Everybody loves a wedding – but choosing the right gift to please the happy couple can be a nightmare! Sometimes the bride and groom will help you out by posting a registry of gifts – but that doesn’t mean there will be anything left available on the list that suits your budget when you get round to making the purchase.
Not giving a gift is a bit of a no-no – unless the happy couple have explicitly said not to, or requested donations to charity instead. The trick is to finding something thoughtful and personal that both people will use.
It is a minefield – but if you have got a big day coming up and know the bride and groom like a good cup of coffee, you are in luck. We have put our heads together and come up with a list of items guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any coffee loving couple.
There’s something here for everyone – even if you are shopping on a budget. Take a look at our top ten gifts below. The majority come in at £50 and under too – so you can spend your cash on more important things, like your outfit…just try not to show up the bride/groom!
Gifts under £50
Grow your own mushrooms from coffee grounds
Here’s a fun, budget idea suitable for a coffee-quaffing couple with a green thumb. This kit will let them use their used coffee grounds as a base for growing their own oyster mushrooms. It’s a bit of a laugh and bound to please any foodies, as the delicious outcome of the gift can be fried our roasted into a delicious, not to mention romantic, meal for two.
If the couple don’t have kids yet, successfully rearing a crop of mushrooms together could be just the thing that makes them hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet!
Framed vintage coffee print
This is a perfect present for any couple that has just moved house, or are planning to move in together in the near future. This framed print looks classy and contemporary and is available in four different sizes according to your need and or budget.
It is a fairly bizarre advert for White Star Coffee that shows three frogs on each other’s backs reaching for a white star saying ‘pure’. Not sure why anybody thought that was a good way to sell coffee – but the print looks great and was produced by graphic designers at the U.S Printing Co. in 1899 – the colour scheme is versatile and there are a couple of options on the frames too. All you have to do is wrap it.
Wall mounted coffee pod holder
Another great gift for a couple looking to set up their home – especially if they have a coffee pod machine or have listed one n their registry of preferred gifts.
This nifty wall mounted pod holder is made in beech wood and uses gravity to dispense capsules. It will hold eight pods at a time, looks very stylish and will put an end to scruffy packets of pods littering the kitchen counter top. Potential saving years of bickering.
Le Creuset stoneware caffetiere
This stoneware coffee pot from French kitchenware outfit Le Creuset is one of those pieces that will last a lifetime if proper care is taken.
It can make up to four cups of coffee at a time and is made from heigh end ceramic with a volcanic glaze that will not absorb odours. The material is stain. chip and crack proof within reason.
Le Creuset items are something of a statement piece and this is available in a number of different colour options, so you can make the perfect choice based on the happy couple’s taste or domestic colour scheme.
Whittard Coffees of the World Set
A simple gift that will spice up any newlywed’s morning coffee routine. Here is a mix of nine high-end single origin and blended coffees from around the world.
There is something for every pallet: from the dark roasted chocolatey coffees to fruity and floral brews – it will definitely add some variety into their daily Java habit!
Set of 4 Royal Doulton Studio Grande mugs
Good wedding china is perhaps a bit of a cliché – but this set of porcelain mugs strikes a happy balance between quality and everyday usability. They are light and strong and have a chic and unusual half-dipped design.
The mugs are also the perfect size for a cuppa, landing somewhere in the goldilocks zone with the china being not to thick or thin and the container space neither too wide nor narrow.
Hariro Technica Syphon coffee maker
What to get for coffee drinkers who already have the usual array of coffee makers at home?
They probably don’t have a syphon coffee machine, but they definitely should! Aficionados of syphon coffee say the brew method is perfect for producing clean bodied and super aromatic cups of coffee too. We will go into that in a future blog-post, suffice to say so this is more than just a gimmick.
The method revolves around heating water in a lower chamber until it rises into an upper container containing coffee grounds. As this liquid cools, pressure changes and gravity pull the coffee mixture back down into the lower chamber while a filter in the middle means all grounds are retained in the upper vessel.
This unit from Japanese manufacturer Hariro is made in borosilicate glass and uses an ethanol burner to heat the water gently to stop it from boiling. It also makes for great theatre watching the whole process in action!
Gifts over £50 but under £100
Romaunt bean to cup camping/travel coffee set
This is a good one for any couple that loves the great outdoors or that is set for an adventure/wilderness break as a honeymoon. It is a manual bean to cup machine plus mug set from Roumant and is bound to ensure your coffee snob pals can drink only the finest when on their travels.
The machine is lightweight made from durable steel and easily fits into the pocket of a backpack. It features an adjustable hand burr grinder that can mince enough coffee for two cups in less than two minutes. The grounds gather in a filter basket which is placed over each mug allowing super fresh pour over to be brewed even when miles from the nearest hipster coffee shop.
Bosch Tassimo My Way Coffee Machine
This nifty pod machine is great value for money and will make over 40 different beverages from pod’s in Tassimo’s T-disk range.
The gizmo offers some control over preferences like drink length and has four programmable settings. It is easy to use and operate thanks to instinctive controls and a doddle to clean thanks to its adjustable drip tray, which also ensures you can fit any mug size underneath the exit spout.
The machine’s low cost is partly due to it being built in plastic. On some machines this is a drawback because it makes them to feel like cheap children’s toys. However, the Bosch Tassimo has a 60s inspired ‘plastic fantastic’ design, which offers top of the range looks at a fraction of the price than some of the sturdier steel items on the market retail for.
Gifts over £100
De’Longhi Distinta espresso machine
This is a great choice of machine to buy your friends who enjoy the more authentic coffee styles that only an espresso machine and milk frother unit can provide! It also has a ‘two in one’ system, allowing you to make pod coffee too, making is a great all-round workhorse.
It has a cool stainless steel finish and is quite compact thanks to its modest one litre water tank. It produces 15 bars of pressure – enough to make an authentic Italian espresso with a rich and foamy crema.
It functions well on either pod or filter basket setting and has an 11cm cup clearance under the filter basket that will fit almost all the mugs in your cupboard. An on board cup warmer means you can store cups on top to keep you brew hotter longer and save space.
Oak coffee table
If you are really looking to get a special gift that will last a lifetime, this is it.
A 16kg hardwood coffee table in oak worthy of being a focal piece in even the most stylish homes.
The table is 42 centimetres high, a metre long and has a 50 centimetre depth. It comes with a tray for storing papers, books or magazine and a draw for tidying away any odds and ends.
The item has as a nice rustic minimalism to it and a lovely varnished finish – a perfect platform from which to drink a lifetime of coffee together – here’s to the bride and groom!