Grimpeur Bros. Gift Guide

We like sharing gift ideas for #BikeGeek (s) AND  #CoffeeGeek (s) in your life. The gear on this list are items that we use and recommend plus a few we’d LOVE to get our hands on someday. 

For coffee gear, we've grouped gift ideas into three archetypes: The Traveler, The Home Brewer, and The Spro Fanatic.  

The Traveler

Hotel coffee sucks. So does airport coffee not to mention large corporate coffee chains (mermaids, et.al.). But travel coffee doesn’t have to suck. Ask our friend @attnkatdaley who travels the world and always drinks great coffee.

FIRST - scope out great locally-owned specialty coffee shops. It’s so worth supporting local shops.

SECOND - travel with great, fresh beans AND use bottled spring water (to avoid stomach issues).

THIRD - consider using the following line up of travel coffee gear:

Aeropress brewer & paper filters - It’s plastic and rubber and super compact (No TSA worries). Once you get your technique down (our preferred recipe), great Aeropress cuppas help make your day start off right. Google "Aeropress" or try this link to buy order one

#Pro-tip: use paper filters. Trust us.

aeropress

AWS 2K Scale - it’s SO critical to weigh beans and water. Coffee is science and art. Eying it won't produce GREAT COFFEE. The smallest, most reliable, and durable scale we LOVE is the AWS 2K scale. PLUS it’s inexpensive. Winning. We use them exclusively for our popups, they’ve travelled all over the U.S., and they keep going. And they’re perfect for home if you’re on a budget.

Grinder - For traveling, go for either the Hario Slim/Mini or the Porlex JP-30 hand grinders. Hand grinders scare some people but it’s not that difficult to grind a single serving of coffee. Both have conical burrs. We use the Hario Slim in our workspace. We’ve heard of some wear issues with the Slim hand crank but it’s been solid for us. The Polex is rock solid but twice the price of the Slim

Water Heaters - Most hotel rooms have basic water kettles. Boil your water, count to 60 (unless you are at higher elevations), and you should be good to go. But, if you want to be sure, get the Bonavita Bona Voyage .5-Liter kettle. They run $30-$40. 

Coffee - For Aeropress brewed coffee we recommend any of our coffee from GrimpeurBros.com single origin collection. Additionally, for the busy person on the go, our Grimpeur’s Choice coffee subscription plans are a convenient gift that keeps on giving. Be sure to check out our Aeropress recipes.

The Home Brewer

For the home brewer who wants to step up their pour over game, we recommend 3 different options that deliver great cups of coffee.

Chemex - This is our daily jam. We love brewing with an eight cup Chemex. Like Every. Single. Day. In our opinion, they produce a cup with almost perfect clarity that brings forth the subtle tasting notes that we love and separate great specialty coffee from the rest. Pro-tip: use Chemex’s bleached paper filter squares unless you live at high altitude. At high altitude consider using one of the metal filters available or brewing with a French Press.

Clever Dripper - Clever Drippers are RAD in our opinion because they combine the steeping action of a french press with the filtered clarity of a pour over. This one cup brewer is also outstanding for Japanese-style, flash-brewed iced coffee. Be sure to check out our Clever Dripper recipes.

V60 - A coffee shop workhorse, we love V60s for the clarity the produce along with their speed. If your making one cup for yourself at home before a ride or heading to work, and time is tight, V60s should be your go to brewer. Be sure to check out our V60 recipe. And use paper filters. 

Hario Drip Scale - Our pour over scale of choice is the Hario Drip Scale or V-60 scale. The scale was designed to work with V-60 brewing and has a built-in timer. But it's also perfect with Chemex and Clever Dripper brewing.

Hario V-60 Buono Kettle - The design and balance of the Hario V-60 kettle enables you to slow pour with accuracy and precision. The Hario is our favorite kettle hands down.

Bonavita Electric - The Bonavita Variable Temp kettle is a top shelf electric kettle seen at top specialty coffee shops because it’s just that good.

 

Baratza Encore - We LOVE and carry Baratza grinders because a great conical burr grinder is one of the most important pieces of equipment a home brewer needs. For pour overs, the Encore is the perfect workhorse that deliver day after day

Coffee - For pourover brewed coffee we recommend checking out single origin collection at GrimpeurBros.com.  Grimpeur’s Choice coffee subscription plans are a convenient gift that keeps on giving - for as long as a year!

 

The Spro Fanatic 

The Rocket Espresso Machine - If there’s one spro machine we’d love to have, it’d be Rocket Espresso’s R 60V. Unmatched style and performance straight outta Milano

Reg Barber Tamper - There’s only one tamper that you should consider: Reg Barber’s. If you’re pulling shots, your search ends here.

Vario W - For the home spro fanatic, the top of the line home espresso grinder is Baratza’s Vario W bar none.

 

Espresso - Grimpeur Bros.’ 9 Dub and Dam Loop espressos are second to none. Definitely check out our Spro Bundle or consider an espresso subscription plan.

espresso