Still seeking a steeped holiday gift? I've rounded up a few favorites that will delight any tea lover on your list. First up, the La Colombe Tea Enthusiast Gift Box that features the Yunnan Breakfast Black Tea (tasting notes: malty, classic, lemon zest) for your morning routine, the Genmaicha Green Tea (tasting notes: Brown Rice, Spring Greens, Toasted) for an afternoon pick-me-up and the Golden Turmeric Tisane (tasting notes: candied lemon, ginger, warming) to lull you into a quiet evening. The trio of teas come packaged in a holiday gift box. Just add a bow!
Ippodo boxed 3 of their classic green teas to take you on a Japanese tasting journey, featuring their Matcha Horai-no-mukashi (20g Can), Kuki Hojicha (10g Can), Gokujo Genmaicha (20g Can). Matcha Horai-no-mukashi is considered a beginner's matcha as it is well balanced with richness, umami and just a touch of astringency. The Kuki hojicha is made only of stems which adds a certain richness to the tea.
Find calm in a cup of chai with Coco Love's shimmering Juliet spiced sip featuring black tea blended with aromatic cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, cloves and vanilla. The shimmer sugar adds a touch of subtle sweetness and give the tea a lovely glow that catches the light and sparkles. Pair a cup with a batch of homemade Orange Blossom cookies (coco love shares the recipe for these delights).
I often travel with my tea accessories and like to tuck them into tea towels that can double as a pretty placement for serving the tea. This linen towel from Cuttalossa is made of handwoven certified organic Turkish linen. One of my favorite teas to pair with cheese and sweets, Te Company's Tristar '05 Vintage Oolong Tea. As I mentioned in this prior pairing post, with just one sip of this roasted tea you are whisked away to an antique library/bar of sorts where I would imagine we would have been sitting in aged leather chairs by a fire with a cigar faintly fading in the background and honeyed whiskey lingered on our lips from an earlier sip. This full bodied tea hugs your taste buds.
While I recommend starting with a candy thermometer to properly measure temperature (your stovetop kettle's call isn't always truthful), this digital bonavita gooseneck kettle is my go-to tea tool that I use throughout each and every day. The variable temperature kettle lets you dial in the exact temperature for your tea (that makes all the difference) and hold it at that temp for up to 60 minutes (perfect when you're successively steeping an oolong or exploring the land of the re-steep).
