Tea-rrific gifts for the tea enthusiast. BTS' top twelve!

Every December, BTS assists those looking for some last minute gift ideas for the tea enthusiast on their holiday list. We pull from a variety of items that have caught our eye over the year as we travel to various places local and abroad. This year we journeyed from  "little Bavaria" in Michigan, Frankenmuth, to Regensberg in (big) Bavaria, Germany and other towns along the Blue Danube. And, while BTS may have visited many of the retail establishments personally, thanks to the extraordinary access we have on the internet, on-line shopping makes it convenient to purchase with just a click or two on one's laptop or smartphone. 

We've selected items in some of BTS' favorite categories, including tea accoutrements, chocolate, tea literature and, most certainly, tea!

With that, we bring you BTS' top twelve (you know how we love the "steeper by the dozen" theme!) gift suggestions this year (and links provided for almost all):

Cuppa Christmas from Michigan's ElderBlu

1.  Cuppa Christmas tea from ElderBlu:  This is not only a delicious chocolate-mint naturally flavored, loose leaf tea but it's from Michigan!  We found it in Frankenmuth earlier this month, although the company is in Zeeland and you can purchase on-line. (More to come on ElderBlu and its tea products in upcoming blog! - so stay tuned). Price, $19.99 for a tin that yields 30 cups.

Shake up the Afternoon tea tradition by switching babka for scones

2. Chocolate babka:  Speaking of Frankenmuth, we were gifted this fall with a chocolate babka from some very special houseguests and they bought it in Michigan's most famous Christmas town. The guests are from New York and talked about how delicious babka is, although I had never tried it. That was remedied after they came back from Frankenmuth and now I'm a fan. At tea time, switch out the traditional scones for a little babka for a new sweet pairing!  A quick check in at the Frankenmuth bakery shows it is currently unavailable, however, we found it locally at Whole Foods. Price is $7.99 for 16 oz.

Sacher tea and torte from Vienna's Hotel Sacher

3. Sacher tea is special Earl Grey blend from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna. We bought a tin (and some scrumptious sacher tortes!) of this "tee" when we visited Austria in October, but you can buy on from the hotel's website. It is an excellent loose leaf tea and the tin is a beautiful addition to any kitchen counter.  Approximately $16.00 plus twice that for shipping. (Maybe buy a torte or two to spread out the shipping charge!)

Herend tea cup from Budapest

4.  Herend tea cup for your Downton Abbey tea fan.  On that same Blue Danube trip this fall, we also landed in Budapest, Hungary, home to the fine china company, Herend. I purchased a tea cup in the Chinese Bouquet pattern, rust hue - the same china that is served to Cora Crawley on her breakfast tray at Downton Abbey. We found it is also available on Herend.usa and Scully & Scully.  The bonus with the latter retail outlet is that you can also buy a similar breakfast tray as Lady Grantham for the full aristocratic experience. Tea cup and saucer, $155.00, tea tray $215 - $265.00.

Harney teas, Soho and soho much more!

5.  Harney tea is a treat any time of the year, but add a site-wide holiday sale, and it's even tastier! We were at the Manhattan Soho branch in July (with those special Babka-giving houseguests) and we sampled many teas, including the Soho blend. Again, no need to jet to the Big Apple to secure these teas for festive stocking stuffers, just click on their website link! Soho tea retail price $13.00 (without discount).

More tea and chocolate from Patricia's and LOD

6.  Patricia's Chocolate tea collection:  Tea or chocolate? No need to choose with this chocolate assortment infused with tea from Traverse City's Light of Day Organics. Patricia's Chocolate is located in Grand Haven in western Michigan and we were there in May to stock up. But, we've also had great success in ordering on-line when our stock runs low. Retail price $16.50.

TeaTime Magazine, great to pair with a pot of tea!

7. TeaTime Magazine: Tea devotees do not live on tea and chocolate alone.  Nothing pairs with a hot cup of Earl Grey like an afternoon perusing the latest issue of our favorite tea periodical, TeaTime. Their 100th issue was celebrated this year along with a move to have each edition contain 100 pages! As a tea writer who has contributed to TeaTime, I'm passionate about this magazine. It's stuffed with informative articles, beautiful photos of tablescapes and tea rooms, and oh-so-many fabulous recipes.  Its subscription rate is currently 44% of newsstand prices! Six issues for under $30.00. 

Dining and tea etiquette from BTS!

8.  Twelve Etiquette Essentials - Formal Dining and Tea Time:   More informative reading with a BTS book available on Amazon. Part of our (yes, here it comes!) "steeper by the dozen" series, we cover how to set a formal table, what really are the "finger foods", how to navigate a business lunch or dinner and proper protocol for an afternoon tea.  Price is only $10.95.

BTS programs come to you or Zoom. New this year, Bridgerton. Dust of your Regency ball gowns!

9.  Barb's Tea Service event, Zoom option! BTS is available for your special group event (book club, shower, fav group of friends). We travel to your location or we provide a Zoom program, a nice option for those groups whose members may be geographically distanced.  A list of all our programs is on our website, including our latest Brigderton-inspired afternoon tea (dust off your Regency-era ball gown!). 

Wedgwood blue and white teapot ornament

10. Wedgwood ornaments and advent calendar: For specialized holiday gifts, Wedgwood comes through with a new collection every year. I collected in year's past, but this year picked it up again - just in time to get this pretty Wedgwood blue and white tea pot ornament.  We found this one on Amazon for $30.59.  

No one minds "catching up" with this calendar.

And, for those you know LOVE Wedgwood, new this year is the Wedgwood Advent Calendar. Even though, we're halfway through December, a Wedgwood devotee will not mind playing catch-up with this calendar. Each box contains a porcelain, limited edition Wedgwood item. Price is $750.

Tea cup provides holiday decor and sweet treats when unwrapped

11.  Pretty tea cup wrapped up in a bow:  Two of my favorite gifts this season were not found on-line, but at craft shows and by crafty people. The tea cup cinched with a bow came from my great cher amie, Loretta. How festive is this? A pretty tea cup wrapped up with a jar of preserves and a single serving tea bag. For the holiday season, I am leaving "as is" because it adds to the seasonal decor on my hallway console. A great "two-for-one": seasonal ornamentation to be followed by an unwrapping of tea, teacup and jam.  

Put together a basket full of items your tea person will love

12.  Basket of tea stuff:  This basket came from my daughter and son-in-law this fall. They were shopping in a fancy international market in Ohio and selected items that they thought my husband, Chris, and I would enjoy. And, of course, we did - it included, among other things, a large selection of different teas, honey butter, coffees, noodles and olive oil. They assembled everything in basket with an awesome presentation. If you want something already assembled, we found this one at Macys.com for $49.99.

Already assembled from Macy's

Our top twelve gift selections are just a few of the items we think your tea enthusiast will enjoy (or as some may suspect -it's a thinly veiled BTS wish list). But, we know that the best gift you can give your tea devotee is an hour or two of your time to share over a pot of tea. And that is truly priceless!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Joyous New Year from BTS. We can't wait to share a cup of tea with you in 2022!

Lots of fun presents, but the best gift of all is sharing some time over a pot of tea!