How to Gift Tea: 5 Tips for Gift Giving Ease

Whether it's a birthday, a holiday, or a pick-me-up treat, giving the tea lover in your life something yummy and comforting feels good. But, sometimes tea lovers are hard to buy for. Don't fret, my friend. After years of experience, listening to questions and comments from both sides (and watching interactions with our own line of tea lover care package gift sets, here's my guide on how to gift tea with ease.

Tea bags or Loose leaf?

The first question you need to answer before picking the perfect tea gift is: does your giftee prefer tea bags or loose leaf? Here's the thing - since loose leaf is a more premium offering, it lends itself well to gifting. And you can get tea bags for loose leaf tea. So, it's OK to get loose leaf tea for a bagged tea drinker (if you think they'd be open to trying something new).
However, it's definitely NOT ok to get bagged tea for a dedicated loose leaf tea drinker. Don't even go there. You can usually find this out pretty easily with a quick check of your giftee's Instagram account or a peek in their tea cupboard during the next dinner party.

Flavored Tea Blends or Simple Unflavored Teas? (And any allergies?)

Another excellent question to put on the how to gift tea list, and that's what is their flavor style. Do they prefer a bold English Breakfast tea, or a more creative variety (like coconut macaron)? If you're not sure, earl grey is an easy "compromise" but try to sleuth out any favorite flavors, as that will help guide your search.
For a flavored tea blend lover, consider a tea of the month club gift subscription. It's the gift that keeps on giving, and for the Plum Deluxe club, you can choose from a variety of price points. (It also helps you avoid having to pick a particular tea flavor in your initial tea purchase!)

Don't forget the accessories.

While of course, if you are going to gift tea, you should have tea in the package! But don't obsess. You can easily focus more attention on accessories instead. For example, a selection of honey is usually a great choice, as it can be used for purposes other than tea. (Our honey sticks are a great gift add-on.)
For loose leaf tea lovers, new infusers are almost always welcome - pretty and practical is key. Our cherrywood tea nest infuser is a great example of form meets function. I always recommend mesh-style infusers when possible; while the silicone ones are super cute and inexpensive, they don't hold in the tea very well.

Consider tea infusions instead for a tea lover.

All this how to gift tea talk getting you down? Fret not, my friend! Shop around for some tea-infused products instead. They'll still have that lovely tea theme but without the worry. You'll have no trouble finding tea-infused chocolate, tea-infused macarons, tea-infused vodka, and tea-infused desserts, just to name a few ideas.
If you're into homemade gifts, for tea lovers you might consider making a simple syrup, or infusing some vanilla sugar for a gift with heart.

Lastly, when in doubt, go for the easy wins.

If you just can't figure out how to gift tea for your tea lover based on the above four suggestions, I leave you with my final piece of advice: go for any easy win. The easy wins are gifts that are almost always loved (and to be honest, easily re-gifted if needed). The list of easy wins for a typical tea lover includes but is not limited to:

• mugs and teacups with inspirational sayings
• homemade teapot cozys and mug wraps (Etsy for the win!)
• tea time cookbooks
• journal and pen set (maybe even a tea journal!)
• art prints or posters (again, Etsy is a goldmine for this sort of thing)

And if none of those feel good - or you're in a pinch for a last minute tea gift - grab a gift certificate. Plum Deluxe has gift certificates that you can even email, or head to a local shop.
Good luck with your tea gifting!