be a challenge to keep track of them all. My solution, and top coffee gift this year, is the Goldleaf Coffee Journal. This beautifully crafted journal is filled with insights about coffee, and lets you keep track of every cup you enjoy, from that Hawaiian coffee’s chocolatey notes to that Ethiopian coffee’s acidic profile. With this journal, you can make sipping your favorite coffee a more memorable experience. — Malena Kruger
This SCA Best New Product Award winner looks like a cool device for those who want to get into roasting, or roast small batches at home. Not being a roaster myself, I get green coffee samples occasionally, and this is a wonderful tool for working on my skills at home. — Maria Jose Parra
The Quad Four-Slot Coffee Filter Holder, $54
I hate the coffee filters taking up extra space in my kitchen, especially because they’re so difficult to store! I found this product in an article and thought it was a super cute and unique way to organize your coffee filters. — Paulina Kattan
Diaspora Co.’s Anamalai Cacao, $22
For me, the arrival of winter is usually accompanied by cravings for hot chocolate—and I don’t think I’ve ever had a better cup of cocoa than the one I made with Anamalai Cacao. Cultivated in Tamil Nadu, South India, and sold by the ethical spice company Diaspora Co., the cacao powder has a rich and fruity flavor, with bright raspberry notes and a caramel-like creaminess. (If you’re looking for more beverage inspiration, Diaspora’s Chai Masala blend looks pretty stellar, too.) — Claire Bullen
Fellow Carter Wide Mug, $22-35
I cannot hang with most travel mugs: I don’t like ones with handles because they don’t fit into the little side slot on my backpack, and most travel mug lids leak. But since I’ve started grad school (and begun waking up minutes before I have to catch the bus to class), I’ve really relied on Fellow’s Carter Wide Mug to bring coffee with me wherever I go. There’s no spout to drink out of: Instead, the lid fully screws on and off, but the lip of the cup is smooth and feels nice to drink out of. I can literally throw this in my bag and not worry about spills. — Ashley Rodriguez
We end our gift guide every year with a call to support local coffee shops and small businesses. If you’re not sure what to get the java lover in your life, a gift card to the neighborhood shop will always be a hit, and many carry retail goodies, brewing tools, and fun blends, too. From the team at Fresh Cup, we hope you have a great, coffee-filled holiday season!
