Herbal Tea Lover's Gift Guide

The morning is very dark this time of year, the air is crisp, and there are weather reports of snowstorms and possible storms coming our way. Nothing feels better on the throat and in the hands than a warm cup of tea. If you are a tea drinker, that is.

​'Tis the season for gifting and what in the world to get the loved one or friend or co-worker in our life who loves herbal teas? 

Herbal teas can really be their own 'monster' because they really are so much different from black or green teas. They steep for a different time, and they come in so many different flavors! They are caffeine-free, and so the motivations for drinking them are usually different than drinking black or green tea.

The question really is, though, do herbal tea drinkers need different gifts from black and green tea drinkers?

 

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​The gifts for tea drinkers, be they herbal, black, or green, have many similarities. While a Matcha drinker might need a whisk and a black tea drinker may prefer their tea with cream, many of the tools are still the same.

​So no worries, my friend, we have the perfect gifts for those tea drinkers, herbal or not! From the ideal teapots, tea kettles, infusers to selecting just the right herbal tea, your gift-giving just got simplified.
 

  Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Before making tea, there must be hot water, here are some fabulous ways to make the water warm and keep it hot!

​I'm in love with this beautiful yet modern Bella Electric Tea Kettle in floral. While it comes in other patterns and designs, this one fits my "old-fashioned on purpose" mentality with its classic black and white floral print. Its oh so very tempting as one of Amazon's 2019 Black Friday Specials ... the question is, do I need a 4th electric tea kettle... I could probably justify that. I mean, after all, none of mine are this pretty. (The mentality of a tea drinker, it's a good thing to know when shopping for one :: wink, wink:: )

Let me show you what I'm talking about. This, Chefman Electric Tea Kettle, is the one I have, and I love it, by the way. It's very practical, and it works very well. The water heats up fast, and you can watch the tea steep, which is fun. It's a bit more modern though (I mean it IS, an electric tea kettle) and it's not as pretty on the outside. It doesn't make me want to stick my pinky up and break out the fine china if you know what I mean. It has a digital control panel that allows you to pick the temperature of the water, which is handy.

​Now, if you REALLY want to go all-in and modern, and impress that tea drinker. The one who is really busy and always forgetting to drink their tea, or make their tea the Breville One-Touch Tea Maker is the way to go.


This lovely makes the tea, it steeps the tea at just the right temperature and for just the right time, and then it removes the tea when the time is up. No more over-steeped tea, no more cold tea, no more steeping at the wrong temperature. This little gadget does it all. 


It's pretty fancy and on this tea-drinking gals someday list. I'm always forgetting my tea somewhere, and then it is cold or steeped so strong that it tastes terrible. No more with the Breville One-Touch Tea Maker.

OK, enough of that modern tea kettle nonsense. Tea drinking is really about the slow down, the quiet time, and the hot cuppa comfort. The serious tea drinker, who is usually an introvert at heart, likes nothing more than the nostalgia of drinking tea from a real teapot. A beautiful teapot. It just adds to the moment.


That's where this purple cast iron teapot comes in. Almost this exact one sits on top of my wood-stove during the winter. It has a lovely enamel coating on the inside and heats up nicely on the wood stove while sitting on a hot plate. I can fill it at night with tea and water, then my husband, the Farmer, unbeknownst to him, makes my tea for me when he starts the morning fire. It's very romantic, I know.


Not a purple fan? These come in many different colors, and as the listing says, the perfect gift for any tea drinker! I totally agree!

Looking for a standard tea kettle? Maybe a tea kettle that will hold to the test of time? Forget those $30 tea kettles you grab at Fred Myer or Walmart. Those just don't work as well as this Japanese made (they know their tea!) Stainless Steel Sori Yanagi tea kettle! 


I was sick of those standard tea kettles, plus some of them are looking pretty funny these days. I wanted something sturdy (we drink lots of tea y'all) that would last over time and made from stainless steel, so I wasn't steeping carcinogens into my tea. While this one doesn't whistle (and that might be a deal-breaker for some of you), it heats up fantastically and has held up very well to my tea drinking habits. I highly recommend the Sori Yanagi tea kettle! At least check it out and read the reviews.

Tea Infusers & Strainers

We carry some of our favorite tea infusers and strainers right here in our farm store. But, there are also a couple of other fun gift ideas that the tea lover in your life may enjoy!

Tea drinkers love to collect mugs! Some like handcrafted ceramic mugs, some love ones with fun sayings, and some just love the practical. A mug that has a lid, though, is a must for any tea drinker as it keeps the volatile oils (aka the flavors) in the mug, and an excellent tea strainer just can't be beaten. That's where this Sweese tea mug with strainer and lid comes in. Not only is it practical and highly useful, but they come in many different colors and sizes. I'm a fan of this black and white polka dot one, it gives sort of that farmhouse retro feel. Check out the Sweese mugs here on Amazon.

Steep up the cool factor, I mean step, with this Grosche Perfect Tea Maker (teapot and tea steeper in one without the electricity). Make the tea in this fancy gadget and then place it over your mug to release the steeped tea, all while separating the loose leaf tea as it goes into your favorite mug. 


I don't even have one of these cool gadgets yet, but our customers are always asking me about them or telling me about the one they have! ​

My favorite way to steep and strain loose leaf tea is with a tea press! Yes, I know that looks like a coffee press, and its because it is! The Bodum Brazil French Coffee Press and Tea Maker is a fabulous way to make 6-8 cups of tea. I use one daily in the morning, and sometimes we have several going if we have company. It's quick and convenient, and it works fabulously, primarily if you drink green or red rooibos herbal teas.


You might want to grab a couple of these. They are so handy!

