Because it tastes good, that’s why.

September 17, 2012 at 12:45 PM · Filed under Trending ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Aren’t you looking for a tea gift basket idea because you want to give a gift of tea to someone who enjoys the taste of tea?

Cynthia Fazekas  of Adagio Teas wrote an insightful article recently (http://www.teasmart.com/article_120902.html?source=email) to an audience of tea sellers but the same message applies to those wanting tea gift ideas.  She compared selling tea to selling Twinkies.  Folks buy Twinkies because they taste yummy, not because they have any nutritive value. Tea sellers should focus on selling tea because it tastes good, not just because it is good for us.

Yummy, but no nutritive value.

When you select a tea gift basket as a gift, yes, you are giving someone you care about a gift that has healthful benefits. But is that why you are selecting a tea gift basket in the first place? Probably not.

Tea tastes good. Drinking tea is not always just about quenching your thirst. But sometimes it is. Tea, whether hot or iced, must taste good. Nowadays tea comes packaged in a myriad of ways to make it convenient. If the taste is pleasing to you or your tea drinker, it is ‘good’ tea. No matter how it is packaged it has healthful benefits.

Often preparing tea is an experience, a comfortable ritual, that includes heating the water, preparing the vessels, sitting still for a while, recharging.  When you give the gift of tea, isn’t this experience part of what you want to give?  Knowing tea is healthful comes second.

The experience of tea time can be shared making it a special time. To me, this is what makes tea so wonderful and keeps me coming back.

A great tea gift basket idea would be to include delicious tea that can be prepared in a way that allows your special tea drinker time to slow down for a bit. Adding tea foods; cookies, scones, or special sweeteners will allow them to have something to share at a tea with friends.  Tea gift idea surveys repeatedly show tea drinkers want cake or cookies in their tea gift baskets. A fine cake or shortbead, maybe not twinkies.

Tea Celebration

Tastes good AND is good for you.

That tea can be enjoyed without any negative side effects is as Cynthia says ‘the crème in the Twinkie’ or as they say in Britain ‘icing on the fairy cake’.

Leave a Comment

The perfect gift for an Afternoon Tea Lover celebrating a special day…

September 7, 2012 at 7:18 PM · Filed under Tea gift ideas ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Tickets to an historical home whose volunteers host an Afternoon Tea as a fund raiser make a great gift to honor a tea drinker on a special occasion. If you can attend with the event with them, all the better!

Start by checking historical homes and museums near where you live or where your tea drinker lives.  You may be fortunate to find an event near the time of the special date, but likely you will have to buy tickets a good bit in advance. Your honoree can then look forward to spending time with you and enjoying afternoon tea at a later date. Many historical homes with volunteers who host afternoon tea will also provide a tour of the home as part of the tea event. Do not be surprised if the fund raiser event also has other fund raising opportunities like a raffle and gift shop. You will be treating your special tea drinker to a fun afternoon for a reasonable cost.

Harris Lass Museum volunteers host the annual fundraising Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show in June.

One such occasion is the Harris Lass Museum Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show held annually in June in Santa Clara, California. http://santaclaraca.gov/index.aspx?page=41&recordid=7177 OR http://www.meetup.com/Lets-Go-to-Afternoon-Tea/events/43874102/. There are similar events held year round throughout the country.

Friends and I attend this event regularly. They bring friends, mothers bring daughters or their mothers – to enjoy a delightful afternoon tea, raffle, entertainment and gift store shopping.  For just $25 person, this noon until about 4 PM event is worth the price of admission.  Be warned, quality events like these, that have been held for years will likely sell out. If you find an event with tickets available, act quickly.

Tea sandwiches, scone with clotted cream and lemon curd, and fruit skewers – Afternoon Tea treats at the Harris Lass Museum sell out fundraising event.

This year I conducted an informal survey of the 8 women at our table. I asked each what they thought would be in the perfect tea gift basket. I was surprised by the answers, maybe you will be too.

  •       An equal number of women expressed a preference for white tea as well as for black, green and herbal tea. One person also added they enjoyed Oolong tea.
  •       Four mentioned loose leaf tea instead of tea bags.
  •       Whether or not the tea was organic or fair traded was not noted as significant.
  •       7 women would enjoy a tea cup and saucer in their gift; 3 would want a teapot and; 4 a tea spoon.
  •       For accessories; 4 women would want an infuser of some kind; 2 a tea thermometer; 2 a tea measuring spoon and; 1 a tea scale.
  •       A couple of women mentioned adding a tea book, stationary or tea wallet – a tea gift to the basket.
  •       Whatever else you add to a tea gift basket, do not forget the cake or cookies! Even more than candy, everyone wanted either cake or cookies to enjoy with their tea!

To make my friends happy with a tea gift basket, and maybe yours too; include any type tea, with loose leaf tea and tea bag selections.  Add a teacup and infuser to the basket and maybe a gift. Do not forget to add cake or cookies, your tea drinker if they are like my friends, will be disappointed if your gift does not include a sweet treat too!

Leave a Comment

Why not bring iced tea instead?

