Tea Gifts for Connoisseurs, UK-tea Lovers and Plant Fans
Halloween? Long gone, along with the pumpkins. Thanksgiving? We still are digesting the feast, but the holiday and its autumnal vibes are in the rear-view mirror.
Now that it’s December, we dwell within The Holidays Zone.
Red and green, and blue and white. Sleigh-bell-spangled music. Snow and ice. Thrilling presents, aromatic decorations (we’re looking at you, evergreens) and dark nights dazzling with colored lights.
The holidays offer so many atmospheric pleasures—there’s nothing else across the calendar like the month-long procession of parties, dinners and gatherings. Gift giving, of course, figures largely into December. And what’s not to love about receiving a selection of first-rate teas from Ku Cha House of Tea, the most ambitious tea importer and network of tea shops in the Rocky Mountain West?
Last week we directed attention toward our gift boxes, which rank as popular presents all year. Next week, we’ll explore our Build Your Own Ku Cha Tea Box program, which leaves the packaging, shipping and some of the tea selection work to us. But this week, we offer custom ideas for different kinds of people. You pick the teas and package them however you prefer.
Happy Holidays to everybody! We hope you savor every moment of this special season—with a cup of tea at your side, of course.
Tea Gift Ideas: Teas for Connoisseurs
Everybody is familiar with tea. For some people, the tea experience rarely deviates from store-bought iced tea in bottles. But for others, tea represents a passion. They understand the differences between green, white, oolong, black and puerh teas. They frequent tea shops, and get excited about new offerings of everything from a rare Taiwanese oolong to a hard-to-get Japanese matcha. Good luck finding gifts for the tea connoisseurs in your life at supermarkets and specialty grocery stores. For this crowd, dedicated tea shops are the only reliable option.
We are here for you and your tea-savvy friends! The following trio of prized teas will be sure to make your tea-crazy friends giddy.
Gyokuro Superior (green): Gyokuro, which means Jade Dew in Japanese, is admired as the highest grade of Japanese green tea. Its leaves are grown in the shade for twenty days before being expertly picked by hand. Then tea craftspeople immediately steam, dry and carefully roll the leaves into distinctive shapes resembling pine needles. Gyokuro is harvested only once a year in the early spring. The delicate flavor and slightly sweet aftertaste makes Gyokuro the choice of green-tea connoisseurs. This Gyokuro comes from Hoshino, Fukuoka Prefecture, which consistently produces excellent, high quality teas. This is a tea not to be missed!
Silver Needle (white): Made entirely from tea buds picked early in spring, Silver Needle (also known as Bai Hao Yin Zhen) will thrill your mouth with a clean, smooth sweetness. After being meticulously hand picked from the stem in early spring, the buds are fanned and dried in the sun before being lightly fired over charcoal at a very low heat, which serves to finish drying the tea while preserving its beautiful silver color. Since production is limited, this is a rare treat!
Do Hong Pao (rock oolong): Da Hong Pao, or “Big Red Robe” in Chinese, is the most famous or China’s celebrated rock oolongs, all of which originate from the WuYi Mountains in China’s Fujian Province. Records of this legendary tea date as far back as the early 18th century. This tea is championed for its strong fragrance and rich, roasted taste, followed by a pleasant, lingering sweetness.
Tea Gift Ideas: Fans of UK-Style Tea
The high teas popular across the United Kingdom are busy affairs, complete with tiered plates for savory and sweet tastes and ornate china. We think the whole tradition is grand and lovely. It also takes time to get everything just so, and not practical for everyday tea sipping. Most people who drink tea UK-style, including the Irish, do follow distinct traditions, however. For one thing, they enjoy something called “elevenses,” when they break roundabout 11 a.m. for tea and light snacks.
Black teas rule in the United Kingdom. Sweeteners are often leveraged. Cream is a constant. We enjoy all of it.
Most sippers of hot tea in the United States follow UK-style tea appreciation in a least one way—black tea is the most popular style. Now is the chance for your UK-tea-loving friends to explore exceptional types of teas commonly sipped across the United Kingdom.
English Breakfast: This is the perfect cup of tea for the morning! This 100% organic tea is a hearty blend of black teas from Sri Lanka, China, and Tanzania. Our English Breakfast tea has smaller leaves, and brews a rich and bright copper color. It is smooth and malty, with powerful flavor. As with all UK-style teas, it can be consumed either by itself or with milk and a sweetener like sugar or honey. Our English Breakfast is praised by some of our British customers as the best black tea they have ever had in the U.S.!
Earl Grey Superior: This organic and high quality Sri Lankan black tea is infused with Italian bergamot oil, giving it a sharp citrus taste. Earl Grey, a classic English tea and Queen Elizabeth’s favorite, is perfect in the afternoon. Its zesty, fresh citrus aroma will enliven your spirit. The taste is well rounded with a pleasantly dry finish, leaving your mouth refreshed with lingering citrus sweetness.
Irish Breakfast: English and Irish Breakfast teas are similar. The main difference is Irish Breakfast leans more heavily into Indian Assam tea, and offers a slightly stronger, more malty profile. Our Irish Breakfast tea, with a blend of finely ground leaves from India and Tanzania, brews a deep copper color and tastes strong, malty, and rich. It is an excellent tea that can be consumed by itself or with milk and sweetener added.
Tea Gift Ideas: For The Plant Lovers
All tea comes from plants, regardless of whether the tea is traditional Camellia sinensis, rooibos or herbal teas. But we think the plant lovers in your life, the ones who devote themselves to gardening, to reading about botanical ingredients, and who frequent herbal apothecaries, might especially appreciate gifts that revolve more around plant diversity rather than good old Camellia sinensis. To this end, we have offer a trio of teas that cover a good bit of ground on the botanical front, and taste delicious. Perfect gifts for the plant lover!
Chocolate Mate: This rich, sweet chocolate elixir combines roasted and green yerba mate to create a rich brew with depth and complexity of character. Dotted with peppercorns and cumin, drinking a mug of Chocolate Mate evokes the flavors of South America. Between the full flavor of chocolate and the energizing effects of the mate this tisane is a stimulating brew—one sure to thrill any plant lover out there.
Rooibos Truffle: Creamy and sweet, our Rooibos Truffle is a chocolate truffle in a cup! This naturally caffeine-free rooibos blend will delight you in a leisure afternoon or as a comforting tea before bed. Rooibos tea, which comes from the South African rooibos plant and is widely consumed as tea across the African country, can help with sleep, reduce headaches, cramps and allergies, and is rich in antioxidants and electrolytes. It also offers earthy notes that complement the chocolate wonderfully.
Immortal Tea: This herbal blend gives you the boost you need to feel immortal all while being caffeine-free! A strong peppermint profile balances with a touch of bitterness from Jiao Gu Lan, an adaptogen found in China and parts of South Asia that people prize for its health and energy properties. The tea, too, incorporates the adaptogen ginseng, which lends a hint of sweetness to the blend. Jiao Gu Lan is known for its potent antioxidant and adaptogenic effects yielding its title “the herb of immortality.”
