2015 Holiday Gift Guide
Merry Christmas
I usually put together some sort of gift guide around Christmas time. This year I thought that I would do it up big, in the usual style of my quarterly journal. Even though there are a ton of things that I love included here, it was really tough narrowing the list down. As always, please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.
Wishing my fellow tea lovers a wonderful holiday season! May you all find something wonderful under the tree from Santa this year. :)
Nicole Martin Tea for Me Please
Ways to Brew 1. Glass Infuser Mug - American Tea Room It can't get much easier than this. The glass is fairly sturdy (I haven't broken mine yet) and it beautifully shows off the color of your tea. americantearoom.com 2. Black Porcelain Gaiwan - T Shop This gaiwan is downright sexy. It's quickly become one of my favorites. tshopny.com 3. Legendary Beauty Green Yixing - Mandala Tea Buying yixing can be scary but this a great starter pot. I dedicated mine to raw puerh and it has seasoned wonderfully. mandalatea.com 4. Breville One-Touch Tea Maker - Breville USA The legend! Seriously though, these things are super fancy and they make a great cup of tea. brevilleusa.com
Read All About It 1. Tea: History, Terroirs and Varieties by Kevin Gascoyne, Francois Marchand and Jasmin Desharnais This is the first book that I recommend to people who want to learn about tea. It's beautiful enough to be a coffee table book while offering a really thorough education. 2. The Tea Book by Linda Gaylard The Tea Book is an excellent primer on tea, especially for those that are just starting out. It also happens to be written by one of my favorite fellow tea bloggers. 3. Modern Tea by Lisa Boalt Richardson Until recently books on tea were a bit stuffy. This is one of the first to take a fresher, more modern approach. It's not dumbed-down at all but beginners won't find it intimidating. 4. Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic by Jinghong Zhang For the truly nerdy, this book is the best bet. It tells the fascinating story of the Chinese puerh industry including the hows and whys of the market crash.
Handmade
1. Rumi's Teacup Art Card Artist Stephanie Sayres does wonderful teaware illustrations. The postcards are great for framing or for mailing to a friend. etsy.com/shop/sayresillustration 2. Orange Creamsicle Owl Fellow tea blogger Charissa of Oolong Owl fame makes the most adorable tea owls that you've ever seen. etsy.com/shop/AwkwardSoul 3. Yunomi One of my favorite Etsy artisans is a potter who makes teaware using local clay from the the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. etsy.com/shop/ArtistDavidHolden 4. Tea Jewelery Ann Mierisch designs beautifyl tea jewlery by capturing tea leaves in resin. etsy.com/shop/DeutschefotoDesigns
Sweet Indulgence 1. Matcha Sweets Gift Set Who doesn't love green tea Kit Kats and other sweet treats? This gift set includes 4 to 6 matcha sweets sold in Japan yunomi.life 2. Mizuba Matcha + Alma Chocolate Portland based Mizuba Matcha teamed up with Alma Chocolate to make this festive and delicious matcha bark. mizubatea.com 3. Super Kawaii Mini-Mini Heart Sugar Sampler I don't sweeten my tea but when I do, I figure why not do it with style? These handmade sugars are absolutely delicious. chambredesucre.com
For the Tech Obsessed Teforia Infuser Being a tea drinker takes commitment. For those that are tech obsessed, I couldn't think of a more perfect gift than the Teforia Infuser. It utilizes a proprietary Selective Infusion Process (“SIP�) along with eco-conscious packaging to completely change the way that we approach home tea brewing. It is operated using a companion app that gives users complete control over the tea that ends up in their cup.Teforia is available on pre-order for $699. The price will go up to $1,299 after those first 500 units are sold. teforia.com
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