September 1, 2012 at 6:26 PM · Filed under Trending ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

 

Image

Getting together with family and friends over the Labor Day weekend? Instead of bringing the host or hostess a gift of wine or beer, bring iced tea! Everyone can drink iced tea and the cost of iced tea will not empty your wallet. Iced Tea is so refreshing when the temperature nears 100 degrees.

Don’t bring just any iced tea.  Bring a ‘ready to drink’ iced tea (you do not even have to make it yourself!) that won awards this year at the North American Tea Championship. http://www.teachampionship.com/index.php/champions/2012-iced-tea-champions.

3 iced tea questions to keep in mind:

  1. The same caffeine rules apply to iced tea as to hot tea. Black, oolong, green and white tea has caffeine, an herbal tea will not. Be mindful of who will be at the gathering when making your selection as well as how late in the day it will be held.
  2. Then there is the sweetened tea vs. unsweetened tea decision to make. Which should you bring? If you are bringing one kind of iced tea, you may want to bring an unsweetened selection, and then bring simple syrup for those who would like to sweeten their tea.  Torani (http://www.torani.com/makes a simple syrup as well as an agave syrup. Granulated sweeteners do not always fully dissolve in cold tea.You might just opt for bringing two kinds of iced tea – one sweetened and one not.
  3. Flavored tea vs. unflavored tea.  Will the tea you bring be enjoyed with a meal? Will it become a ‘mixer’? Will young people be drinking your iced tea selection? Will the group be mostly male or female? Answer these questions and you will have a better idea how to proceed. Again, I recommend bringing two tea selections – one flavored and one not. At the risk of receiving disparaging comments, I recommend flavored teas (colorful blends, too) where children and young people will be present as well as for groups of mostly women.  Unflavored teas are best to use as ‘mixers’ unless there is already a recipe in mind.

Tea cocktails are very popular, for your next get together you may want to check these out! Start by following Chris Cason, tea sommelier and co-founder of Tavalon Tea in New York City. http://tavalon.com/t-events.aspx or http://www.facebook.com/teasommelier.

Leave a Comment

Gift Baskets will continue to be a holiday staple in 2012

August 21, 2012 at 3:55 PM · Filed under Trending ·Tagged , , , , ,

Gift baskets will continue to be a holiday staple, whether pre-assembled in-store or created by customers.

Food gifting is shifting from cheap and cheery to premium and selective, with buyers keeping in mind recipient’s diets and environmental impact.

Gift givers can now find theme baskets for the tea lover, animal lover and even for those with special diets to list just a few.  Keep in mind who will be receiving your gift.  Make selections they will enjoy even if you would not. Be sensitive to food, religious, fair trade, organic and other concerns.

Consumers have been simplifying their lives; economizing and enjoying the simple, classic, homemade and recycled.  This also applies to their gift giving.

Gift basket professionals have noticed changing trends and offer higher quality gourmet foods, more diverse products and ‘baskets’ or containers that can be repurposed.

Large corporations, are gift givers too. More and more, they are using gift basket giving, strategically, as a marketing tool.  Any size business can reap rewards through gift giving. Seek out a reputable gift basket professional for assistance. A great place to look is the Gift Basket Association http://tgba.onefireplace.org/.

Simple and homemade does not necessarily translate to inexpensive. Gourmet foods and specialty products are pricey. Expect to pay more for a premium quality gift basket.

Information for this article was summarized from the article named “Gift Basket Makers Opting for Classic, Well-Made Products” (http://www.oser.com/GN/pdf/GN.0712.pdf) written by Lucas Witman, editor of Arizona Gourmet Living magazine, in the Gift Basket Update 2012 section of the July, 2012 edition of Gourmet News, (http://www.gourmetnews.com/ ) the business newspaper for the gourmet industry.

Mr. Witman spoke with gift basket professionals, Jennifer Simon of Simon & Co. (http://www.simonandco.com/) and Shirley Frazier of http://giftbasketbusiness.com/ who shared gift basket industry trends they have noticed over the past few years.

Leave a Comment

Personalize a tea gift basket for a special hostess gift…

May 15, 2012 at 5:58 PM · Filed under Uncategorized

ImageImage

Beth was both surprised and delighted to receive this thoughtful gift. The gift was presented wrapped in a clear garbage bag, as Angela had to transport it safely on the train ride over to Beth’s house.

Angela is Beth’s friend so knows what she likes.  She chose a collectible basket lined with gingham to hold the other gifts. Angela blended an herbal tea, a simple blend of three ingredients, for Beth and presented it in a large canning jar.  Travel size facial products were included as well as a tea mug with a built in infuser. The highlight of the basket (besides the tea) was the box of Frango chocolates Angela had purchased at Macy’s.

Beth, our hostess, was not expecting a gift, knew it was not necessary. The gift made her feel special and appreciated – that her efforts had not gone un-noticed. Angela, the gift giver, was able to share part of herself and show her gratitude for Beth’s time and hospitality. Tea was the common denominator so a most appropriate gift.

