Tea 101: Back to Basics
February 14, 2019
If you’re still on the lookout for unique gift ideas, we’ve got you covered! We have something for everyone, from the most ardent tea lover to the casual Earl Grey drinker. Listed below are a variety of our very favorite tea and tea-adjacent gifts.
For that person who is really into cold brew: The Cold Brew Getting Started Kit, $75.00
The Cold Brew Getting Started Kit is the perfect gift for that friend or loved one who is suddenly super into cold brew. Sure, cold brew coffee is great, but cold brew tea? Now you’ve heard everything…
Cold brewing your favorite teas is a game changer. It is so easy and for some white, green, and oolong teas, it can bring out notes in the flavor profile you never noticed before. I believe it was Victor Hugo who said, “to cold brew a high altitude oolong is to see the face of God” (he was a Coconut Pouchong fan).
We love a “set it and forget it” method of preparation, and there is no time limit on how long to steep cold brew tea. Simply add water and loose tea to your Takeya pitcher and pop it in the fridge. It never gets bitter or oversteeped, only bolder and fuller in flavor.
In this kit, we provide everything you need to become a cold brew mad scientist: a 66oz Takeya pitcher and five 2oz tins of our favorite teas to cold brew: Jasmine Silver Needle, Florida Orange Blossom, Blackberry Jasmine, Coconut Pouchong, and Key Lime Sublime.
If you’re interested in cold brewing tea on the go, you should also check out our Mountain Tea Tumbler, which is very sturdy and comes with a steeping basket insert.
For the jet-setting tea lover: TeBella x Tumi Travel Tea Kit, $135-$150
We recommended this in our gift guide last year, and we’re recommending it again because it is one of our most popular and unique gifts.
If you’re a loose tea lover, you know the struggle of finding quality tea outside of your daily routine. Bagged tea simply won’t do once you’ve grown accustomed to the good stuff.
When traveling, I always crave creature comforts, especially in the morning. How does one start their day without a piping hot cup of Darjeeling with milk? I refuse to find out.
For this reason, we created our custom Tumi Travel Tea Kit. No more storing your loose tea in Ziploc bags and hoping TSA doesn’t get weird about it. This sturdy tea kit comes in two different colors: Black and Earl Grey. Each Travel Tea Kit contains 4 tins of our best selling blends and all the accoutrements you need to make the perfect cup of tea anywhere: a TSA-approved 2oz squeeze bottle of local honey, a tin of sugar, a timer, a teaspoon, and 25 paper tea filters.
And if you’re buying this for someone who already has their set favorite teas, you can purchase just the tea kit with empty tins for custom filling at home. Check out the Travel Tea Kit now to learn how you can further customize it to make the perfect tea kit!
For the tea mixologist: Tea-Infused Cocktail Kits & Copper Cocktail Shaker, $29.95
Continuing on with our mad scientist theme, know someone who would love making a Masala Chai Old Fashioned? Maybe a tea-infused Paloma? If so, please head over to peruse our tea cocktail kits.
We have added four new cocktail kits to our selection, and they include everything you’ll need to make a tea-infused cocktail recipe (just add booze!).
And if you want to get real fancy, add on our copper cocktail shaker to any cocktail kit for a great gift set.
Side note: we also have a variety of tea cocktail recipes available on our blog if you want to experiment with crafting your own tea-infused cocktails for any holiday parties you may be hosting this year (our Jasmine 75 and our Elderflower Spritz both make great New Year’s Eve cocktails, just sayin’).
For the Matcha lover: Matcha Latte Kit ($85) + Matcha: The Cookbook ($39.95)
We take Matcha seriously around here. We even have an entire section devoted to Matcha on our website. Matcha is, in our opinion, one of the most customizable tea drinks; everyone has their preferred method of preparation, and it’s important to have the right tool for the job. From our Matcha Ceremonial Kit to our Iced Matcha Shaker, we can provide the goods needed for every tier of Matcha obsession.
This year, we think our Matcha Latte Kit and Matcha: The Cookbook make fabulous gifts for any Matcha skill level, from novice to old hat. The Matcha Latte Kit comes with both our Matcha Shaker and Electric Matcha Whisk–so one is adequately prepare to make both iced and hot Matcha lattes.
And for those who want to take their Matcha skills even further, Matcha: The Cookbook is a perfect starting point. With information on Matcha as a traditional, historic drink as well as modern day recipes, it makes for an engaging and informative read.
For the tea lover who has everything: Teas from our Rare Tea Collection
Want to surprise and delight the hardcore tea drinker in your life? Present them with a few offerings from our Rare Tea Collection.
We source small batches of hard to find teas, such as Meng Ding Yellow Bud–a rare yellow tea that takes painstaking steps to process–and An Ji Bai Cha, a Chinese green tea that contains a high concentation of L-theanine and a distinct umami flavor that is common in Japanese green teas, but hard to come by in Chinese greens.
Our Rare Tea Collection is ever rotating–we only source small quantities and once they’re gone, they’re replaced with a new and equally fun rare tea.
If you want to go all out, pair a rare tea with one of our new Scandinavian-inspired modern cast iron kettles.
