Master Teas Gift Guide

Christmas is coming so soon and I’m sure that if you are reading this post you probably have a traditional tea lover in your life that you are wanting to treat to some phenomenal tea treats this holiday season. Luckily, Masters Teas have a lot of fantastic options for you to choose from including tea from various regions, quality teaware made from materials that will help the tea lover in your life up their tasting game and get a bit more out of their teas, sample sets and lots more.

With so much to choose from I can understand that maybe if you don’t know tea well, the amount of choices could be a little bit overwhelming so let me help you out a little bit in the form of a gift guide and by the end of this post you’ll have the perfect gifts for the tea lover in your life.

Teaware

Firstly let’s start with teaware shall we? After all, I don't think there is a single tea lover in the world that doesn't love being gifted new high quality teaware that will help to further advance their tea sessions, and in turn their passion for traditional tea.

If they are a fan of Pu-Erh, I would highly suggest Masters Teas Caodi Teapot which is made from authentic yixing zisha clay.

The distinctive red clay is renowned for its ability to absorb the tea's essence and offer unparalleled experience and flavor. The unglazed clay will acquire a patina from the tea's oils resulting in a shiny coating over years of use. It is customary that only one type of tea (Black, Oolong or Pu-Erh) is used in each teapot, so as not to corrupt the purity of its flavor. Mostly I would suggest this is probably a gift for someone who loves Pu-Erh more than any other variety of true tea.

If the tea lover in your life is more of a fan of oolongs and tends to drink more of them than all other varieties of tea I would suggest the Zhenzhu teapot. This is made from authentic banshanlu, a buff-colored yixing clay. This classic design is known as a "well fenced" body and is etched with delicate calligraphy. With a max capacity of 230 ml, it is ideal for gong fu style brewing oolong teas as it allows plenty of space for unfurling. Again it is customary to dedicate these pots to one variety of tea as clay is very absorptive and will take on the characteristics of the teas prepared in it.

Pu-Erh Suggestions

Since we’ve already mentioned Pu-Erh in terms of loose leaf tea let’s start there shall we?

Masters offer two Pu-Erh currently so the choice of which you pick really depends on if the tea lover in your life likes raw or ripe Pu-Erh more. In terms of ripe Pu-Erh they have Gong Ting which is a shou (ripe) Pu-Erh of the highest quality young leaf. Here the dry aroma is slightly pungent with a fennel or anise-like sweetness, and hints of the deep forest. The sublime, layered liquor does not disappoint, offering a very dark color that is silky, smooth, mellow and sweet, with hints of anise, mineral and maybe plum. Grown at an elevation of 1500-2200 meters above sea level, Gong Ting Pu-Erh is hand-plucked from 20 year old Yunnan Kang No.10 trees. This is a shu Pu-Erh from an arbor species with golden buds that have been aged for two years.

The other option is their Ancient Tree Green Pu-Erh which is a Sheng or 'raw' Pu-Erh that offers long, silvery buds and young leaves. The dry leaf aroma is of fruit and earth, while the infusion is medium-light amber. Very smooth with hints of honey, apricot, and a soft sweet smoke. Layered and lingering. Grown at 800 meters above sea level our 2020 Ancient Tree Pu-Erh is a Yunnan Big Leaf cultivar and was hand-plucked in early May from 150-year-old trees.

This sheng Pu-Erh consists of one bud and 2-3, 15-20 cm long leaves. Once it goes through a 10-minute firing it is then roasted for 5-6 hours at around 70 degrees celsius. Both teas mentioned would suit the winter months perfectly as even after the holidays have passed that chill can stay in their air for a good while and you’ll still want coziness and that can definitely be achieved by sipping on these soul warming teas.

Sampler Suggestion

If you’re looking to buy the tea lover in your life a few different teas so that they can try and find their favorite during water is left of winter and into spring then I recommend grabbing the China Fujian 2021 Sampler which contains four teas. The first is Anxi Wulong Low Fire, which offers a complex floral flavor, lightly sweet and crisp. A perfect choice for while it’s still cold outside and the magic of the holidays is in the air.

There’s Yin Hao Long Zhu - exquisitely aromatic scented by jasmine blossoms and hand rolled. Tie Kuan Yin Black - Iron Buddha or Iron Goddess of Mercy, savory, chocolately, with a touch of floral this is sure to delight anyone! Finally, Tongmu Jin Jun Mei is a medium-bodied cup that offers savory hop notes with sweet cocoa. The last two are teas that would bridge the gap between winter and spring incredibly. All of these tea I would say are best when prepared gongfu style in a small teapot or a gaiwan so you can truly get the most out of the teas.

Honorable Mentions

Honorable mention teas for me that are perfect for the season are: Jing Kong Que (Black Tea), Formosa Red Oolong, and Rohini Gold Wire (Oolong).

I really hope this gift guide helps you to find the perfect present for the tea lover in your life this holiday season. While the things I have suggested in this post I personally think would be the best place to start, there are countless other options over on the Masters website should you want other varieties of tea or a different piece of teaware.