A gift for a tea lover: our ideas to suit their taste

How to choose a gift for a tea lover?

Start from what they already drink. A tea lover has their habits: smoked teas, teas scented with flowers, dark teas from China, or a taste for teaware and ritual. The right gift extends that habit with a tea or an object they do not yet have, rather than offering a beginner's assortment. A glance at their tins, their teapot or their favourite cup is often enough to place their profile.

The table brings together five profiles and, for each, an idea drawn from our shelves. Each idea is described below with what its product page says. If you recognise none of the profiles, the last section suggests gifts that suit everyone, from the gift set composed tea by tea to the gift card.

For the lover of smoked teas: smoke in three forms

A lover of smoked teas will appreciate a variation on their usual tea. Mariage Frères' Smoky Earl Grey brings together a smoked black tea and a black tea scented with bergamot: the smoke opens, bold, then the citrus cuts through it. Its product page recommends it plain, without milk, at 95 °C for five minutes, with savoury dishes such as smoked salmon or a mature cheese. Its caffeine is low, according to the product page.

If they do not yet know Lapsang Chinbara, it is where the style begins. Lapsang Souchong comes from the Wuyi Mountains, in Fujian, where the black tea leaf dries over a wood fire, traditionally pine. The Mariage Frères version is restrained: the smoke wraps a Chinese black tea that stays gentle, with a long, dry finish. It is available as loose leaf, in cotton muslin tea sachets and in a tea tin presented in its gift case.

To surprise, bring smoke to the table: Gelée de Thé · Tarry Souchong puts one of the house's smoked black teas in a jar. This extra jelly, cooked in a copper pan, accompanies mature cheeses, cold meats or toast. It completes a packet of smoked tea, or slips in alongside on its own. The other teas in this style are gathered in our smoked tea section.

For the lover of floral teas: rose, lavender, cornflower or cherry blossom

For those who love teas scented with flowers, give a great tea in which the flower highlights the leaf. Rose d'Himalaya SFTGFOP1 comes from a single Darjeeling garden, Arya, some of whose plots are reserved for Mariage Frères. Over a rosy backdrop, its amber liquor shows the muscat character typical of Darjeelings and candied citrus. It is drunk plain in the afternoon, and is available in a 100 g tea tin in its gift case.

For an Earl Grey lover, two floral variations from the house change their habit without upsetting it. Earl Grey Provence adds lavender from Provence, warm and floral, to the bergamot, measured to remain a hint. Earl Grey French Blue pairs it with royal cornflower petals, for a rounded cup, more floral and less dry. Both are prepared at 95 °C for five minutes, and are available in a 100 g tea tin.

If they prefer green tea, Sakura Impérial scents a sencha with Japanese cherry blossom: a pale, floral liquor, slightly almondy. Its product page calls for a three-minute steeping time, no longer. These teas are weighed to order, and each can also take its place in a gift set composed tea by tea, as the last section explains.

For the Pu-erh lover: a grand cru, a cake and its knife

For a lover of dark teas, give a Pu-erh they would not buy every day. Pu-Erh d'Or is made only of buds from Yunnan, picked in February, and the house specifies that it is never compressed. Its deep red liquor is smooth and dense, with velvety woody notes and a finish without bitterness. Its leaves withstand several successive infusions, each one a little different.

Pu-erh is also sold as a compressed cake, the round shape most common in Yunnan, from which a portion is detached at each session. Chine Pu-Erh Black Elephant Beeng Cha is a ripe Pu-erh of about 100 g, smooth and sweet. Its product page recommends rinsing the detached piece, then steeping it at 100 °C for two to four minutes, several times in a row.

To open a cake, the dedicated tool is the Pu-erh knife. The Couteau Pu-Erh Beeng Cha en Bois 'Naru', with a short blade and wooden handle, slides into the thickness of the disc to lift the leaves without breaking them. Given with a cake, it makes a complete gift. Types, shapes and preparation are explained in our Pu-erh guide.

For the lover of ritual: the gaiwan and the cast iron teapot

A tea lover who enjoys preparing their tea will appreciate a utensil they do not yet have. The gaiwan is a Chinese lidded bowl in three pieces: the saucer, the bowl and the lid, which holds back the leaves as you pour. It is used for short, repeated infusions, a way of preparing green, white and oolong teas. The Porcelain Gaiwan 'Ahri', 120 ml is made of porcelain: its small capacity suits these short infusions.

For serving several people, Mariage Frères' Théière Kanbin is an artisanal cast iron teapot made in Japan, with a clean silhouette. Its thick wall keeps the infusion hot. It is available in brown, 0.5 l, and in rust, 0.8 l: choose according to the number of cups you usually serve. Materials, capacities and uses of teapots are compared in our guide to choosing your teapot.

For the one who has everything: incense, porcelain, the gift set or the gift card

When the tea lover already has their teas and their teaware, give what surrounds the cup. Encens · Fall in Love belongs to Mariage Frères' “the fragrance of tea” collection: a case of 20 sticks, or a gift set of 50 with its silver incense holder. Encens Terres de Thé, in a case of 20 sticks, has a woodier fragrance, inspired by the house's Grands Crus.

Porcelain remains a safe gift. The Tasse à Thé en Porcelaine 'Pucheng', 4 Pièces come in gift packaging, ready to give for serving guests. For a more elegant everyday cup, Dunoon's Mug Cairngorm · 0,48 l · Gold, in fine bone china made in England, bears a decoration enhanced with 22-carat gold; its product page offers several designs, including Belle Epoque and Year of the Horse.

If you are torn between several teas, the bespoke gift set brings together 4, 6, 9 or 12 teas chosen one by one, each in its own tea tin, with free gift wrapping. If you know nothing of their tastes, the gift card is sent by email on the date of your choice, and can be spent on the website or in our shops in Nice and Bordeaux for twelve months.