Along our tea travels, we always keep a lookout for special tea-themed products that would delight an afternoon tea enthusiast. We especially prize locally-sourced, sustainably- and hand-made items. The gifts in this 2019 Holiday Gift Guide range from $5 to $100. And we have more great ideas! Check out our 2018 and 2017 tea-themed giving guides. What’s your favorite gift to give your tea friends? Please let us know what other ideas we should check out, in a post comment.
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1. Tea Books, for Wee Ones to Teens
Why This: We afternoon tea folk are an educated and oftentimes whimsical bunch. Therefore, we love a great story, especially if tea is involved! At Destination Tea, we compiled our favorite tea-themed books for kids of all ages, so that you can begin sharing your love of tea with the younger generations on your Christmas list. Our book list includes tea etiquette books, cookbooks, tea party planning guides, stickerbooks, board books, storybooks and more.
Find It: $5 to $30 Click on any book cover to purchase here
2. FORLIFE Hook Handle Tea Infuser with Dish
Why This: This is our new FAVORITE way of steeping an individual cup of loose leaf tea at home. Simply fill with a couple teaspoons of your favorite loose leaf tea, hook onto the side of your cup, and pour boiling water over it. Once done steeping, pop off the infuser and sit it on the included dish (in a variety of colors), where it awaits a second steeping.
Find It: $18.61 each here
3. Handmade Tea Fascinators
Why This: Ladies at afternoon tea often like to add panache to our afternoon tea ensembles. Unfortunately, many tea hats and tea fascinators are mass-produced oversees. Problem solved! We are thrilled to have found Angela Kang, “Queen Kang,” who designs and makes tea fascinators by hand in Marietta, Georgia. Having studied interior and fashion design in Korea and Australia, she now creates elegant tea fascinators with flair in a variety of colors, which she sells in her Etsy shop and at pop-up parties.
Find It: $30 to $200 each here
4. Downton Abbey Teas from Republic of Tea
Why This: If you know Downton Abbey fans, this is the gift for them! Republic of Tea has introduced a dozen Downton Abbey® commemorative tea blends since the show’s inception, including several new blends in honor of this fall’s Downton Abbey Movie release. We love the quality and flavors of this tea line, and that it offers blends from black to herbal to suit any tea drinker. You’ll also find a lovely boxed gift set that you can customize with 5 teas.
Find it: Republic of Tea Downton Abbey® Teas $65.95 Custom Collector’s Gift Set of 5 here; $27.95 Holiday Collector’s Set of 2 here; $12.50 English Rose here; $12.50 Christmas Tea here; $16.49 Violet and Mary’s Tea here; $21.81 The Bates’ Tea here; $22.99 Lord and Lady Grantham’s Tea here; $12.50 Mrs. Patmore’s Pudding Tea here; $12.50 Bates’ Brambleberry Tea here; $12.50 Lady Cora’s Evening Tea here; $12.50 Downton Estate Blend here; $12.50 Lord Grantham’s English Breakfast Tea here; $12.50 Butler’s Pantry Blend here; $12.50 Grantham Breakfast Blend here
5. One-of-A-Kind Pottery Mugs
Why This: The tea lover — male or female — with a sense of humor or appreciation for the original will delight in unwrapping these handmade mugs from Schulz Pottery. We love the zany expressions and characters Georgia potter Greg Schulz dreams up. Alternatively, you might choose one of his “sgraffito”-styled mugs (from the Italian for “scratched away”). Greg literally carves a scene onto the glazed mug and refires to create the final piece.
Find It: $50 each schulzpottery@gmail.com or here
6. Tea Subscription Box
Why This: Say your friend is new to tea, has already read our tea guide — Choose Your Tea — and is ready to explore her tea palate. Or your tea-drinking friend wants to broaden his tea horizons. A tea subscription box lets someone else do all the taste-testing for you, and sends you the good stuff to help you find new teas you love. There are options to simply send one gift box, or give a 3- or 6-month subscription.
Find It: $15 Sips By monthly box with 4 teas custom-selected to match your profile; $20 to $25 Tea Sparrow monthly box with 4 teas (one black, green, rooibos, herbal); $39.99 Teabox monthly box with 5 themed teas; $42.55 Teapro monthly box from the UK with 4 teas of one variety
7. China Teacup & Saucer Sets from Replacements, Ltd
Why This: A beautiful teacup is not only something a tea lover will cherish, it will also bring the giver to mind every time it’s used. We love scouring thrift, antique and consignment stores for vintage teacups, but there’s an online shortcut. Hundreds of choices from china sets new and old can be found on Replacements, Ltd. You can search by color, by style (like “holiday”), and even look up teacups to match a loved one’s heirloom china set. See below for how to search specifically for teacup and saucer sets.
Find It: $4.99 to $110.95 here [TO FIND TEACUP SETS: Use keyword “CSFT” in the search box]
8. Teapot Warmers
Why This: Teapot warmers are a stylish way to show off your teapot while keeping its contents warm. Anyone who loves a leisurely chat during their afternoon tea will appreciate the necessity to keep the tea from cooling. Teapot warmers allow guests to remain seated around the tea table until it’s time for a fresh pot. Here are some designs we like, including a set with matching teapot and warmer.
Find It: 1. $39.99 Grace Teaware Porcelain 5-Cup Rose Chintz Teapot with Warmer here; 2. $16.95 Teabloom Tea Warmer here; 3. $28.82 Herbarium Ceramics Handmade Ceramic Warmer here; 4. $19.77 Creative Co-op Cast Iron Warmer here; 5. $15.90 Tamume Golden Crystal-Clear Glass Teapot Warmer here; 6. $20 Bloomingville Teapot Warmer Kristina here
9. Afternoon Tea Ornaments
Why This: We love these detailed, richly colored afternoon tea tray ornaments from Fortnum & Mason. While our tea shop expeditions have turned up teapot, tea cannister and teapot ornaments before (also among Fortnum & Mason’s ornament selection), these miniature tea trays are a first for us.
Find It: About $58 each (includes shipping to US) here
Love all of these ideas. I just ordered Adagio’s Tinsel Tea samplers for stocking stuffers! ☕🎅 They have some cute gift sets – mug, infuser and tea – reasonably priced.
Thank you Jean, we’ll check them out!
I love it!! One stop shopping for tea-lovers. Great gift ideas.