Coffee Gift Baskets

When it comes to waking up in the morning, coffee is something that many people can’t do without.  However, when you buy your coffee, it’s nice to know what you’re getting is not merely caffeinated, but delicious as well.  Here I’ll be describing 4 coffee sampler packs that make great coffee gift baskets, and discussing their pros and cons.

The first set on the list is the “Keurig K-Cups –Travel The World– Sampler Gift Pack”, which also comes with a limited 11”x17” print, in this case, an image of a pair of birds eating coffee beans.  This generous gift box K-Cups of coffee in 35 different flavors (one of each), taken, as the title suggests, from around the world.

The next sampler package is the “Keurig K-Cups Wolfgang Puck Gift Pack”, which also contains the print of the birds eating coffee beans.  This gift pack also contains 35 K-Cups worth of coffee, this time divided between 12 different flavors, all of the “Wolfgang Puck” brand.  As might be expected, there is quite a bit of overlap with the previously detailed sampler pack, with 5 types being exactly the same, and another 4 being of the same variety, but of a different brand.

The third coffee set to be reviewed is the “Black Mountain Gold, Flavored Gourmet Coffee Gift Sampler”.  This set of coffee samples contains 30 fancily wrapped 1.4-ounce packets of coffee (which make 8-10 cups each), which are divided into 9 different types of coffee.  The varieties featured are mainly of the richer set, all with names reminiscent of desserts.

The final sampler pack on the list is the “Coffee Bean Direct Assorted Whole Bean Coffee Sampler 9-Pound Box”.  (It should be noted that it is the whole boxed set that is 9 pounds.  It is not 9 pounds of coffee.)  This set contains 10 ½ pound bags of coffee, each of a different variety, and comes with 2 free coffee mugs.

There are some similarities between all these packages, as well as unique points to each.  For example, all packages contain a French Vanilla blend, and all contain some sort of hazelnut blend.  All of these packages except for the Black Mountain set contain two different kinds of Colombian coffee, one or more Sumatra blends, and a French Roast blend.  As might be expected from its name, the Keurig Travel the World pack offers the largest global variety of coffee, as well as the largest variety, period.  Those who like travel, or merely change in their life will enjoy this.  However, a disadvantage is that there is only one K-Cup for each variety – not a lot to fall in love with a blend.  The advantage of the Wolfgang Puck pack is obvious; in its focus on a single brand, it can please anyone who enjoys that brand.  The Black Mountain pack has some more decadent coffees nicely packaged, in decent amounts.  It would make an excellent gift for a coffee gourmet.  As for the Coffee Bean Direct pack, it contains some more basic coffees, which makes it the perfect purchase for someone who wants some familiar coffee on a regular basis.