Gifts for tea lovers

Bags, loose leaf or matcha

Tea drinkers fall into rough camps, and a gift for one camp often misses the other. Bag drinkers want convenience and variety. Loose-leaf drinkers want a better way to brew. Matcha drinkers want the right tools and good powder.

For a bag drinker, sampler boxes and advent calendars work well: the Pluck oolong bundle, the T2 advent calendar or the Tea Drop herbal set. For someone ready to try loose leaf, an infuser mug like the T2 Well Well Well or the Rare Tea Company set is the easy first step, and the Suki teapot does the same job for a pot.

If they already drink loose leaf, buy a pot sized for how they drink. The Ippodo kyusu suits one or two cups of Japanese green tea. The Kinto CLK-151 makes two or three. The Emma Bridgewater pot makes four mugs.

Pay attention to caffeine too. Someone who drinks tea in the evening to wind down will get more from the Tea Drop Winter Stillness set, which is all herbal, than from a box of black teas. The Silk Road westcoast box mixes green, black and a caffeine-free herbal, so it covers both morning and night. For a tea drinker who hosts, the Maison Balzac pompon teapot or the Emma Bridgewater pot is something they will put out on the table when friends come over.

Building a matcha kit

Matcha needs a whisk, a bowl wide enough to whisk in, and decent powder. Most kits leave one of these out. The Hario set and the Robert Gordon set both include a bowl and whisk but no matcha. Add the Sloane premium-grade pouch to either one for a complete gift.

For someone who already has a bowl, the Ippodo chasen #2 is a sensible first whisk. For someone who already has a whisk, the DoMatcha bowl gives them room to work. Bamboo whisks wear out and need to dry fully after each use, so a replacement whisk is a fair gift for a regular drinker.

Matcha powder should go in the fridge once opened. Mention this in the card if you are giving it to someone new to it.

Kettles and temperature

Green, white and oolong teas taste bitter when brewed with boiling water. A kettle with temperature control fixes this. The Fellow Stagg EKG and the Dualit pour-over kettle both let you set the temperature and both pour through a slow gooseneck spout.

These are second kettles for most homes. The Fellow holds 0.9 litres, which is fine for one person and small for a family. The Dualit is black only. Give one to a tea drinker who brews green tea every day, not to someone who drinks builder's tea with milk.

Budgets, seasons and timing

Under $25, a bag of Genuine Tea's maple cream, the Harney & Sons gingerbread tin or the Koala Tea tin are all easy add-ons. From $25 to $75 you get sampler boxes, infuser mugs, advent calendars and matcha sets. Teapots and kettles sit from about $70 up.

Advent calendars have a hard deadline. The T2 and DAVIDsTEA calendars only make sense if they arrive before December 1. Seasonal blends like the Harney & Sons gingerbread tea or Bird & Blend sticky chai are winter gifts; in spring they may sit unopened.

Flavoured teas split opinion. Maple, gingerbread and dessert blends please casual drinkers and disappoint purists. If you do not know their taste, a sampler like the Pluck oolong bundle or the Silk Road box covers several styles.

In the UK, the Buyagift afternoon tea voucher is a good alternative to more things on a shelf. It covers two people at a choice of venues and lasts 12 months, but it is 18+ and needs booking.

Questions people ask

What do you get a tea lover who has everything?

Teas they have not tried, or an experience. A sampler like the Pluck oolong bundle or the Silk Road westcoast box introduces new styles without committing to a big bag. In the UK, an afternoon tea voucher for two is a good choice. A replacement bamboo matcha whisk also suits a regular matcha drinker, since whisks wear out.

Is loose leaf tea a better gift than tea bags?

Only if they own an infuser or teapot, or you include one. Loose leaf gives more choice and often better flavour, but a bag drinker with no infuser will find it a chore. Pair loose tea with the T2 Well Well Well mug or the Suki teapot, or choose a pyramid-bag sampler instead.

What should a matcha gift set include?

A bamboo whisk, a wide bowl to whisk in, a scoop and the matcha powder itself. Many sets, including the Hario and Robert Gordon kits, include the tools but no powder. Add a pouch of ceremonial-grade matcha such as Sloane's premium grade so the person can start the day they open it.

What is a good tea gift under $30?

Genuine Tea Canadian Maple Cream, the Harney & Sons Gingerbread Festival tin, the Koala Tea beach tin, the Pluck Canadian Content bundle and the Bird & Blend sticky chai trio all sit around or under $30. In the UK, the Bird & Blend trio suits a chai fan. In Australia, the Koala Tea tin is a modest pick.