American tea culture is booming with the fashionable beverage becoming a familiar sight in offices, homes, and cafes all across the country. Tea and tea-related sundries have also become trendy gift choices and are increasing in popularity in terms of gift box subscriptions, an industry which has enjoyed a 3000% growth between 2013 and 2016. A personalized gift box filled with handpicked tea-treasures is the perfect gift for an ardent tea lover and one that can be as unique and special as the person who receives it.
Homemade vs Ready-Made
You basically have two options when it comes to sending a special friend or family member a gift package. You can compile the box yourself or purchase a ready-made gift-set filled with carefully-chosen goodies of all kinds. There is always something very intimate about crafting the box yourself, however. Chances are you know a lot about the person you are gifting, from their favorite color to taste preferences in terms of tea, allowing you to present them with a present tailor-made just for them.
What To Include In the Gift Set (And What To Avoid)
What you choose to include in a gift set is entirely up to you with the contents only truly being limited by your level of creativity and your budget. There are countless options available when it comes to how you present your gift. You can make use of a pretty wicker basket, a vintage tea tin or box, or even a tea tray to arrange your treats in. The star of your gift set will undoubtedly be tea, regardless of whether you opt for bags or leaves. A variety of leaves in beautiful bags, bottles or tins can be exquisitely packaged together with a scoop, sifter, elegant or novelty diffuser, embroidered or hand-painted tea towel and a charming porcelain teacup. You can even go as far as to pick a theme such as English Tea Garden, vintage, modern, organic, or Chinese for your gift.
If you want to include breakables such as teapots and cups in your gift set, it is important to make sure that it is packaged securely, especially if you are making use of the postal service or a courier company. Items to definitely avoid are perishables of any kind including dairy products and fresh fruit as they could possibly spoil while in transit. Rather include a gift certificate to a local greengrocer if you would like to include fruit in your gift.
When it comes to putting together a tea-based gift there are no unyielding guidelines to observe. Play around with different themes and materials until you are indubitably happy with the final product. Your time, effort and thoughtfulness will shine through in your handiwork and will be as highly appreciated as the beautiful bequests themselves. Many a friendship has started over a cup of tea, and many more will grow from strength to strength all thanks to a most treasured gift.
Photo “Gift bags!” is copyright under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License to the photographer Selena N. B. H. and is being posted unaltered (source)
I always enjoy sharing tea and tea ware with friends. They will often tell me that each time they use the tea pot or cup that I gave them, they think of me. Knowing that I’ve encourged someone I care about to make tea a part of their daily lives gives me tremendous pleasure.