Coffee as a Christmas Gift: Ideas for Every Budget

Why coffee makes the better Christmas gift

Every year it is the same story: in mid-December you realise there is still nothing under the tree for your godmother, your colleague or your father-in-law. And every year scented candles, socks and chocolates get wrapped up, only to sit unopened in a cupboard in February.

Coffee is different. It gets used, every morning, and at some point it is gone. Good coffee does not gather dust, it gets drunk. And because almost everyone drinks coffee but very few have ever tried freshly roasted specialty coffee from a small Swiss roastery, the surprise is often bigger than you would expect.

In this post you will find ideas for every budget, a few things to watch out for, and the most important point in December: when you need to order by.

Gift ideas for every budget

Up to CHF 30: a bag with a story

For Secret Santa at the office or a small thank-you, a single bag is enough. Do not pick just any coffee, pick one with a story: a coffee from Mexico that crossed the Atlantic by sailing ship, a natural from Ethiopia that tastes of peach and jasmine, or an espresso from a roastery up in the mountains. On our marketplace every coffee says where it comes from and what it tastes like. Add two sentences about why you chose it, and a bag of beans becomes a personal recommendation.

From CHF 10: the gift voucher

Not sure whether they drink espresso or filter? Let them choose. With a gift voucher the recipient browses the marketplace and picks their own coffees from Swiss roasteries. You choose any amount between CHF 10 and CHF 1000. The voucher never expires, and any remaining balance is kept. You receive the code by email right after payment, together with a printable gift card.

From CHF 105: the gift subscription

The gift that does not end after the first cup. With a gift subscription the recipient regularly receives 250 g of freshly roasted beans, each time from a different Swiss roastery. You choose two, three or four deliveries per month and a term of 3, 6 or 12 months. The most affordable way to start is the Explorer subscription for three months at CHF 105.

You pay once, and the subscription ends by itself. The recipient needs no payment method and picks the start date themselves. Anyone who already has enough biscuits and panettone in the house on 24 December can simply start in January.

For people who already have everything

Espresso machine, grinder, favourite beans: some coffee lovers already have it all in their kitchen. What they are missing is variety. That is exactly what the gift subscription is for. Every delivery brings a new roastery, from Bern, from Ticino, from Geneva. More ideas, including grinders and accessories, are in our post Coffee gifts: 7 ideas.

What to look out for in a coffee gift

Freshly roasted, not long stored

Coffee is a fresh product. After roasting it develops for a few days, reaches its peak, and then slowly loses aroma. Supermarket coffee is often months old before it even reaches the shelf. So check the roast date and buy directly from a roastery. Why this matters so much is explained in our post Freshly roasted.

Whole beans, if there is a grinder

Ground coffee loses its aroma within days. Whole beans are almost always the better choice. The exception: if the recipient has no grinder, the finest bean is no use. If in doubt, ask discreetly, or go for the gift voucher. More on grind size in our post Grinding coffee.

Espresso or filter?

Does the person make their coffee with an espresso machine, a bean-to-cup machine, a moka pot or a pour-over? Most roasteries state on the bag what a coffee was roasted for. Someone with a bean-to-cup machine at home will usually enjoy a chocolatey medium roast. Someone who loves filter coffee will discover fruit notes in light roasts they would never have tasted from an espresso machine.

A tip for the holidays

If you buy the beans in early December: store them cool, dark and airtight, but not in the fridge. In the original bag with a valve they keep perfectly well for a few weeks. More in Storing coffee properly.

When to order for Christmas

Beans from the marketplace are freshly roasted and shipped directly by the roastery. Within Switzerland, delivery usually takes one to three working days. In December, though, the post is busy and many small roasteries only roast on certain days. So order by mid-December at the latest, and the coffee will be under the tree in time.

Running late? No problem. Gift vouchers and gift subscriptions arrive by email right after payment. That works even at 5 pm on 24 December. Print the gift card, put it in an envelope, and nobody will notice you almost forgot.

A gift you can taste

The best thing about coffee as a Christmas gift: it reminds the recipient of you every morning without taking up shelf space. And it supports small Swiss roasteries that work with great care and would never appear in a supermarket.

Whether a single bag, a gift voucher or a year full of new roasteries: on our gift page you will find the gift subscription and the gift voucher, and on the marketplace the coffees themselves. We wish you a wonderful holiday season!