Which tea to give at Christmas: our ideas by profile and budget

The simple rule: give a tea they would not buy themselves

The right tea gift is one the person would not have chosen for themselves: a Christmas edition that disappears in January, a grand cru they hesitate to treat themselves to, an object they use every day. Avoid giving someone their “everyday” tea: they already have it.

Under €20: small gestures

• Sablés au thé de Noël, pouch of 20 biscuits, €11: buttery shortbread biscuits made with Christmas black tea, to slip into a parcel.
• Gelée extra de thé Noël, €9.50: jelly made with Esprit de Noël tea, for breakfast brioches.
• Pain d’épices au thé Noël, €14: artisan spiced bread, scented with tea.
• Esprit de Noël loose leaf, 100 g, €13: the black tea with gentle spices, a December classic, in an empty house tea tin (€5) to make a proper gift.

From €20 to €40: Christmas teas in tins

Mariage Frères Christmas editions are sold in 80 g tea tins at €28, to steep at 95 °C: 5 minutes for the black teas and the rooibos, 3 minutes for the green tea. Each has its own personality:

For herbal infusions, Ombelle’s organic Noël Fruité Cannelle Orange infusion, with apple, orange, cinnamon and hibiscus, fits into a house tea tin for a caffeine-free gift.

The Coffret Connaisseur Noël (€39) pairs the Christmas tea with its jelly: a gourmand gift, tea for the cup and jelly for your toast.

The made-to-measure gift set, 4 to 12 teas: exclusive to La Boutique du Thé

This is a gift you will only find with us: a gift set of 4, 6, 9 or 12 tea tins that you fill yourself, choosing the teas from the entire Mariage Frères range, more than 400 references. Each tea is weighed and tinned to order, and the set is hand-wrapped, in Nice for shipping or in your collection shop.

The combinations are endless. A few ideas that often come up:

• All Marco Polo: Marco Polo, Thé Vert Marco Polo, Marco Polo Blue, Thé Blanc Marco Polo, Marco Polo Rouge and Noir Sublime: one fragrance on six bases, for someone who already loves Marco Polo.
• One tea from each type: a black, a green, an oolong, a white, a Pu-Erh, a smoked tea, for someone who wants to discover what tea is.
• The house Earl Greys: French Blue, Impérial, Earl Grey Beauty on oolong, Rouge Earl Grey, naturally caffeine-free.
• Around the world: a Darjeeling, a Japanese sencha, a Formosa oolong, a Chinese white tea, an Assam, a Ceylon.
• Christmas from A to Z: Esprit de Noël, Noël Nouveau and this year’s editions in tins.

The gift set alone costs from €16 (4 tins) to €44 (12 tins); the teas are added at the chosen weight. On the website, you fill the set before your eyes from its product page, using the “Composer mon coffret” button; in our shops, our teams put it together with you.

From €40 to €60: house gift sets and the Advent calendar

The Coffret Marco Polo & Noël (€55) brings together the house’s two emblematic teas: the one you drink all year round and the one for December. It is the gift set we recommend when you do not know the person’s tastes.

The Mariage Frères Christmas Rhapsody Advent calendar, €49, is a very limited edition, and the gift to give before 1 December. Beneath a white satin ribbon, a 30 × 30 cm orange case hides 25 numbered cotton muslin tea sachets: each morning, a window opens onto a grand cru or a new house creation, up to the final surprise on 25 December. Once empty, the case closes again and becomes a box of secrets. It can be ordered online, for Click & Collect or for delivery.

Over €60: grands crus and objects

For a connoisseur, a tea they would not buy for themselves: Yin Zhen (€88 per 100 g), Gyokuro Kyoto (€60 per 50 g) or Pu-Erh d’Or (€58). For someone who drinks tea every day, a Mariage Frères cast-iron teapot made in Japan: Kanbin 500 ml (€140), Natsumi 1 l (€178) or Pleine Lune 600 ml (€198). A temperature-controlled kettle, such as the Serena 1.7 l (€99.99), transforms the preparation of green and white teas.

If you really do not know: the gift card

The gift card, from €25 to €750, is digital, active from the following day and valid for 12 months, in our shops and online. It is the gift for discerning tea lovers who prefer to choose their spring Darjeeling themselves.

Gift delivery and collection

Shipping times, delivery methods and Click & Collect are detailed on our Delivery page.