8 Whole Bean Holiday Blends To Gift Coffee Lovers

'Tis the season for some holiday sipping, and no, I'm not talking about boozy hot chocolate or eggnog today (although I certainly won't dissuade you from imbibing in the colder months). Rather, I'm talking about a year-round staple beverage that many of us — myself included — can't fathom life without. You guessed it: coffee. As a former barista with over a decade of coffee experience under my belt, I really couldn't live without my morning bean juice, and I'll snag any and every opportunity to sample the hottest coffees on the market. This roundup is focusing on whole-bean holiday blends that can please even the pickiest coffee connoisseur on your holiday gifting list. 

Fortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all holiday coffee blend, and notes can range from dark cocoa to peppermint and even bright, acidic fruit. Some holiday coffee blends will be flavored, while others will rely solely on the beans to express holiday appeal. I've rounded up some of the best holiday whole-bean coffee blends to gift to your favorite coffee lover this season and, after trying them all myself, I can confidently say that each will serve a different type of consumer — all, however, are lovely. Want to stick some coffee under the tree this year? Get a concept of the preferred flavor profile of your giftee, cross it against these blends, and gift away. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Blue Bottle's coffee is always delightful (as is its matcha, which I got to try as part of a taste test of ceremonial-grade matchas), so I had understandably high standards for its Winter Blend, which claims notes of dark chocolate, molasses, and blackberry. I was even more excited to try it when I read what goes into the blend: Latin American beans mixed with a natural-process Ethiopian coffee that's roasted to three different levels. Naturally processed coffee is always tantalizing — long story short, some of the mucilage (like coffee pulp) remains on the bean rather than being completely washed off, which often adds more complex, jammy notes to the brew. 

The coffee was subtle on the nose but I could tell it was made with a natural process, as it had some of those acidic, fruity notes you'll often find in such coffees. Sipping it was a delightful experience. It manages to be both punchy and smooth at the same time, and is very berry-forward. A mild gingerbread, molasses-like sweetness comes in behind with light chocolate notes. The cup certainly takes the drinker on a journey, but it's a very cohesive journey, and I'm impressed that Blue Bottle managed to roast a blend with such a variety of tasting notes without them competing against one another. At around $27 for 10 ounces, this bag is an upscale gift for your adventurous coffee drinker who wants to start their winter mornings off on a lively note. 

I was first introduced to Roadmap when I tasted and ranked a variety of decaf whole-bean coffees. In that taste test, Roadmap's offering came out on top, so I was excited to get to try the roaster's holiday offering. Its holiday blend is a medium-light roast that claims notes of all your favorite wintertime treats: dark chocolate, cranberry, orange, and pecan pie. And before you ask, no, this is not a flavored bag. 

I would say Roadmap's blend reads more medium than light-medium, partially because of its full-bodied depth. I got ample chocolate appeal throughout the sip and baking spices carried through as well, both of which certainly gave this a holiday vibe. It made me want to hop away from my desk and whip up a batch of gingerbread cookies. As secondary tasting notes, I found hints of cherry, orange zest, and even a molasses cookie appeal. I'd call this a pretty strong cup of coffee, but it's not at all sharp around the edges. The price has a similar appeal, with a 12 ounce bag running around $24 feeling like fair. Affordability certainly adds a savory character, and Roadmap will please anyone who likes their coffee rich, verging on a dark and long finish that's chocolate and cherry-forward. 

Regent's holiday blend is a surprising one, and will be best gifted to the coffee lover in your life who prefers bright, fruity, acidic roasts. To be perfectly honest, when I first sipped it, I found it hard to qualify as a holiday blend — the sharp quality you get from the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe beans is readily apparent, and this is the style of coffee I prefer to drink year round. Further into the sip, though, I "got it," and this bag made for a really delightful surprise. 

In addition to a bright fruity appeal that dominates the beginning of the sip, I also got ample graham cracker notes soon after, which instantly cozied this cup up a bit and kept it from being too summer-forward in its zing. Moreover, the end of the sip was characterized by juicy pear notes, and if you're a fan of using the fruit in holiday bakes (as I am) you'll instantly get seasonal vibes once the pear hits. At around $27 for a 12 ounce bag, I'd gift this Glendale, California-roasted blend to anybody who doesn't find medium or dark roasts appealing, or who usually go for light African coffee blends. 

North Carolina's Black & White Coffee Roaster's holiday blend is, according to the company, "A Coffee Best Enjoyed In The Warm Embrace Of Kith And Kin." This blend is made up of beans from Kenya, Colombia, and Costa Rica, three coffee origin countries that tend to produce wildly different beans. As such, I expected to taste a pretty dynamic cup, and indeed, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. 

This coffee claims notes of cinnamon sugar, cherry cobbler, toasted marshmallow, and chocolate — aka, everything one could possibly hope to enjoy during the winter season. I was quite surprised at how potent the marshmallow flavor was, and when highlighted by cinnamon and chocolate, it almost gave a lovely s'mores appeal combined with hot chocolate vibes. I tasted plenty of chocolate, and not in the way one often tastes chocolate notes as coffees are roasted darker (I occasionally find "chocolate" and "caramel" notes to be cop-outs, as those flavor profiles tend to be naturally produced the longer a coffee is roasted). Here, rather, it tasted intentional, and not just like a byproduct of the roasting process. It's very smooth, full-bodied, and well-rounded, a really easily palatable cup for any consumer. 

