You might poke fun at the hipster barista for eleven months out of the year – but how about for December, you bring him or her tidings of great joy? We think we’ve created The Ultimate Gift Guide for the mustachioed wiener, the heritage yeoman, and the ironic 1990’s fashion enthusiast on your list. Bon appetit, good shopping, and buy local!
1. Selvedge Denim Apron – $129 – A gift for the clean hipster barista. The distinguished barista will want to keep his/her heritage custom-tailored oxford free of steamed milk and coffee grinds. This is why a Selvedge Demin Apron is a perfect gift. The denim is raw, upcycled, and has been pre-broken in. Plus this trend was invented by Australians, so you know it’s culturally valid! Shop for Selvedge Denim Aprons
2. Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Reserve – $249.89 – A gift for the hipster barista who may or may not have a drinking problem. Flatter the hipster barista on your list this year by giving them the gift of taste. There is no greater aged Kentucky bourbon than the Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Reserve. Perfect for sipping between dialing in single origin coffees before the morning rush. Shop for Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Reserve Bourbon
3. Corn Cob Tobacco Pipe – $31.39 – A gift for the hipster barista who likes to take multiple breaks and go out for a little puff puff. Ideal for those lingering ten minute breaks, preferably just outside the entrance of the espresso bar. Add a fine smoking tobacco, preferably one that has been processed in such a way that requires several minutes of explanation. Feel free to add on a delightful vintage reclaimed wooden pipe stand for home storage! Shop for Corn Cob Tobacco Pipes
4. Vintage Cocktail Guide – Prices Vary – A gift for the hipster barista who’s really just waiting for his/her craft cocktail career to take off. Doesn’t matter if the cocktail guide is any good or not, just make sure it’s vintage. A well worn hard cover edition is preferred; if it’s written by Jerry Thomas or heavily references him, well then, bully! Shop for Vintage Cocktail Guides
5. Comically Inappropriate Work Shoes – $28 – For the hipster barista who doesn’t do dishes, only pulls shots. The hipster barista will feel warm and fuzzy in these woolen soft slip-ons. Don’t bother pairing them with matching socks. These are always worn without. Shop for Inappropriate Work Shoes
6. Upcycled Jute Coffee Cap – $85 – A gift for the hipster barista in need of a semi-ironic cap. Most food service establishments require working baristas to don a hair net or hat of some sort. The upcycled custom-made jute coffee cap is just perfect for Instagram photo opportunities and starting deep conversations. Shop for Upcycled Jute Coffee Caps
7. Mast Brothers Chocolate – $10 – A gift for the hipster barista that enjoys a fine bar of chocolate. The Bearded Brothers Mast roast their chocolate in Brooklyn. It’s delicious, it’s got street cred, their store looks like it belongs in Oslo or something, and the bar comes wrapped in some serious wallpaper prints. Sure to delight the tasteful hunk or aesthete cookie on everyone’s list. Shop for Mast Brothers Chocolate
8. Reg Owen Coffee Break LP – $25 – For the hipster barista who DJs low-key brunch sets. Nothing says “I’m hip, I’m with it” like an ironic vinyl record. The Reg Owen Coffee Break is full of mid-century hits and will perk up any party, shindig, or “holiday lounge”. Shop for the Reg Owen Coffee Break LP
9. An Ironic Gift Card – $4.20 – A gift for the hipster barista that secretly enjoys Mocha Frappuccinos. Purchase a Starbucks Gift Card online, with a value for like $4.20, or something that ends in .69¢. Then put that card inside a gift box from Catbird or an empty vinyl jacket for The Who Sell Out, and await their tempered meta joyful reaction. “Oh you“, they’ll say. “You just get me.” Shop for an Ironic Gift Card
10. Facial Hair Waxes and Assorted Old-Timey Balms – $9-$25 – A gift for the hipster barista with creative facial hair. A wax or balm is the perfect stocking stuffer, so long as that stocking is an upcycled ecofriendly handsewn holiday stocking in white with purple diamond pattern and sparkly bits. There are so many waxes and balms to choose from…start at your local farmers market, visit the neighborhood heritage hipster barber shop, or click the link to your right (it goes to fund our Amazon pyramid scheme!). Shop for Facial Hair Waxes and Balms
11. Big Spoon Roasters Peanut Butter – $7 – A gift for the hipster barista who lives primarily off of peanut butter. This small-batch, iso-lot, micro-roasted peanut butter is delicious, nutritious, and just…about…to blow up the eff up. But it hasn’t quite yet, which means you can be the first to astonish your your friends with this top quality nut butter – before your mom reads about it in Bon Appetit, and before the heritage hipster mercantile down the street starts retailing it for $12. Big Spoon spreads just fine on a whole wheat bagel – and it’s 100% vegan*. Shop for Big Spoon Roasters Peanut Butter
*Please note: Big Spoon Roasters uses honey in their products, the veganism of which has been challenged on Twitter by – you guessed it – a coffee loving hipster.
12. Chunky Wooden Tamper – $53 – For the hipster barista who requires an American Made hardwood heritage tamper. This tamper is chunky – and in ten years? She’ll still be chunky. Hand built, hewn, and finished in the USA. It may not have a rotatable joystick; it may not be subject of endless message board debates; but dammit, this lil’ fatty gets the job done, and she does it right every time. The Bruce Springsteen of tampers. Shop for Chunky Wooden Tampers
What will you gift your favorite barista this season? Sound off in the comments below!
