Epicure: A Gift Guide For Foodies

According to the definition proposed by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an epicure is someone with sensitive and discriminating tastes, especially in food or wine. To me, an epicure is an old-fashioned foodie that appreciates having an excuse for a tasting adventure. 

In order to honor those epicures we all have in our lives, we have decided to create the ultimate foodie gifting guide. It includes some of the most delish treats you can find in the USA, as well as the perfect accessories to accompany a scrumptious meal. Bon appétit!

{Psst! Don’t forget to click on the pretty bold pink links to learn more about each product, and scroll down to find our whole selection!}

1. Arabica Coffee Candle and Safety Matches by Skeem Design ($18 and $16): This candle is the perfect gift for that epicure in your life with discriminating tastes for home decor. Hand-poured with love in the USA, it literally smells like the dreams of a coffee connoisseur. With the scent of dark roasted coffee, steamed milk, and bitter chocolate with honey, the Arabica Coffee Candle ticks all the right boxes for a foodie. Packed in a reusable field jar and inspired by the 19th-century field trips, this beautifully-designed candle looks great in any cabinet of curiosities. Pair it up with the most elegant safety matches in a peacock tin and you’ll make a memorable gift.

2. Three Blind Mice Cheese Board and Knives by Kikkerland ($30): Calling all cheese lovers! This epicure accessory features a beautiful wooden cheese board to display your most treasured and stinky findings and three mice knives to serve them properly. I personally think these cutest little mice are the type we would all love to have in our Manhattan apartments! The poor things will also work for you; they will inadvertently help you cut your cheese without being aware of what’s going on. These are all the tools you (or your epicure loved ones) will need to have a memorable cheese party.

3. Cheese of the Month Club by Murray’s (starting at $275 for a four-month subscription): If you have a cheese lover like myself in your life, this is THE holiday gift that you must have on your list. Every month, Murray’s delivers a surprise crate curated by its in-house cheesemongers, who have the hard task of tasting every single cheese available in the store to decide on the three must-have, hottest (and sometimes stinkiest) delicacies that will be sent to their subscribers. Aside from sending three life-changing succulent cheeses per month, Murray’s offers a top-notch free service with every subscription: Customers can speak directly with the cheesemongers that handpicked their delicacies to learn how to make the most of their tasting experience. Honestly, you can’t beat that! On a second thought yes, you actually can, and Murray’s already thought of it: The shipping is free. Do you want more options? Murray’s also offers the Meat and Cheese of the Month, the Pair of the Month, and the Meat of the Month Club subscriptions. If you really want to take your epicure gifting abilities to the next level, don’t miss out the Cheese of the Month Club. Cheese money is always money well spent.

4. Caramelized Graham Crackers by Kika’s Treats ($8): If you’ve arrived this far, I feel I must make a full disclosure: This holiday gift guide will give you an irresistible urge to eat. That’s at least what happened to me when I received a packet of these glorious caramelized graham crackers covered in oh-so-delicate milk chocolate. It took me superhuman strenght not to eat them in a sitting. Baked from scratch in San Francisco, these little wonders have a toffee-like flavor without the stickiness thanks to their 100% natural ingredients. Yeah, no nasties here. Is that making you feel a bit less guilty? It did the trick with me! Now go and buy a whole case; we both know you will want to keep a few bags for yourself!

5. Wicker Lunch Box by Kikkerland ($5): Make every lunch break a memorable experience with this adorable luch box that has all the looks of a picnic wicker basket but keeps everything fresh and cool. This is an ideal gift for yourself or any epicure who loves to cook (and carry) an elaborate meal every day. Plus, this is a gift that keeps on giving. Zippered to avoid spills in your commute and easy to clean, it is a great conversation starter that can fit lunch for two later in the game. You can thank us later!

6. Holiday bag of Sweet Sloops by Harbor Sweets ($10.95 for 12 units): I refuse to feel guilty about my new sloop obsession. These sailboat shaped chocolate crunches filled with the most decadent, luscious almond butter would make any epicure’s head spin. Handmade with love in Salem, M.A., by one of the region’s best chocolate makers, the now famous Sweet Sloops are almond buttercrunch toffees covered in white chocolate, and later hand-dipped in rich dark chocolates and crushed pecans. To me, they taste like an endless late summer New England sailing adventure.

7. Chef’s “Salts of the World” collection No.1 by The Spice Lab ($44.95): Cooking -or at the very least experimenting in the kitchen- is at the very core of any true epicure. This beautiful collection reminiscent of a scientist lab includes 7 of the best tasting, hard-to-find salts in the world. Ideal to spice up any meal (yeah, even those takeaways that true epicures need to resort to from time to tim), this sampler pack looks great even in the tiniest of Manhattan kitchens. It even come with a reference card, detailing descriptions and suggestions on which salts go with which dishes, making it easy to create the perfect combination of flavors. My personal favorites? The Cyprus citron flakes for fish and the Hawaiian Red Alaea to step up my steak game.

8. 12-piece Rocket Blender by BELLA Housewares ($19.99): Is your favorite epicure trying new recipes that call for no-nonsense blending? Do you have someone in your life that wants to lead a healthier life but doesn’t have the time to cook? In both cases, this is an ideal gift for them. Extremely compact and powerful, this blender has taken my kitchen by storm. It’s perfect to make a morning smoothie for two in less than three minutes, and to make all sorts of winter soups without the hassle and the spills of a hand-held blender. The grinding blade chops hard foods and grinds coffee, while the cross blade liquefies solid fruits and vegetables. This is an ideal gift for the aspiring chef who doesn’t have any second to waste.

9. Apple and Cinnamon Tea Tin by teapigs ($18 for 20 temples): Tea has an epicurious following of its own. I swear I can sometimes hear in Brooklyn muffled conversations about people tasting tea as if it were wine. If you have a friend or a loved one that falls into that tea-loving category, I strongly suggest you look into teapigs’ seasonal varieties. Aside from curating some of the most peculiar blends I’ve ever come across, they also sell them in beautiful, reusable tins with a vintage allure that match any decor. Apple and Cinnamon is one of the many caffeine-free varieties the brand offers for those night owls willing to have a tasty treat before bed. I wonder if the Queen of England is one of their clients…

10. 901 Tequila by Justin Timberlake and Sauza Tequila ($29.99 for 750 ml): Yes, you read correctly. Justin Timberlake has paired up with one of the most recognized tequila houses in the world to craft a super-premium juice that is ideal for any holiday occasion. 901 is a triple distilled, 100% agave tequila that offers a smooth taste crafted using only the finest Blue Weber agave. Ideal for that epicure in your life that likes to have the best of the best, it is for sure a great party starter.

Disclosure level 1: The author received NO compensation to write this post. The author received a sample of some of the products featured for editorial consideration. Receiving a sample didn’t influence the decision to feature a brand nor the opinions expressed by the author. All links provided in the article are for information only and are not part of any affiliate marketing program.