If you are a tea lover, you’ll probably agree there is no greater joy, than receiving (and tasting) new tea or anything tea related. This year, step away from tea kettles, strainers and mugs and give a bit of extra time to make someone’s holiday a truly unique and delicious one. You can use the tea you already have and enjoy to make any of these DIY Christmas tea gifts. Always use fresh, properly stored, unexpired tea leaves.
Tip: before gifting a tea without a label, make sure the recipient has no allergies. Some teas may have ingredients such as nuts or herbs that may cause allergies.
1. Tea Sampler Box
Do you want to make a truly special gift for your favorite tea lover in the family? Is there anything better than a tea chosen by you for someone you love, that they can simply add into their mug? Design your own festive tea sampler box, from linen filters and place them in a decorative box. If you have been our subscriber, use the (new) small tea linen filters from your box to make a gift of your own. If you don’t have those tea filters, feel free to use other filters. However, we do recommend using linen instead of paper, as this won’t give a papery taste to delicate teas, and they usually have strings which many paper filters lack.
Linen tea filter
What you will need:
- 1 teaspoon
- One or more different loose leaf teas
- 3+ tea linen filters
- A decorative box big enough to fit all tea filters
- A ribbon
- Wrapping tissue paper
Instructions:
Choose your favorite loose leaf tea and measure 1 teaspoon per tea filter. Add tea into the filter and gently pull the strings to close it. Take a small decorative box. Make sure it’s clean and put in a decorative tissue wrapping paper. Arrange the tea filters in a box and cover with a lid. We recommend using a box with a lid and using wrapping tissue paper to keep teas as fresh as possible and protect them from contact to the air and moisture.
Tea Sampler Box
2. Santa’s Tea Cookie Set
Real butter and sugar cookies are a great festive treat, that even Santa won’t be able to resist. If you have a tea lover and a baking addict among your family and friends, giving them an idea for a cookie baking session may be the sweetest gift they can get this Christmas.
What you will need:
- 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour
- Decorative air-tight glass jar big enough to fit all ingredients
- A ribbon
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup of white chocolate drops
- ½ cup of white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of orange flavored sugar
- 4 spoons of dark brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons of Blue Lady Grey tea leaves (or other flavored and scented black tea blend)
- A card
- Pestle and mortar
Instructions:
Wash the jar and dry it thoroughly. Measure all ingredients. Use a pestle and mortar to crush the tea leaves. Mix sieved flour with salt, tea leaves and baking soda. Now add the whole flour mixture into the jar and press firmly. Add a layer of white chocolate drops and press firmly, but carefully. Mix the white sugar with orange flavored sugar. Place a layer of brown sugar and add white sugar on the top. Tightly seal the jar and attach a recipe card with a ribbon.
In a card, add a following recipe:
Santa’s Tea Cookies
Only add:
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavor
- ½ cup of unsalted softened butter
Ingredients:
Put butter and white and brown sugar into a bowl and use a hand mixer to beat, until you get a creamy soft texture.
Add the egg and vanilla flavoring, then blend on a low speed for another minute.
Gradually add flour mixture and continue mixing.
Add white chocolate drops into the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Place a baking paper in a shallow oven tray.
Make small balls from the dough and place them on a sheet of baking paper, then gently flatten them using your fingers.
Bake for about 7 minutes.
Let it cool down before serving.
12. Tea Lover’s Bath Bomb
Delicious tea blends are not only good for drinking, they make a wonderful bath bomb too. To make the perfect bath bomb, choose an aromatic tea blend with a strong scent. Don’t use black tea or teas that might stain the tub. Green or white tea is often the best choice for making a bath bomb. For the scent, we recommend Anise Pear green tea. You can replace the flavored blend with pure green tea leaves such as Chinese Sencha. In that case, intensify the scent with a few drops of essential oil.
You will need:
- ½ cup of bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ cup of corn starch
- 1 spoon of almond oil
- Gold edible color (or color of your choice)
- 3 teaspoons of Anise Pear green tea
- Small silicon star or bowl-shaped molds
- Ribbon
- Wrapping tissue paper
Instructions:
Crush the tea leaves using pestle and mortar. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with corn starch and crushed tea leaves. Then slowly add almond oil mixed in with the edible color. Once you have mixed this well, press the mixture into a mold and let it dry overnight. Wrap the bath bombs in a tissue wrapping paper and then decorate with a ribbon.
