It wouldn’t be Christmas without coffee! And it’s high time we gave the coffee blog a Christmas spin. Here you will find a selection of festive coffee recipes and some coffee gift ideas that you may never have thought of. So, for some of the best ways to put the caffeine into Christmas, read on…
Christmas Coffee Recipes
Gingerbread Latte
This latte recipe will transport you right back to your childhood days. It can be made from scratch with these simple ingredients:
300ml Whole Milk, Whipped Cream, Shot of Espresso
For the syrup:
¾ tsp Ground Ginger, A pinch of Ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp Cinnamon, A few drops of Vanilla Extract, 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
For a shortcut you could replace the syrup ingredients with the gingerbread syrup you can find in the supermarket. You can keep that part hush and people will still be impressed at how much you made coffee taste like Christmas!
Method:
- Mix the syrup ingredients over a low heat with 50 ml of the milk, whisking all the while until the sugar has dissolved. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk.
- Place a shot of espresso into a coffee glass or mug, add the spiced milk while it’s still hot. Top off with whipped cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg and ground ginger.
- Finally, serve this wonderful gingerbread latte with a ginger biscuit, or even better a gingerbread man which (to be in keeping with the fairy tale) you can gobble up like a fox.
Irish Coffee
This Irish coffee recipe is both super easy and is certain to get you (rather directly) into the spirit of Christmas! The main thing is that you use hot freshly brewed coffee. We suggest our Brick Lane Blend with caramel and spice notes as the perfect choice for bring out the best in an Irish coffee.
Method:
- Sweeten the coffee with some sugar, preferably soft brown sugar but which ever sugar you have at home will be adequate.
- Add a dash (or glug!) of Irish whiskey.
- Top off with lightly whipped cream and some ground nutmeg or whole coffee beans for an extra festive touch.
Be warned this one, with it’s combination of coffee and alcohol, can easily leave you slurring along to Christmas songs, like Fairytale of New York, into the wee hours.
Eggnogg Coffee
Being something of a marmite drink (you either love it or you hate it), if Eggnog finds its way into your home this Christmas don’t despair. Heat it in a pan and add it to a good strong coffee, preferably one made from dark roast coffee beans. You can add some cream, nutmeg, or best of all a nice bit of rum! Give it a try, when drunk this way it stands a good chance of going down well. Who knows, it could even make Eggnoggers out of the haters!
Coffee Gift Ideas
Coffee and its wealth of paraphernalia are such a goldmine of gifts, the assortment could topple any sleigh. If you are struggling to think of what to get a certain someone for Christmas, a little something coffee related could be just the thing. From the quirky Aeropress to a good old French press there’s something for every level of coffee enthusiast.
Here is our choice of top coffee gadgets to give as gifts in no particular order:
The Aeropress
Not only does it make great coffee, the Aeropress was invented by the creator of the Aerobie (the flying disks which seemed to defy physics in how far you could fling them) and is portable enough to take anywhere. For a grown-up toy that will give you childlike satisfaction of playing with a cool gizmo every time you make coffee, you can’t go wrong with an Aeropress.
Coffee Drippers
Pour over coffee works really well and has become a hip way to make your daily brew. A coffee dripper is a simple device that makes an affordable present any coffee lover will appreciate. Just don’t forget the coffee filter papers, or you will end up with a cup full of coffee grains.
A Syphon Filter
If you want to go full-on gadgety, you could look into syphon filters for coffee. It’s basically a way to make filter coffee Breaking Bad style! If you know someone who would enjoy turning their kitchen into a coffee science lab, this would be a seriously cool gift. Warning, this is only for a coffee head who is more on the fanatical side. It can be quite a pernickety.
Cold Brew Coffee
A cold brew coffee maker maybe be on a far less seasonal tip, brrrr!, but still a cool gift idea (oops was that ridiculously bad a pun was just by chance!). They come in a variety of shapes and forms but they are essentially coffee filters which you leave submerged in water which gradually (over 12-18 hours) brews into coffee.
If you needed any assurance that these gifts will make coffee lovers happy… just look at the glee on Grey’s face as he pours water into a cold brew coffee maker at Black Cab Coffee in Battersea one fine Summer’s day.
Coffee Subscription as a gift.
A coffee subscription is a fantastic and original gift idea. It also means you can give a substantial gift with a ‘wow’ factor without having to spend so much. From as little as £10 you can send someone the gift of coffee (every week or month) for however long they stay in your good books!
You can’t really beat the feeling of fresh coffee arriving at the door and receiving a subscription is something different which feels new and exciting, so this is our top gift suggestion.
Read more about out coffee subscriptions with a click of this button:
DIY Christmas Coffee Body Scrub with Coconut Oil
Made from ground coffee and coconut oil, this can be a lovely home-made gift for Christmas. The coffee grounds exfoliate the skin to leave it radiant, healthy and cared for.
- Gently melt the coconut oil on a low temperature then allow time for it too cool but not solidify.
- Add the ground coffee to the oil and mix thoroughly. It is actually possible to use the coffee first (if you can’t resist) but you must make sure to dry out the coffee grounds thoroughly before using them. Any presence of water will encourage mould to grow. It also smells better if you use fresh coffee, let’s leave it as your call!
This makes a great base recipe but you can get creative with it. It’s possible to add extra ingredients such as a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla extract to enhance the aroma, or sugar to enhance the exfoliation.
We hope you’ve found this an inspiring read and good luck with the recipes or Christmas shopping. All that remains is for us to wish you a very very merry Christmas!