There's also versatility in the gifting options as well. Black & White sells its holiday blend by the 12 ounce, 2 pound, or 5 pound bag, depending on how long you want the seasons greetings to last. 

I'm a recent fan of Cape Coral, Florida's Bones Coffee Co. But, I knew I'd be a diehard one from the moment I took my first sips of its flavored autumnal lineup. And before you ask, yes, unlike the other blends on this list, Bones' is flavored. I understand why some coffee aficionados are against adding flavor to beans, but personally, I couldn't care less. A delicious coffee that also reminds me of my favorite bake? Sign me up!

Bones has quite a few holiday coffee blends you can choose from, and if I were you, I'd gift your loved one a sample pack of the lineup, which includes stocking-stuffer sized 4-ounce bags of the following: Sugar Rush, Horchata, White Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Jingle Bones, and Toffee Almond Crunch. I did get to try all of them, and I liked all of them — each delivered on its purported flavor profile. I've enjoyed digging into them since my initial taste test.

Without doing a super deep dive into all five, here's a highlight my favorite: Toffee Almond Crunch. This is a gentle, comforting cup that provides an excellent middle ground for coffee purists and flavored coffee fans. It probably helps that toffee and almond are notes that naturally come through in certain beans, so the addition of the flavors wasn't at all out of place. A light, sweet buttery appeal takes the forefront of the sip with nutty, toasted almond coming in behind, and it makes for a lovely cup that I've had more than a few times since trying it initially. 

Alma Coffee's holiday blend is aptly named "Cozy," and I was indeed a bit taken aback by how cozy this medium-dark roast proved to be. If you've read any of my previous coffee articles, you probably know that I tend not to be the biggest fan of darker roasts, so it's a pleasant surprise whenever I find one I really enjoy. Such was the case with Alma's — this darker roast found favor with me immediately, and I'm excited to continue getting "cozy" with it throughout the rest of the winter.

The blend is made from Honduran beans grown in Copán and Lempira, and I always enjoy it when a coffee blurs the lines between being a blend and a single origin — it tends to make for a more nuanced, but still impeccably balanced cup. As I've already hinted, I liked this one quite a lot. It's quite a smooth blend well-suited for dark roast lovers and I got ample notes of both black tea and dark chocolate, which together managed to evoke cold-morning holiday vibes without being explicitly flavored. This blend is very subtle and mellow, and (and I don't say this often about coffee) I doubt it'll be polarizing at all. If you can't get an idea of your giftee's preferences before buying them some coffee, this bag from Alma is guaranteed to be well-received. 

I relatively recently tried the entire lineup of La Colombe's single-origin coffees, and much to my surprise, I really loved all its offerings, which isn't something I often say about coffee (what can I say, I'm picky). So I knew I had to get my hands on a bag of its Winterland beans for this taste test. Like many of the blends on this list, La Colombe's uses beans from Latin America and East Africa, so I expected it to have some bright fruity notes as well as a grounded, baking-forward appeal. Thus, it wasn't surprising to see that the blend claimed notes of apple crumble, panettone, and chocolate mousse. 

Indeed, I got the panettone notes right away, which kind of took me by surprise — I don't know that I've ever identified such a flavor in coffee before (but then again, I've never really looked for it, either). Rich chocolate truffle lingered at the end of the sip, and I liked the journey from light to mid-dark that this cup took me on, all while being impeccably smooth. Moreover, the brew has a dark fruity appeal, akin to those bags of chocolate-covered blueberries or pomegranate seeds that make for popular packaged snacks. It was very rich, well-rounded, and wildly appealing. Buy this for your loved one who enjoys dark roasts and holiday pastries. 

Lastly, I couldn't conclude this piece without highlighting a brand whose cheeky branding will have you from the moment you check out its website: Rising C*** Coffee. I first stumbled across this brand when I did a ranking of bourbon-infused coffees — Rising C***'s "Whiskey Business" took the top spot in that piece, and I've had it several times since. However, I hadn't tried any other blends from the brand (what can I say, I stick to what I know!) so I appreciated the opportunity to try its holiday blend, once again featuring a risqué name that'll have every grandma blushing: Santa's Sidepiece. 

To put it simply, it's a masterpiece of a blend that more than delivers on its name. It's an incredibly full cup that gave me ample notes of gingerbread and Christmas cookies, with a rich mouthfeel that reminded me of molasses. I found myself savoring it — it offered an experience that I didn't want to end anytime soon, and it should be treated as somewhat of a delicacy, in my opinion. I got plenty of hazelnut appeal as well, with toasted and vanilla notes coming in behind. This was quite the complex cup with a lot of depth behind it. I loved it.

When curating this list, I specifically pulled from roasters who are well-renowned in the coffee world, as well as roasters I've worked with before, in the hopes that all samples I received would be worthy of this "best" list. Flavored coffees and non-flavored coffees were all viable to be picked, and I even found some holiday appeal in coffee that may not look holiday-spirited at first glance (like Regent's entry). 

I tried each coffee by making it into a morning brew using my flawless pour-over techniques, and as usual, the results were exquisite. My advice if you're looking to gift coffee beans to a loved one is to first know about their coffee preferences. If they like a lighter, acidic roast, Regent's is a shoo-in; on the other hand, if they love punchy, flavorful coffee, Bones Coffee Co.'s lineup may be your best bet. Or, splurge and get them one of everything, so they have something to sip on all season long.