Gourmet tea as a gift. Where to buy?

[CRUZMISL]

Hi All,

I'm an espresso freak but my wife loves tea, jasmine in particular. Are there any places online that sell tea that could be given as a gift, maybe packaged in a nice box or something?

Thanks for any advice?

Joe

PS They need to be in bags. Loose tea is not her thing:)

[andiesenji]

I have bought teas from many online vendors.

Harney & Sons

and

Adagio teas are two of my favorites. The selection is first rate and the service is excellent.

[CRUZMISL]

Thanks!

Anyone buy from this place?

https://www.mightyleaf.com/default.aspx

Also, if I Were to buy a tea pot, what should I be looking for? Some are glass, some are clay, others cast iron......

I'd imagine the best quality can be obtained buying and brewing with loose teas. I'd like to buy a pot that allows her to brew both ways. Ideally a modern design.

Thanks,

Joe

Edited December 9, 2005 by CRUZMISL (log)

[Jason Perlow]

If you want Asian/Chinese varieties of tea, particularly Jasmine, I would check out Ten Ren, which is one of the largest importers and retailers of Asian teas in the world.

In New York and San Francisco, and in Chinatowns in several other major cities, Ten Ren has retail stores, but they also have an online store:

http://www.tenren.com/jasmine.html

http://www.tenren.com/teabags.html

Some Asian supermarkets also carry Ten Ren teas, but if you want the best selection you should go to a Ten Ren store or order from their website.

Obviously, their very best stuff is loose leaf, but I have a few boxes of their teabags (which I am using with my pod brewing machine) and they are very good.

[cdh]

I second the Ten Ren suggestion. Great teas, and available in pretty gifty packaging.

[JohnL]

Thanks!

Anyone buy from this place?

https://www.mightyleaf.com/default.aspx

Also, if I Were to buy a tea pot, what should I be looking for? Some are glass, some are clay, others cast iron......

I'd imagine the best quality can be obtained buying and brewing with loose teas. I'd like to buy a pot that allows her to brew both ways. Ideally a modern design.

Thanks,

Joe

←

Both Adagio and harney's are good.

I have been buying tea and tea brewing items from Upton Teas

www.uptontea.com

IMOP they are one of the best outlets anywhere.

One idea for you--they offer gift setw that include loose tea--along with the Chatsford Mug infuser system.

The "system" is a really nice Chatsford hand painted bone china cup/mug with a simple mesh basket that fits inside--you can basically, brew an individual cup of tea. I use this all the time.

they also have tea pots etc.

[andiesenji]

Thanks!

Anyone buy from this place?

https://www.mightyleaf.com/default.aspx

Also, if I Were to buy a tea pot, what should I be looking for? Some are glass, some are clay, others cast iron......

I'd imagine the best quality can be obtained buying and brewing with loose teas. I'd like to buy a pot that allows her to brew both ways. Ideally a modern design.

Thanks,

Joe

←

There are many teapots available with infusers. However, for a true loose tea experience, the best way is to have two teapots, one for brewing the tea which is then strained into the serving pot.

You want something that will hold the heat long enough for the tea to be served. Earthenware and cast iron hold heat the longest, however there are some insulated teapots that are excellent and are modern in style. The classic "Brown Betty" holds heat quite well. Glass, except for the very expensive double-walled insulated (and hard to find) item does not hold heat well unless you cover it with a cozy.

I have a somewhat large collection of teapots that I have been adding to for more than 40 years.

Amazon has a large selection.

Note that the BonJour Classic insulated is now on sale (scroll down half-way on the page)

On page 4 you can see an "Old Dutch" teapot with chrome cozy. I have several similar teapots made by Hall China which are often found on ebay. They are very nice and do keep tea at perfect serving temperature.

I am sure this is more than you want to know, but I am somewhat fanatic about teapots.

[CRUZMISL]

Not too much info at all. Thanks!

[andiesenji]

I forgot to mention

Special Teas

and of course,

Republic of Tea These can be found in many stores, Barnes & Noble usually carries almost all of their teas, both loose and bagged.

I particularly like the Blackberry Sage (real dried fruits in the mix)

and purchase of some of their teas include a donation to cancer research. They also carry Fair Trade teas which I think are very important.

You can also ask questions here about various tea items.

[Curlz]

I love Mighty Leaf; discovered them through my s-i-l. Their tea bags are stunning; not sure what they're made of, but each bag is individually wrapped, and the material they use for the bag is like fabric. I have some of their peppermint, and it's definitely a favorite. Their standard shipping is fast, too.

The other site I'd recommend is Stash Tea.

[SuzySushi]

We've always been pleased with the teas from Murchie's in British Columbia. They ship to the USA.

[tsquare]

Mighty Leaf is wonderful.

Also like Numi Tea

[ghostrider]

On page 4 you can see an "Old Dutch" teapot with chrome cozy.  I have several similar teapots made by Hall China which are often found on ebay.  They are very nice and do keep tea at perfect serving temperature.

I am sure this is more than you want to know, but I am somewhat fanatic about teapots.

←

I love the Hall teapots. I have 2 of them, and two of similar build made by McCormick, that I found at various flea markets & street fairs over the years. They are the best! Not terribly elegant, but they really do the job, and I'm fanatical about that.

