Gifts for tea lovers in Canada

Bags, loose leaf or matcha

Tea drinkers fall into rough camps, and a gift for one camp often misses the other. Bag drinkers want convenience and variety. Loose-leaf drinkers want a better way to brew. Matcha drinkers want the right tools and good powder.

For a bag drinker, the two Pluck bundles are easy: pyramid bags, five teas each, no kit needed. For a loose-leaf drinker, the Silk Road box, the Genuine Tea fall bundle and the Pilot chai are all good, as long as they own an infuser. If they do not, the Sloane Simple Steep teapot has one built in, and it keeps a pot hot under its steel cover.

Watch the caffeine. Someone who drinks tea at night will get more from a box with herbal teas in it, like the Silk Road set or the Genuine Tea bundle, than from five black teas.

Building a matcha kit from Canadian shops

Matcha needs a whisk, a bowl wide enough to whisk in, a scoop and decent powder. The DAVIDsTEA starter kit covers the tools. Add the Sloane premium-grade pouch and you have a complete gift. For someone who already has the basics, the DoMatcha bowl or a fresh Oomomo whisk is the upgrade.

Matcha powder goes in the fridge once opened. Put that in the card if they are new to it.

Timing, budgets and flavour

The DAVIDsTEA advent calendar has a hard deadline: December 1. Order it in October or early November. The Genuine Tea fall bundle and the chai are cold-weather teas, which in Canada means most of the year.

Under $25, the Pilot masala chai, the Genuine Tea maple cream and a matcha whisk or scoop are good add-ons. Sampler bundles and matcha kits sit in the middle, and teapots and kettles at the top.

Flavoured teas split opinion. Maple and dessert blends please casual drinkers and disappoint purists. If you do not know their taste, a sampler covers several styles at once.

Questions people ask

What is a good tea gift under $30 in Canada?

Genuine Tea Canadian Maple Cream, Pilot Coffee Roasters' organic masala chai, the Pluck Canadian Content bundle and a bamboo matcha whisk or scoop all sat around or under $30 when we checked the shops' pages. The maple tea is the most clearly Canadian, and the chai suits someone who likes spice. Prices change, so check before buying.