Is it appropriate to send LOR writers a small gift?

[shaboomshaboom]

I wanted to send my profs who wrote my LOR a thank you note, but I thought it would be nice to send them a small gift (each under 10$)- something that would be personal (example, colombian coffee for my Latin American history prof, or a book about medieval art for my medieval prof).

Thoughts? Is it inappropriate, or would it make them feel uncomfortable?
 

 

[surefire]

Hi shaboomshaboom!

 

If you search the forums, you'll see that this has been discussed quite a bit and you can get a sense of what other people have done! For myself, I'd say go for it! I sent each of my letter writers a hand-written note and a mug/pint glass from the institution I chose to attend. I've seen posts from other gradcafers who sent stuff from the PhD comics store: http://www.phdcomics.com/store/mojostore.php