The Let’s Go to Tea MeetUp group is sponsored, in part, by Tea Lover Gift Baskets.com. http://www.meetup.com/Lets-Go-to-Afternoon-Tea/events/56969452/ and http://www.tealovergiftbaskets.com/

Leave a Comment

A Gift of Tea…and your time – Tea Festivals!

May 10, 2012 at 1:55 PM · Filed under Uncategorized

At Kulov’s Tea Festival in LA this past weekend,  I noted many attendees were not alone. They were attending with friends or their Mom or siblings and having a fun time. Those who attended on their own were open to meeting new people and experiencing tea culture. Tea festivals boast tea education classes, tea vendors for shopping and more education, and food including cocktails, usually tea inspired recipes.

If you are struggling for a gift for a tea lover, why not consider taking them to a tea festival? If it is impossible to attend together because of distance,  give them two tickets so they can take a guest with them.  Don’t forget to include a gift certificate for shopping and enjoying afternoon tea.

Kulov’s Tea Festival is held annually in May in Los Angeles, CA. The event is actually still going on as this year the festivities are being held each weekend throughout the month of May. It is not too late to take advantage of the reasonably priced Mother’s Day activities going on this weekend.  (http://tealoversfestival.com/)

Kulov (the last name of the organizer of the tea festival) also organizes a tea bus tour in the fall, usually in October. Another great opportunity to gift a tea lover you care about with tickets or to spend time with them.

You don’t live in or near Los Angeles? No problem. There are tea festivals throughout the country. Check out the:
1. Northwest Tea Festival held annually the first weekend in October in Seattle, WA. http://www.nwteafestival.com/.
2. The Rocky Mountain Tea Festival in Boulder, CO held annually the last weekend in July. http://www.boulderteahouse.com/rocky-mountain-tea-festival/
3. The NYC Coffee and Tea Festival held annually at the end of February in NYC. http://www.coffeeandteafestival.com/. The organizers of this event, which actually sold out this year, have also created similar events in Philadelphia and now Atlantic City. The event in Atlantic City will be held in early November. Do not be put off, tea culture holds equal billing with coffee at the Coffee and Tea Festival.
4. The owners of the Chado Tea Rooms and International Tea Importers, supporters of the Northwest Tea Festival, have begun the International Tea Festivals in LA (http://www.teafestivalla.com/) and San Francisco http://sfinternationalteafestival.com/festival-speakers/roy-fong/.  The first annual International Tea Festival in San Francisco was held this past February, the same date as the first day of the NYC Coffee and Tea Festival.

OK, so a day at a tea festival stiffens your back and churns your stomach, you love your friends and family, but the idea of a daylong tea event makes your head ache?? I do not know of anyone who enjoys drinking tea that would not enjoy spending time with you at a tearoom or tea café. Make a gift of taking the birthday boy/girl out for a tea centric meal.  Check out www.teamap.com, a tearoom directory sponsored by Adagio Teas. Find the nearest tearoom, make a reservation, and watch their special day turn into an event they will not soon forget. 

Leave a Comment

So you want to give a gift of tea……

April 30, 2012 at 6:35 PM · Filed under Uncategorized

So you want to give a gift of tea to someone you care about?  Where do you begin?

  • Does this person use tea bags or prefer loose leaf tea?
  • Is caffeine an issue, does your tea drinker only drink herbal infusions or tisanes? (What is a tisane, anyway??)
  • Do they have a taste for green tea or is a black tea more to their liking?
  • Would they much rather have a tea blended with fruit, nuts, berries, even chocolate or would they snub their nose and select only single estate teas?
  • Is your gift recipient nearby or will your gift  need to be shipped?
  • You might ask yourself are some teas better than others?
  • How do you know if you are getting a good deal?
  • Is this a personal gift or a gift for a business client?

Once you find the answer to those questions, another array of questions present themselves…..

Have I found a reputable (tea) gift basket company? Will I be able to get my questions answered to my satisfaction? Will the gift I choose impress my tea drinker as much as it does me? For business, will the gift make the impact I anticipate?

When I started Tea Lover Gift Baskets, back in 2008, I had just returned from the World Tea Expo and was working towards completing the level two certification awarded by the Specialty Tea Institute. I had just seen (and tasted and held and drooled over) the newest and hottest tea and tea products. It was not difficult to bring (too) many of these things home and, with help, create beautiful tea gift basket designs.

What I was to learn, quickly, was that finding tea and tea products and creating fun tea gift basket designs was just part of my new job description. Here, I endeavor to share with you my journey. As I learned how to source the newest and hottest tea and tea gifts, mindfully selecting unique, re-useable containers as well as recycled or compostable packaging, and securely, cost effectively shipping (tea) gift baskets, I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made.

Follow along with me and learn how to negotiate the myriad of (tea) gift basket providers. Know that you are selecting a quality (tea) gift basket, for the best price from a reputable company. Be sure your gift arrives timely as promised, with your sentiments clearly displayed.  A well selected (tea) gift basket will be a delightful surprise to those you care about and a strategic tool to impress business clients.

I create and sell tea gift baskets. Some of what I share can apply to other gift baskets. I indicated that information by putting tea in parenthesis (tea). Thank you.

Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.