21 fun and unique gifts for tea lovers to spread holiday cheer

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21 fun and unique gifts for tea lovers to spread holiday cheer

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numi blooming tea set

Numi Tea

  • Tea lovers can never have too much tea or too many tea-themed items at home.
  • We've rounded up the best gifts for tea lovers so you can surprise your giftee with some fun, new items.
  • If you're shopping for other types of gifts, you can check out all our gift guides on Insider Picks.

There's nothing better than a steaming cup of hot tea. If you know someone who subscribes to that philosophy and has more teapots and tins of tea than you can count, you probably know a tea lover.

Tea lovers can never have too many kinds of tea on hand, nor yet too many cute tea pots and mugs in their collection. Still, you want to surprise them with a mix of old and new favorites. If you're struggling to figure out where to buy excellent loose-leaf tea, porcelain tea sets, and all the other tea paraphernalia that's out there, don't worry - we've got you covered.

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I'm a self-professed tea lady with several shelves dedicated to my tea collection and everything that goes with it. I've personally tasted and used nearly every tea and tea-related product I'm recommending here, so rest assured - your tea fanatic will be over the moon with any of these gifts.

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A Christmas-themed gift box

A Christmas-themed gift box
Vahdam Tea Christmas Joy Set, available on Amazon, $27.99

Nothing says "Merry Christmas!" to a tea lover quite like this Christmas Joy gift set from Vahdam Tea. The box is so cute you won't even need to wrap it. The set comes with two festive tins of loose-leaf tea: Earl Grey Masala Chai Tea and India's Original Masala Chai Tea.

Vahdam sources all its tea directly from more than 100 tea plantations in India and Nepal. Its teas are packaged within 24 to 48 hours of harvest, so you can rest assured that this is fresh tea that tastes great.

A tea advent calendar

A tea advent calendar
Pukka Tea Advent Calendar, available on Amazon, $24.90

This is a gift you'd want to give at the start of December, as it's an advent calendar! Each day before Christmas, your loved one can open a new tea bag, brew it, and drink it. What better way to count down to opening up all these other great tea gifts?

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A porcelain tea set

A porcelain tea set
Royal Albert 3-Piece Tea Set, available on Amazon, $85.99+

Nothing says tea time like a porcelain tea set made in the traditional English style. Royal Albert's bone china is top-notch, so it's made to last. In this set, you get a teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl. The company also makes matching teacups, saucers, platters, and tiered tea trays, which you can buy on Amazon.

A sampler box of different teas

A sampler box of different teas
T2 Tea Famous Five Tea Sampler Gift Box, available on Amazon, $30

Tea fanatics love nothing more than trying new blends, and T2's Famous Five Team Sampler Gift Box contains five of the tea shop's best-selling loose-leaf tea blends. The teas come sealed in cute little colorful cubes, though you'll want to store the tea in tins once they're opened to preserve freshness.

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A tea brewing basket

A tea brewing basket
Finum Brewing Basket, available on Amazon, $12.74

Finim's brewing basket is the best tea infuser you can buy to brew loose tea leaves because it is spacious enough to let the tea leaves brew to perfection. It's also easy to clean and will keep most tea leaf particles out of the brew.

A teaspoon

A teaspoon
Samirah Collections Tea Time Teaspoon, available on Etsy, $16

Even if your tea lover doesn't put sugar in their tea, they'll love this silver-plated and hand-stamped teaspoon. Samirah Collection uses vintage silver plated teaspoons to create unique hand-stamped gifts.

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A tin of British tea leaves from Twinnings

A tin of British tea leaves from Twinnings
Twinings of London Loose Tea in six 3.53-ounce Tins, available on Amazon, $31.46

Twinnings tea is famous for good reason — not only is the tea delicious, but it's also been the choice of royalty in England for centuries. You can get a set of six 3.53-ounce tins filled with Twinnings' classic tea blends, including Earl Grey, Jasmine Green, Lady Grey, English Breakfast, and more.

A travel mug for tea

A travel mug for tea
T2 Stainless Steel Flask with Tea Strainer, available on Amazon, $35

T2 makes the best travel mug for tea lovers hands down. The tea mug is made of stainless steel to keep tea hot for hours and hours. Best of all, it has a long stainless steel brewing basket that reaches deep enough into the travel mug that it actually gets submerged in water and gives the tea room to brew properly. Also, if you happen to live near a T2 location, you can waltz in every Friday with this mug in hand and get free tea brewed for your loved one. How's that for a gift that keeps on giving?

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An electric kettle with adjustable temperature settings

An electric kettle with adjustable temperature settings
Krups Savoy Adjustable Electric Kettle, available on Amazon, $69.79

Every self-respecting tea drinker in England and Europe has an electric kettle, and tea lovers on this side of the pond should have one, too. Krups' Savoy Electric Kettle has adjustable temperature settings so you can ensure that your tea fanatic's brew is made at exactly the right temperature — and yes, if you didn't know already, the water's temperature matters.

