Everyone's Christmachanukwanzakuh list should clearly include sort of caffeinated swag, if only a photo mug off Cafe Press you'll probably cry after inevitably breaking at some point in time. But here's some better prospective presents to throw down on your dadstie.com universal wish list (a great gift registry site/iPhone app guaranteeing grandma sweater and repeat reduction by streamlining your wants from multiple retailers all in one place).
($89 at Williams-Sonoma)
It's affordable and sounds like Santa, what's not to love? Siphon pots are in. New Yorkers, the most shameless trend stalkers alive, think Blue Bottle (which basically brought them here) is the bombest thing in Brooklyn since IKEA opened in Red Hook, surely in some part because of these things. Slightly less sophisticated than the butane burner Hario or Yama versions, it's affordable, works with any crappy apartment stove or hotplate and can be easily scored at your local mall. Cool beans.
($50 from Coava Coffee Roasters)
I've been truly trying to justify dropping half a Benjamin on a 2-1/2" diameter stainless steel cone. I mean, just look at it—is it not the most sexy, minimalist piece of perk paraphernalia you've ever seen? This metal pourover filter, custom commissioned by Portland's Coava Coffee Roasters, hybridizes a Chemex and french press by allowing aromatic oils and sediment to pass for a smooth but bodied brew. Designed to fit the neck of most pour-over brewers, the Kone can permanently displace its paper predecessor, and despite the hefty price tag comes with the reward of being engineered and manufactured entirely in the US of A. The unofficial Kone motto, etched on each one: "Designed in Portland, steel from Ohio, etched and welded in Connecticut." (If the economy hit exceptionally hard this year, the Kone's basic functionality can be more or less roughed by your stocking itself. J/K!)
PRODUKT[translation: Cheap-As-Dirt Scandinavian Frothing Wand]
($2.99 at Ikea)
I again must helplessly evoke my favorite fiberboard furniture-and-such superstore for income-starved yet stylistically demanding young adult consumers. Save yourself or a loved one a few pieces of gelt and grab this Aerolatte alternative from the downstairs kitchen junk section, which forthcoming Cuppa Magazine co-editor Kristina Scoppa says "I absolutely love" and insists works as well as any. It's a superb stocking stuffer—and even if it does break (hers hasn't, a few years in), it cost less than a latte.
Pound Bag of Handsome Espresso
($21.50 from Handsome Coffee Roasters)
I can't stop raving about this roast from breakaway Intelligentsia stalwarts Mike Phillips and Tyler Wells, which I discovered trying to score some Black Cat at a local perk point and being told it had been replaced with this. Chicago's loss was clearly LA's gain. To avoid going off ad nauseam on the subject, read my original review here. Give me a pound, dog.
Chemex(Anywhere between $28-42 from pretty much everywhere)
A classic never dies. The consummate pourover coffeemaker, developed by German chemist Dr. Peter J. Schlumbohm in 1941, seems little more than a laboratory flask with a filter cone stuffed down its spout, but it's cult classic design is virtually unchanged since seven decades ago—a bold statement simple is beautiful. Today, it's offered in 3, 6, 8 and 10 cup varieties, and in a dishwasher-safe glass handle series.I personally call it the "sexpot," because as far as arousal by inanimate objects go, I think this one fills the cup. It's even scored a spot in the permanent collections of MoMA and the Smithsonian, sharing space with the work of Henry Dreyfuss, Jonathan Ive and other legendary industrial design doyens. Treat it well and this wooden-handled, leather-strapped goodness is also a guaranteed sound investment (I recently saw a gritty circa 1960s 6-cupper for $68—nearly twice the price of a new one!)
Stay tuned for Part 2—sometime between now and Black Friday.
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