6 of the best- Review of Tea Gifts to suit all budgets

Christmas may be over, but the holiday/ party season is still in full swing- making festive gift-packs a hot item on everyone's shopping list.... but what is out there for tea-lovers? The Tea-Fiend investigates....

1) One of the more exciting (and visually appealing) tea-products to hit our shelves in recent years has been the "blooming" teas- tightly packed tea-leaves shaped like flower buds that unfurl once hot water is added. A number of different companies now sell these- check out this blooming tea - the "Flowering tea gift tin" by the Canton tea company- on Amazon-

2) Another exciting product to arrive on the market in recent years is "Jasmine Pearls" tea by Teapigs- actually, pretty much all of Teapigs range is worth a try- it's nice to see a farily new company entering the tea world and one which has a fresh take on things. I like their attractive packaging and convenient sized packets because they are ideal for gifts if you're dropping in on friends, say, but they are also plain enough for use as a treat at home.
Check out Jasmine Pearls here- Jasmine Pearls Tea by Teapigs 15 Tea Temples

3) Teapigs' "Spicer Winter Red Tea" is also worth considering as a gift or for home use. As it's name suggests, it's a red-tea with warming spices- a combination of orange, cloves and cinnamon with red-tea to be precise. Amazon calls it " the mulled wine of tea"- ideal first thing in the morning as a winter-warmer, shared with friends or with brandy last thing at night. Check out Spicer Winter REd Tea here- Spicer Winter Red Tea by Teapigs 15 Tea Temples

4) Next on the list is one of my personal favourite teas of all time- a spicy black tea with orange peel - this is the "Spiced Christmas Leaf tea caddy" by Taylors of Harrogate (shown above)-retailing at around 6 pounds. This tea was made famous in Yorkshire by the artisanal tea shop Betty's: I personally bought and drank over 1 kg of this tea (yes, really) last year. The neat metal tin makes it a smart and eminently presentable gift- take a look here- Taylors of Harrogate - Spiced Christmas Leaf Tea Caddy

5) For anyone looking for a larger or more impressive gift selection, the Pickwick Tea Gift Box (above) is hard to beat. It contains 12 bags of each of 12 different tea varieties including the old standards English Tea Blend and Earl Grey, as well as
a broad range of other teas and tissanes. The teas in this pack are-Wild Berries, Strayberry, Lemon, Cinnamon, Rooibos (aka Red Bush), Soft Starmint (herbal tea/tissane with liquorice, anise and peppermint), White Tea (jasmine and orange), Green Tea, Liquorice Tea and White Tea (grape and pear). The whole selection, including the smart wooden gift box, is priced around fifty pounds and weighs 1.4kg (including box). You can get the pickwick tea gift box from here- Pickwick Tea Gift Box (12 Varieties of Pickwick Tea Bags, 144 Tea Bags)

6) Last on our list is Green and Black's "Christmas Tea collection"- it is hard to think how you could improve on a really good box of tea, until you consider adding chocolate to the mix...in this case Green and Blacks have supplied the chocolate- 5 of their 100g Bars to be precise (Milk, Raisin & Hazelnut, Maya Gold, Cherry and Mint) and they have teamed up with Steenbergs for the tea. Steenbeergs' contribution is two packets of 125g tea -both organic. One of the teas is their Organic Christmas Tea and the other,Organic Green Tea with Peppermint.
Green and Black's "Christmas tea collection" is priced at £24- click here to find out more-Green & Black's Christmas Tea Collection