Every night I prepare coffee for my early rise time of 4 am, and every single time I open that bag of coffee, I feel happy. Is that the silliest thing? I love everything related to coffee, whether I am sitting in a cafe with a friend or just alone reading a book or writing. Since I spent most of my time in college studying in coffee shops, going to coffeehouses has been a tradition for me since before they grew in popularity. Starbucks was not around back then, but the Ugly Mug was and their Sumatra coffee blend was a favorite! At that time, these were places where "nerds" hung out. Now, coffee shops are extremely popular, and they still create a sense of community in a time when community is needed. 

In our last blog post, we looked at the demand for good coffee and the success of coffee based gifts. Because of the popularity of coffee and the wide selection of coffee available on the market, we take our roles very seriously in finding high quality and ethically sourced coffee for our gifts. We currently carry and sell the following farm to table coffees based in Southern California: Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders, Canyon Coffee, Old Town Roasters, and Copper Cow Coffee.  

In Orange County, we also have some very cool hipster and unique coffee houses such as Bodhi Leaf (featured in our last blog post), Portola Coffee, and Hidden House Cafe.  We also just discovered a beautiful little coffee shop called Morning Lavender Cafe  in downtown Tustin, which specializes in tea and coffee in a very beautiful, quaint setting. 

According to this Reuters article, coffee consumption has increased tremendously, and at-home preparation continues to be the dominant spot for demand, with 79% of those surveyed saying they had had a cup of coffee at home the previous day. We found a great list of the golden rules of coffee if you really want to understand making coffee and the rules of brewing. Since so many people still drink coffee at home, different kinds of gourmet coffee or even a copper french press is a great gift, especially when you add it with a fun mug or cup or even a nice chocolate. You can even pair coffee with some non-coffee gift items for a varied gift.  

So...espresso yourself! 

~Michelle