Tea 101 Departments: Definitions General Tea Information Frequently Asked Questions About Tea Frequently Asked Questions About How to Buy Tea for Others What Supplies You'll Need How To Brew a Perfect Pot of Tea How To Make Iced Tea Tea 101: FAQs About How to Buy Tea for Others I don't have any idea what kind of tea my friend likes. What do I do? If you are completely clueless, visit our Tea Samplers and Tea of the Month Club sections. We've put together several packages that offer a wide variety of flavors. For example, the Beginner's Tea Sampler and the Variety Option for any of the Tea of the Month Clubs. Both provide a great variety of flavors and include black, green, oolong, and herbal teas. Everyone is sure to enjoy something, and all these teas are best sellers. Also keep in mind that if you order a Tea of the Month Club and you choose a plan that your friend doesn't like, they can switch their plan any time. For example, if you order the Green Tea plan, but they only like herbal tea, they can just give us a call and change to the Herbal Plan. I know nothing of tea, but my friend is a connoisseur. How do I decide what to get? We recommend either the Tea of the Month Club - Adventure Plan or the Estate Black tea option in any of our Tea of the Month Clubs since both of these provide some of our most exotic and rare teas. Another option is the Adventure Sampler which provides a variety of our most rare and expensive teas - definitely not your average everyday tea! If you want to put together your own package, you should take a look at our Rare and Exotic Teas category. All these teas are worthy of the tea connoisseur. Feel free to call or email us to get personal assistance if you need help creating the perfect gift. I have a friend who is just getting into tea and wants to learn. What would make a nice gift? If someone is brand new to tea, it is usually a good idea to start them off with good quality inexpensive teas, then gradually introduce them to the really good stuff. Most beginners can't taste the difference between a tea that costs $1.75/oz. and one that costs $5.00/oz. It takes about a year of tea drinking before most people can easily discern the flavor subtleties between different kinds of black and green teas. So you might give them a strong black tea (like a breakfast blend), and light black tea (like a Darjeeling), a flavored black, a green tea, an oolong, and an herbal. Or several of each. If they also need equipment, like a good basic teapot, you might like the Beginner's Tea of the Month Club. We also have a Custom Gift Basket option. Basically, you select all the items you'd like in a gift basket, then select the Custom Gift Basket product for $8.95, and we put everything you ordered into an appropriately sized gift basket, shrink-wrap it, and tie it with a bow. That way you get exactly what you want! We can also put together any assortment of teas you would like. 1-ounce packages make a nice trial size, and you can get a lot of variety for very little money. Anything you can find out about their preferences is helpful. For example, do they only like black tea, or must they have caffeine-free teas. I can help you decide which teas might be good based on their preferences and what you'd like to spend. Also check out our Best Sellers list for the safest choices. I need a gift for under $10.00 - what can I do? You might select a few ounces of tea and little tea gadget of some kind. One ounce of tea can cost as little as $1.50 - have a look at our Best Sellers category and choose 3 or 4 that sound good. Then add the One Cup of Perfect Tea measuring spoon ($4.00), or the Empress Strainer ($4.50), or the small Japan Paper-Covered Canister ($5.50).