In this post I cover some basics for those interested in giving a someone a gourmet coffee gift basket. It’s meant to be useful as a quick and easy reference for those who just know what they want to give as a gift, but not necessarily many specifics beyond that. There are four sections. The first three are for those who feel pretty confident that the gift is definitely going to be a gourmet coffee basket. And just in case, the fourth is for those who are pretty sure but want to consider gifts similar to baskets so that they can be completely certain.
Companies That Specialize in Gift Baskets
First, I want to cover these companies because they are likeliest to have you are looking for, they can be trusted, and buying a gift basket from them should be quick and easy. There are quite a few of these companies that could be chosen, but I just want to mention three for now. These are the top three companies I would consider buying from if I was looking for a gourmet coffee gift basket, and below I share some reasons why.
TOP COFFEE ONLY CHOICE
- 2 gourmet coffee gift baskets
- started in 1976, now operate over 100 locations in the US
- free shipping on orders over $100
- very little “fluff” in the baskets, it’s all about the coffee
TOP CUSTOM BASKET CHOICE
designityourselfgiftbaskets.com
- they don’t have “gourmet coffee only” baskets, but they do have gourmet coffee in some of their gift baskets (which can be a plus for those who don’t want to stick strictly to coffee)
- they have a bunch of different gift baskets, if you like the one you order there’s a good chance you’ll return for another occasion
- as the name implies, there is an option to customize basket to individual preferences
TOP OVERALL GIFT BASKET CHOICE
- I got the best overall first impression here. It just looks classy, and the baskets seem to have been very thoughtfully created.
- At a glance, there only appears to be one basket with coffee that might be considered gourmet (coffee, tea, bakery, sweets basket). If not gourmet in the strictest sense, then Don Francisco’s does seem to be close based on their own words (“We carefully source and select our beans from the world’s best coffee-growing regions …”)
- Overall, they seem to offer good quality and good value; the offer free shipping for many of their baskets
Local Stores
REASONS FOR “GOING LOCAL”
This would be my next option if I checked out the three online stores above but couldn’t decide on any of their gift baskets. Local stores don’t necessarily need to specialize in gift baskets, because they offer the convenience of being able to assess the baskets in person. With a brick and mortar store, the fact that “they’re there” simplifies things. There’s no need to worry about this being some phantom overseas operation that may or may not deliver. Also, it will be evident from a quick glance if they know what they’re doing when it comes to gift baskets.
Here are some additional benefits of going to a local store:
- will be able to better evaluate size, quality, etc.
- assuming in stock, can get it same day
- if you like gourmet coffee yourself, you might discover a great new favorite
- assuming you don’t live in an expensive place, and you don’t have to pay for parking … you don’t have to worry about spending a minimum amount to get something close to free shipping (just a bit of gas money)
Preparing Your Own Gift Basket
While some places make it possible to customize gift baskets to some extent, there’s nothing that communicates “specially for you” like creating a gift basket from scratch. It’s really not as difficult as it may seem at first, even with no prior knowledge or experience.
BASKETS AND DECORATIVE SUPPLIES
Finding suitable empty baskets decorative supplies isn’t necessarily going to be as quick and easy as entering some keywords in a search engine. I think the best bet for those who don’t already know exactly where to go to get them is going to be a place like World Market. For example, they have a “create a gift” page that has baskets and other related supplies. You can view it here: World Market creat a gift They give potential buyers a direct route to exactly what they’re looking for. Using generic terms on search engines can be a frustrating and time consuming experience, due to ads and search engine optimization for things like baskets in general. Same thing goes for similar items such as gift baskets with things already in them and decorative baskets that may or may not turn out to be suitable.
IDEAS FOR A GREAT LOOKING GIFT BASKET
If you don’t have experience or even any ideas, don’t worry. You can get many ideas from search engine image results, places like pinterest, and from those who make gift baskets. For specific tips such as matching the proper basket to the specific items you intend to place in the basket, there is also a lot of information on the internet. The information doesn’t necessarily have to be specifically for do it yourself gourmet coffee gift baskets, since often there will be general tips that can be useful for many gift basket types. Some examples are provided below:
an example of creating a gift basket from scratch
GOURMET COFFEE
I prefer to keep this section as simple as possible for now, so that it will be more user friendly for a greater number of visitors. In the future I will add at least one post specifically covering the criteria used to determine what types of coffees and brands can be truly considered to be gourmet. Similar to the section above covering my “top 3” for purchasing gourmet coffee gift baskets, I will mention the 3 websites I consider to be the best bets for those looking to make their own gift baskets. So this isn’t a “definitive guide to gourmet coffee” type section, but rather my short list of top websites that are likely to have the gourmet coffee you might want to buy for your gift basket (and also likely to offer very good service).
This one to me is a no brainer. They use the geographic classification, and they mention 3 commonly accepted regions in the world where gourmet coffee beans are grown. Two things that I also like are that beans are roasted daily (which ensures that it’s not only gourmet, but perhaps as important that it’s going to taste as great as gourmet coffee is supposed to taste) and that they roast beans in small batches (which is critical to roasting according to the highest quality standards).
This is my “wildcard” choice. They’re in the UK, but they do ship internationally. They too stick to the generally accepted geographic regions, and they offer some varieties that to me demonstrate proficiency in the realm of gourmet coffees. This isn’t going to be a go to for everyone, especially buyers in the US that need their coffee very soon.
Like That’s Coffee (in the west coast), Driven Coffee (in the Midwest) is also a US company. And like both companies mentioned previously, they appear to know their geography and to be very selective (in terms of their varieties and practices). When I browse their website I can’t help but think, “I can trust these guys.” I wish I could be in Minnesota and pay them a visit, seems they would make visitors feel welcome and like family. So out of the three in this select list, my gut tells me that if there were ever any issues with any aspect of their coffees or order fulfillment that they would be most eager to help.
Related Gifts
VERY SIMILAR TO GIFT BASKETS
In fact, so similar that it might just be a gift basket with a different name. It’s the same concept, just without the traditional basket. It’s an especially handy alternative if the gift coincides with a particular season, such as halloween or Christmas. You could use a carved pumpkin replica or a sled replica, for example.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
This is a nice alternative that is a gift that keeps on giving. Plus, it allows the person getting the gift to try out different varieties according to the expertise of companies that specialize in this sort of thing. This is more about the product than the aesthetics of the gift.
