A Quick Cup of Advice on Tea Gifts At Christmas Time

A Quick Cup of Advice on Tea Gifts At Christmas Time
It’s a perfectly natural feeling at this time of year: the desire to share the wide and wonderful world of tea with those around you – family, friends, and acquaintances alike. While the desire to share and give may be natural, the selection of the appropriate tea gift always feels a tad more difficult. So, here are some quick and handy ideas for those special people on your list, divided by their level of experience in the realm of loose-leaf teas.
 

The Beginner

For the uninitiated, you’ll likely need to supply that person with some basic loose-leaf tea gear: specifically, a medium-sized tea basket and a personalized tea mug. These two essential items will help any new tea drinker adjust to the idea of tea that is outside the bag and not always necessarily black. This brings us to some appropriate tea selections. For people new to the realm of loose-leaf teas, it’s sensitive to ease their transition by selecting from our wide range of black teas (Earl Grey de la Creme is always a good choice) or, for the slightly more adventurous, a fruity rooibos selection (Orange Rooibos is a surefire winner) – its smooth sweetness will win over any hesitancy.
 

The Intermediate

For the intermediate, the role of the gift is to augment an already established tea collection with a bit more adventure or breadth. In terms of gear, a glass teapot with a built-in infuser is a good choice (something with a little more presentation value for guests) or a full set of teacups and matching teapot. For the teas, you can try something that requires a little more care in the steeping: green teas (Jasmine Pearls) or oolong teas (Milk Oolong) offer a delicate cup that an intermediate tea drinker can start to appreciate.
 

The Connoisseur

For the seasoned tea drinker, the sky is the limit! Basically, your job is to buy them something they would never buy for themselves, but something they’ve always wanted to justify purchasing! For gear, you could try a yixing clay teapot or a bamboo whisk and tea ceremony set! In terms of teas, focus on decadent selections from the estate tea wall (Ti Kuan Yin), truly unique teas from around the store (Lapsang Souchong or Pu-Erh), or treat them to a medley of flowering presentation teas! Go crazy!
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