by Paula S. Thompson

Created on: November 04, 2009

Calming, soothing, and delicious - three terms one can use when describing why they love tea. If someone on your holiday gift list is a tea aficionado, here is a sampling of some of the gifts you can get to please your tea lover.

Blooming teas are a hot trend. Also known as blossoming teas and art teas, the tea ball is formed by hand-sewing or hand-tying tea leaves with edible flowers. When the tea ball is added to hot water, the ball will slowly open, revealing the blooming flower inside. Made mostly in China, blooming teas are most often created with green and white teas, and the flowers inside may include chrysanthemums, lilies, and jasmine. It is often recommended that blooming teas be steeped in a glass teapot, so that one can fully experience the beauty of the bloom. A number of tea websites sell blooming teas, either individually or in gift sets. The site

fullbloomtea.com sells blooming teas exclusively, and features a number of gift sets, containing glass teapots, clear teacups, or clear commuter mugs. Their Blooming Tea of the Month plan (available in 3, 6, 9, or 12 month durations) includes six tea balls each month for the duration of the plan; each option also includes some variation of the clear teacups, teapot, and/or commuter mugs. These plans range from $60 to $240.

Teavana (teavana.com) features a number of unique tea gift sets and products. On the subject of blooming teas once again, their Imperial Blooming Tea Collection ($89.95) features 16 total tea balls (four each of four flavors), plus two tea tins and two double-walled glass tumblers in a lovely gift box. The Teavana Tea Gift Set ($59.99) features four flavors of loose tea, the Perfect Tea Maker and Teaspoon, Rock Sugar, and four reusable tea tins all in a copper box.

Adagio Teas (adagio.com) features a number of different types of tea - black, chai, oolong, green, white, blooming, and many more. In addition to gift sets, this site also allows tea aficionados to create their own custom blends. 4 oz. tins of the loose tea blends are $10, and the creator gets 10 "Frequent Cup" points each time their custom blend is purchased; these points can then be turned in for gift certificates as they add up. To start someone out, purchase a gift certificate in any amount, have them create an account, and let their imagination run wild. Adagio Teas also features a nice selection of "teaware," like the ingenuiTEA 16 oz. teapot; this ingenious pot sets atop your cup, causing a valve to release and dispense fresh-brewed tea while filtering the leaves.

Source: blooming-tea.net

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