No refrigeration is needed until the packaging, a vacuum-sealed pouch, is opened. Top it all off with a good cup of coffee or tea. Coffee can be provided in any number of gift boxes by Milwaukee's own Alterra coffee roasters at 2211 N. Prospect Ave. Or, you can get a pound of coffee and an embroidered T-shirt. Or a Morning Box, which includes a hand-painted mug and a pound of coffee.
Customers also can build their own gift boxes.
Another coffee alternative is Cuisinart's new Iced Cappuccino and Hot Espresso Maker. Besides its hot-cold duality, the machine is advertised as the first espresso maker that doesn't require you to tamp down the ground espresso before preparation. It makes up to eight servings of espresso in one batch, or four 8-ounce glasses of iced coffee. In a Crate, a frankly adorable little gift from the Sur La Table catalog from Seattle. The wooden chest can be reused.