Tea lovers are constantly looking for new varieties and old favorites in different combinations. This tea lover also looks for new unique pots and accessories to serve and make tea in. For some the presentation is just as important as the selection and preparation of the tea itself. If you know a tea lover here are the top ten gift ideas I found for them.
Number Ten
When enjoying tea many like to serve something along side. Scones have long been a traditional treat to be served with tea and whats great is its super easy and quick to make. Many online sites sell scone mix but I found my favorite and most authentic at The English Tea Store. They carry Ivy Cottage Scone Mix and it comes in several different flavors. My favorite varieties are Chocolate Chip and the more traditional cranberry orange which tastes great with marmalade. You can find a selection of slotted & Devon cream as well as jam and marmalade.
Number Nine
One of my favorite tea selections as far as presentation goes is from Tea Forte. I love giving their teas as gifts because the tea comes in a handmade silken tea infuser shaped like a cone that is also hand wrapped in paper. Looks like a large conical Hershey kiss. I would recommend their Green Tango variety which is a green tea infused with mango, never found a better blend.
Number Eight
Another tea favorite of mine and one of everyone that I have shared it with, even seasoned tea lovers, is a Flower Among the Tea. These beautiful oddities from Tea Frog are handmade in the Anhui Province of China and consists of flowering tea leaves wrapped around a lotus blossom, watching the tea leaves unfurl as it is prepared is the fun part.
Number Seven
If you ask any tea lover where you can get the best tea from they will probably tell you that Mariage Freres Tea Shop in Paris has the best and largest collection available anywhere. They carry over 500 different tea selections and they come in very stylish black tins that look great on the cupboard shelves. Several online retailers sell selections of their tea but Sloan and Hall carries the 32 most popular teas they sell.
Number Six
Kimberly Shaw Graphics Online Store carries a cute collection of teapot cards for every occasion out there and even ones for when there is no occasion. Another good place to find a note card is at Stash Tea, they have a set of watercolor illustrations of CHinese teapots. Each box comes with 12 tri fold cards and four illustrations.
Number Five
Most people who enjoy drinking tea hate finding that their destination only offers coffee or a paltry selection of tea. So why not enable your tea lover the ability to take their favorites with them, The Harney Company carries very cute Tagalong Tea Tins that come with 5 silk sachet tea bags that can fit in a pocket or purse easily.
Number Four
When you have been given tea as gifts or just buy a lot on your own for yourself you need somewhere to keep it so why not place all your teabags in a handsome tea caddy or a wooden tea chest that you can display on the kitchen counter. Bigelow Tea has wooden tea chests in all price ranges for you to choose from and two different types of tea caddies.
Number Three
Even though your tea lover probably will not be having tea alone much and prepares a whole pot of tea at a time I received a nestled tea set as a gift and fell in love with it. I now have several that I keep out because they are very cute and each is unique. The Alaska Herb Tea Company has six different Tea For One Sets, the tall stacked red set with geometric designs is one of my personal favorites.
Number Two
Tea Trays have been used for as long as tea has been served as an integral part of serving and tea ceremonies. I have found that most people do not own tea trays though and I cannot help but wonder why when I see how beautiful they are so I have added it number two on my list of gift ideas for tea lovers. Portal Market probably has the widest variety of tea trays online from very plain and functional plastic ones to intricately handmade tea trays. My favorites include a wood fan tray with detailed carving and a bamboo wash with Chinese characters. Another good place to find modern designs is the Indigo Tea Company.
Number One
Tea lovers seem to have a different teapot for different teas or times and others just like to collect ones that they find. Stash Tea is my favorite place to browse for teapots because they carry 370 of them and each one is unique. Among my favorite from them is the Baleen Whale shaped Yi Xing Teapot that is a purplish red clay, a contemporary modern Asian influenced teapot and the cute Alice in Wonderland designed teapot.