Herbal Loose Leaf Teas

If you are interested in even more ways to steep loose leaf tea, make sure to check out our 10 Ways to Steep/Brew Loose Leaf Tea Freebie & Tea Steeping Time Download.

We have a way to make hot water, and now we have a way to steep it, it's time for the actual tea itself!


Herbal loose leaf teas offer so many different flavor combinations that it can be hard to know what to get someone. We have helped hundreds of customers pick out teas over the years we have had our tea business and have picked up a few tips we thought we would share to help out.

For the coffee drinker who wishes to start drinking tea or get off the coffee: This was me years ago, and I have to say that herbal teas were horrible. I hated their flavor, and they were usually not that flavorful, to begin with. Add in there a bunch of allergies to chemical flavorings, and there wasn't much on the market I could drink. Enter learning to blend my own teas to find just the right flavors, and Farmhouse Teas was born. 


So what tea do you get a coffee drinker?


A great way to start is with an herbal coffee, or as we call them here on the farm, Not Coffees. These are old fashioned coffee-like drinks that were blended in the South of the United States before coffee was widely available and accessible. These herbal "coffees" are made with a base of dandelion root and chicory root. The base ingredients give this herbal tea a bold thickness similar to coffee and dark color with a slight bitterness reminiscent of coffee. We offer three very popular flavors as the reviews will attest too: Sugar Maker's Not Coffee, Mountain Hazel Not Coffee, and Chocolate Conniption Not Coffee.


I often recommend that a coffee drinker adds to their coffee 1/4 cup Not coffee to 3/4 cup regular coffee. Then the next week ramp it up to 1/2 and 1/2 and so on until the drink is all Not coffee and no more coffee coffee. ::wink, wink::

Next on the list are those who love sodas, or pop, or whatever you call it where you live. Soda/pop can be quiet addicting and hard to get off of. There is usually a lot of sugar, depending on the brand and flavor that is being drunk. 


For cola drinkers, I often recommend black tea with sweetener. Even adding sweetener will have less sugar than a cola will and way more nutrients than a cola. Something like our Three Sisters Black Tea Blend or our selection of chai teas might hit the spot. For a naturally sweet herbal tea blend, it might be worth checking out our La Pine Licorice Spice and even our Lava Licorice Spice for a sweet black tea.

After the coffee drinkers and pop/soda drinkers are usually the customers, who are looking for a great tea to wind down with at night. Something to bring feelings of calm and relaxation before hitting the hay, as we say down on the farm.


Some fabulous relaxing night time teas and favorites of our customers are Rose Garden Repose, Southern Raspberry Rose, Lamplighter Lemonette, Cattywampus Canceler, and so many more of our herbal teas. Herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free and safe to sip at night for most folks.

Last but not least are those who love flavored drinks. Our little farm here in Oregon is right in the midst of berry country, and these berries provide fantastic flavors in teas!


If you love berry flavors, there are plenty to choose from. Such as our Harvest Berry, Aronia Plum Berry, Farmer's Market Strawberry or Cherry Country Chai.


Maybe you are looking for a tropical flavor with bright and tart flavors, a twist of lemon, then High Desert Hibiscus is your tea. The flavor and quality of this loose leaf tea beat out Teavana and Starbucks Passion Fruit Tea any day.


Or you love wine and need something similar for winding down at night, our mulled wine like tea, Coastal Cranberry Spice herbal tea is just the flavor you have been looking for.

Tea Time Must Haves

"Water and bread can so easily be made into toast and tea."

Most tea drinkers don't just drink tea, they usually have something else with it. Sometimes it might just be a book, or maybe some reading on their mobile device, but sometimes it's a yummy treat.

​If you are looking for other items to get that tea lover in your life, that maybe already has every teapot in existence and really doesn't need 10 more mugs. Or you just aren't sure about tea flavors, then this is a perfect list!

I know that this says Lodge Cast Iron Cornbread pan, but as a tea drinker, I see "scone pan," and this is totally on my personal wish list this year. Scones are the quintessential tea time treat! They can be round, or they can be triangular, but the important thing is that scones are served with tea. And sometimes clotted cream and fabulous jam.


Cast iron is durable and stands the test of time. This very affordable Lodge Cast Iron Scone pan will be something they can hand down to their children and be a treasured family heirloom.


Print out these Lavender Lemon Scone, Cranberry Spice Scone, Gluten-Free Scone, and Rosemary Savory Scone recipes to go with it. They will make the perfect little extra to your gift-giving.

It's time to get your Pioneer Woman on and go Ree Drummond Style with this beautiful turquoise stoneware scone pan. I love mine, though its just stone color because these were not available yet, and I use it often. It serves up beautiful in the pan as is or as a lovely pair with the tiered server below. 


I would totally take this pan to gatherings as a quick transport yet beautiful presentation. Another piece, much like the cast iron that will stand the test of time. One could even use this for making individual pie slices! Or pizza's for you guys who are shopping for your wives because that is what my Farmer would see... pie and pizza. But I digress...

Gussy up your tea time with this classic and traditional tiered tea time platter. Y'all know you need something to place your scones, tea sandwiches and desserts on, this be it! The Klikel 3 Tiered Serving Stand in silver will do just the job.

What Are You Gifting the Tea Lover in Your Life?

​There are really so many options that this list could be quite long and overwhelming, so I"ll stop with just these few. And if your totally overwhelmed now and don't know what to get, these loose leaf tea gift sets are wrapped up and ready to go! You won't have too think too much on them and they are fabulous in a pinch.

I'm curious to know what gifts have you have given a tea lover in the past? I'm always on the lookout for some useful tips! After all, a tea drinker can never have too many tea-drinking gadgets. Right?

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you have bought in the past that went well or what you plan on buying as a future gift!