Gifts for tea lovers in the UK

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 T2 advent calendar is the low-risk pick. For someone ready to try loose leaf, the Rare Tea Company mug and infuser is the easiest first step at work, and the Suki pot or the Tea Makers glass set does the same at home. The glass set comes with tea, which saves a second purchase.

If they already drink loose leaf, buy a pot sized for how they drink. The Burleigh pot serves two to four cups. The Emma Bridgewater pot makes four mugs, and it is heavy when full.

Matcha

Matcha needs a whisk, a wide bowl, a scoop and the powder. The Suki set covers the tools in a box and leaves the powder to you. The Bird & Blend deluxe set includes powders, so it works on the day it is opened, though the flavoured ones will not please a purist. Bamboo whisks wear out, so a spare is a fair gift for a daily drinker.

Kettles, pots and the builder's tea drinker

Green, white and oolong teas turn bitter with boiling water, and the Dualit kettle lets you set a lower temperature. It is a second kettle for most homes. Do not give it to someone who drinks strong tea with milk; they want water at a full boil, and their current kettle already does that.

For that person, a good pot or a good mug is the better gift. The Stoke-on-Trent pieces here are made for everyday use, not for a cabinet.

Afternoon tea instead of another thing

The Buyagift vouchers are the answer for a tea lover whose cupboard is full. Both cover two people and last 12 months. The nationwide one comes without alcohol and can be sent as an instant e-voucher, which also makes it the best last-minute pick here. The sparkling version is 18+ only. Either way, tell them to book early, because popular dates fill up first.

The advent calendar has a hard deadline: it needs to arrive before 1 December, so post it in good time.

Questions people ask

What is a good tea gift under £30?

The Emma Bridgewater Black Toast small mug, the Bird & Blend sticky chai trio and the Rare Tea Company afternoon tea set all sat around or under £30 on the shops' pages. The mug is the most recognisably British, and the chai suits someone who drinks milky spiced tea in winter. Prices change, so check before you buy.