[andiesenji]

On page 4 you can see an "Old Dutch" teapot with chrome cozy.  I have several similar teapots made by Hall China which are often found on ebay.  They are very nice and do keep tea at perfect serving temperature.

I am sure this is more than you want to know, but I am somewhat fanatic about teapots.

←

I love the Hall teapots. I have 2 of them, and two of similar build made by McCormick, that I found at various flea markets & street fairs over the years. They are the best! Not terribly elegant, but they really do the job, and I'm fanatical about that.

←

I have found that any Hall teapot will hold the heat longer than just about any other type. I have a couple of the old style McMormick with the curved "dripless" spout. I found it at a yard sale and had collected a box of other stuff. The lady said she would throw the teapot in because "that old thing was my mama's and I don't have any use for it." I also bought almost a complete set of Bauer dinnerware from her for $10.00. She said she would have kept it if it was "Fiesta" ..... Shame on me, I didn't tell her Fiesta was copied from the Bauer "ringware"....

[kaneel]

I forgot to mention

Special Teas

and of course,

Republic of Tea  These can be found in many stores, Barnes & Noble usually carries almost all of their teas, both loose and bagged. 

I particularly like the Blackberry Sage (real dried fruits in the mix)

and purchase of some of their teas include a donation to cancer research.  They also carry Fair Trade teas which I think are very important.

You can also ask questions here about various tea items.

←

I second Republic of Tea!!

All their teas i've tried so far are good but the one that we really love is their kiwi pear green tea.

Do you have Costplus where you live. They have a whole range of teas.

AShiana

[ghostrider]

I have found that any Hall teapot will hold the heat longer than just about any other type.  I have a couple of the old style McMormick with the curved "dripless" spout.  I found it at a yard sale and had collected a box of other stuff.  The lady said she would throw the teapot in because "that old thing was my mama's and I don't have any use for it."  I also bought almost a complete set of Bauer dinnerware from her for $10.00.  She said she would have kept it if it was "Fiesta" .....  Shame on me, I didn't tell her Fiesta was copied from the Bauer "ringware"....

←

Ah serendipity!

The top on my favorite Hall split in two after several drops. I have to glue it back together annually, I can't find a glue that will hold up with daily use. I suppose I should get to haunting eBay.

(Somewhat OT but these all sort of relate to gift ideas for tea lovers, right?)

Edited December 10, 2005 by ghostrider (log)

[jpr54_]

jasmine tea

www.imperialtea.com

www.houdeasianart.com

www.enjoyingtea.com

teapots

www.allteapots.com

[prasantrin]

Scroll down a bit to find some of the delightful teas here. I love Mariage Freres (the oldest tea purveyors in France, I think), though I do prefer their loose teas--much more variety of flavours. But if bags are a must, then I would suggest the Marco Polo (if she likes flavoured teas), along with the French Breakfast. Actually, depending on how much you're willing to spend, you could just get all the bagged teas for variety!

Mariage Freres teas are beautifully packaged. The shop to which I linked is The Cultured Cup, somewhere in Texas. If you're in that area, you could just drop by. They're very friendly and helpful, and I'm sure they could do something about gift-wrapping the gift. Or if you're looking for more variety, and can read French, you can try the Mariage Freres homepage. You can order on-line and they ship internationally. I've never had much luck with the English link on the site, but the Japanese one works!

[jpr54_]

in addition www.lepalaisdesthes.com

has good scented teas as well

[KatieLoeb]

House of Tea, which is local for me, has a wonderful selection of loose teas, tea accessories and great customer service.

[jokhm]

I'm not going pump up my own site here.. (though i should do an eGullet-only special of some sort, no?)... But i'll happily continue the discussion of which teas to drink...

I mostly handle Wuyi mountain oolongs and Anxi oolongs, but obviously also the typical green/white and scented favorites.. And I find people in north American are still pretty much in the dark as far as the variety of teas goes. Jasmine is indeed great, and where I am, people drink it a lot more than in the south of China. But there is some seriously good stuff out there for those of you wanting to experience something truly amazing. Think of jasmine tea as just the beginning. Anyway, I really recommend for anyone wanting to know.. please visit a good Chinese tea shop and do not be afraid to sit down and try a bunch of different teas!

The problem with online shops (mine included) is that they are not modeled after their Chinese retail brick and mortar teashops. In China it is often expected that before you buy from a group of teas that you have little knowledge of, you can first taste them! So online shops I would say are best for those that know more or less what they want.

happy tea drinking

Joel

[malachi]

Or if you're looking for more variety, and can read French, you can try the Mariage Freres homepage.  You can order on-line and they ship internationally. 

←

Wonderful teas!!

Also, in the US I've had good luck with TeaLuxe

[Brad Ballinger]

Tea Source is another very good place to shop for teas and all other things tea-related. The proprietor, Bill Waddington, used to be a pseudo-regular on NPR's The Splendid Table. Maybe he still is; I haven't listened in a while.

[Mayhaw Man]

Mona Ligi has an interesting collection of tea for sale online

Disclosure: Yes, dammit, I work for the company that runs their website. Still, that doesn't mean that it's not good (quite the opposite, thanks).

[rickster]

At least some of the Mariage Freres teas are usually available at Williams Sonoma stores. I just bought some for my sister in law last week.

Personally, I put in a vote for Upton.