ALL occasions GIFT IDEAS

The Gift of Custom Tea Blends

tea accessories : tea code : lemon run : custom made tea blend for friends : design a tea

After your own perfume craze of a few years ago, it appears that a new fashion is slowly emerging. This time, you get your own tea blend. If you are looking for a lavish birthday gift without breaking the bank, this is it. Different tea shops are offering this service to their customers.

Blends for Friends

The ultimate experience I found so far is from a UK master tea taster named Alex Probyn, the founder of Blends for Friends. Based on the personal facts and the persona of your friend, a master tea taster will create a blended tea just for your friend.

The initial order costs £27 for 125 grams of loose leaf tea. Most of the fee will pay for the personalization process, the descriptive sticker and the decorative tin box. The price will reduce to £7 when you reorder a blend. What is also making the gift special is the quirky blend sticker. The blend recipe descriptor makes reference to the personality traits of the recipient.

Each blend of tea comes with its own set of serving instructions. An educational booklet about tea is included in the elegant presentation gift box. You are all set once you receive the gift or if you ship it directly to your friend’s house.

For a wedding or an anniversary party favor, the blend represents the couple. Some couples opt to leave a specific feeling, a sense of well-being or a mix of energy to their guests.

More options for party favors

In the United States, Design a Tea lets you make your own blend. But here, you must rely on your flair to design your blend. You can name your tea. The labels and the gift boxes are cute but not as refined as Blends for Tea. But the price tag is a lot cheaper too. It starts at $4.75 for 10 bags or 22 grams of loose leaves. If you know your taste well, this is a great option.

Tea accessories

Loose leaf tea tastes the best but sometimes, you want the convenience of tea bags. The designers of Gazin Create brought an innovation to the classic china cup. They added a silicone button to the china cup so you can secure your tea bag. No more cord swimming into your tea. Manufactured under the KEDO brand, Tea Code is available in 4 models: Small Rounded, Small Flared, Tall Rounded, Tall Flared. Rounded for men, flared for women.

If you enjoy a lemon with your tea, you may be interested by a nifty little gadget. With Lemon Run, you would not to worry about spurting juice all over place, onto people’s face or clothes? Or more realistically, no more dirty hand from squeezing the lemon slice.

Do-It-Yourself options

If you are on a budget, buy the tea in bulk. Wedding stores sell several shapes of tin boxes in bulk. You can also use spice containers or small Mason jars. Design your own sticker on a computer or craft them with a custom made ink stamp. Then set up your assembly line. You can make these party favors for baby showers, birthdays or any other occasions.

Sourcing:
Buy online: Blends for Friends – price: £27 for 125 grams of loose leaf tea, £7 for reorder
Buy online: Design a Tea – price: $4.75 for 10 bags or 22 grams of loose leaves
Buy online: KEDO Tea Code at Charles and Marie – $27 USD
Learn more: Lemon Run by KEDO

  • Jenn Lee
    April 9, 2008 at 07:56

    when i think tea party i think book club for some reason 🙂 maybe because my book club always has tea…

    great post. i’m a tea lover so this really sings to my heart!

  • Amy
    April 9, 2008 at 23:35

    This is a fantastic post with great finds. The Design A Tea has so many possibilities from favors, to hostess and housewarming gifts. Not to mention a great Thinking of You gift for anyone with friends battling an illness.

    Thanks for the great sources, Kim.

  • 5 Cool Products for Your Kitchen | At Home with Kim Vallee
    April 23, 2009 at 16:23

    […] am glad that a product I introduced earlier this year received a Red-Dot Design honorable mention. Lemon Run designed by U.I. Design for KEDO […]