A tin of ceremonial-grade matcha tea

A tin of ceremonial-grade matcha tea
MatchaBar Premium Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Powder, available on Amazon, $14.22

Matcha is made from special green tea leaves that have been ground into a perfectly fine powder that dissolves in water when whisked properly. The result is a fresh, energizing, delicious tea that's bright green. MatchaBar sells excellent matcha that's ceremonial grade, so you can trust that this matcha will be top-notch.

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A matcha whisk

A matcha whisk
PANATEA Japanese Matcha Chasen Bamboo Whisk, available on Amazon, $12.99

You can't make matcha without the right bamboo whisk, and Panatea's is one of the very best. It's well made, whisks matcha up perfectly, and results in a nice froth on top of your bowl.

A blooming tea set

A blooming tea set
Numi Blooming Tea Gift Set, available on Amazon, $25.87

Numi's tea is all organic and farmed ethically, so you can feel good about gifting this blooming tea gift set. It comes with a classy glass tea pot and blooming tea that unfurls like a flower when doused in boiling water. The gift set is enclosed in a classy bamboo box as well for easy gifting.

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A "tea" shirt

A "tea" shirt
BlockMerch Tea Shirt, available on Etsy, $24

Etsy is full of cute "tea" shirts, and this is one of them. We love the fun font and cute curvy tea cup on the shirt. Plus, it has excellent reviews, and you'll be supporting a small business.

A tea party in a box

A tea party in a box
Globe In Tea Party Box, available at Globe In, $60

Globe In sells Fair Trade, handmade products that are produced in ethical working conditions by workers who are compensated fairly for their labor. This set includes a handblown Mexican glass pitcher, tea from India, handmade tealight candles, a lovely lantern, and felt pompoms in fun colors.

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A box of high-quality tea bags

A box of high-quality tea bags
Numi Tea Bag Gift Set, available on Amazon, $22.23

If your tea fanatic prefers tea bags or likes to have them on hand, Numi's tea bag gift set is a wonderful buy. You get a wide assortment of organic, Fair Trade tea bags in a lovely bamboo tea box that you can use over and over again.

A personalized tea-for-one set

A personalized tea-for-one set
Peony Design Etsy Personalized Tea Pot, Cup, and Saucer, available on Etsy, $26.89

Even if your tea lover has a massive tea pot collection already, they probably don't have a personalized tea pot, cup, and saucer, now do they? Peony Design will personalize this tea-for-one set any way you want.

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A tea subscription

A tea subscription
Teabox Subscription, available at Teabox, $36 a month for 6 months

If you're intimidated by the sheer variety of tea blends, Teabox is a good solution for gifting. You can get a tea subscription delivered every month with several different teas inside. That way, your tea lover can try them all and find new favorite blends.

A tea subscription

A tea subscription
Sips By 3-Month Tea Subscription Gift Card, available on Sips By, $45

Sips By's tea subscription is even more affordable than Tea Box's, so you can gift your loved one three months of delicious tea for $45. Once the recipient activates the gift card, they'll take a quiz so Sips By can customize each tea box to their preferences. Then, each month, they'll get four different teas — good for at least 15 cups of tea — based on their tea profile.

Sips By chooses its teas from more than 100 brands, and you can get tea bags or loose-leaf tea along with reusable, biodegradable filters. The box also comes with steeping guidelines and your giftee can check out recipes and lessons from Sips By's experts.

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Ethically sourced teas

Ethically sourced teas
TeaPigs Tea Bags, available on Amazon, $8-$20

If the tea lover in your life contemplates the idea of tea bags with dismay or even disgust, TeaPigs may be able to win them over. The company uses real whole tea leaves, whole flowers, and whole herbs to ensure that the brew's quality is equal to that of tea brewed from loose leaves. Each biodegradable mesh bag is filled with an ample amount of tea instead of a little bit of dusty tea leaf pieces. TeaPigs also takes care to ensure that its tea comes from sustainable, eco-friendly tea estates.

A traditional gaiwan tea brewer

A traditional gaiwan tea brewer
Moyishi Chinese Gaiwan, available on Amazon, $14.99

If the tea lover in your life wants to brew loose-leaf tea in a new way, you may want to get them a Gaiwan. The Chinese have been brewing tea in Gaiwans since the Ming dynasty.

A Gaiwan has three parts: a lid, bowl, and saucer. The lid keeps the tea warm as it brews, and it can be used to strain out the tea leaves once it's brewed. Many tea enthusiasts consider it to be the best way to brew and enjoy aromatic teas. This particular Gaiwan is made in Jingdezhen, a town known for its high-quality porcelain. It's hand-crafted of jade porcelain.

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A proper brew

A proper brew
100 Yorkshire Tea bags, available at Amazon, $3.99

If you want to give your loved one a proper brew, you need to get some Yorkshire Tea. This famous British tea is rich and strong. This family-owned business has been producing high-quality tea since 1886 in Harrogate, Yorkshire. The tea itself comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified Growers in Africa and India, so you don't have to worry about the environmental cost.