Interview: Nazanin Yousefnejad of Tea Thoughts

Nazanin Yousefnejad, Photo Courtesy of Tea Thoughts

Tea people are the nicest people I've come across, and today's interviewee is no exception. You may have seen Nanzanin of Tea Thoughts on Instagram posting her beautiful tea photos, or perhaps you've visited her adorable online store (I love her pins!!) or ordered her Steep It Real box. I'm so pleased to present our interview!

I had the pleasure of receiving January's Steep It Real box, and I've been enjoying it all month long. I love that the tea themed products are all useful, fun, and high quality. She even includes hand-made items. There was only one tea included in the box, but it's a full-size package and very high quality. I much prefer this over boxes that give you many sample sizes of lower quality teas and blends, many you don't really want.

Learn all about Nazanin and her passion for tea, her wonderful creative side, and her personal tea rituals in the interview below.

The Tea Happiness 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

It's that time of year again! Big family feasts, jingle bells, festive lights, and of course gift giving! I've created a new post of tea gifts for just about everyone on your list. Pay close attention, as I have a few discount codes listed with some of the items! Also stay tuned, as I have a few related giveaways coming at you in the next two weeks! Now, on to the gifts!

Ippodo Tea Set, glass not included

For the Beginning Tea Enthusiast
One of the most common questions I get is 'what should I get for someone just getting into tea?'. A gift set that includes tea and a small teapot is always helpful. I love this little set from Ippodo, as the glass teapot is the perfect compact size, and it's designed with a mesh strainer in the lid so you can view all the beautiful expanding leaves in the pot and strain while you pour. The strainer is similar in design to a traditional Japanese kyusu teapot. It also comes with two green teas that are perfect for an introduction to Japanese tea: Sencha Unro and Gokujo Genmaicha. It's beautifully presented in a gift box, ready to be wrapped.

UNYTea Taiwanese white tea

Teas to Consider
It's impossible to limit tea buying to just a few selections, but here are a few teas I've tried recently that I'd recommend for all types of tea lovers:
-Tea from The Great Mississippi Tea Company. I've tried all three of their teas, and they are all fantastic. It's tough to find the Delta Oolong in stock, as it sells out quickly but the Mississippi Queen (a green tea) and Black Magnolia (black tea) are equally as fantastic. If your tea friends haven't tried this Mississippi grown and processed tea, it makes the perfect gift.
-Selections from UNYTea store. I try to purchase teas from smaller vendors when possible, and UNYTea has a carefully curated collection of interesting teas. I'd recommend purchasing a flight of teas for your gift, perhaps a selection of Japanese, Taiwanese (pictured above), and Chinese white teas to compare.

Ocha & Co teas

-For a Japanese tea enthusiast, I've rediscovered the teas from Ocha & Co. They are an online business based in Japan, and only order teas in small batches on a weekly basis so customers from around the world will receive their teas shortly after they have been made. I recently tried their beautiful steamed Fukamushi Sencha which I recommend (review coming soon!), and they have a nice selection of matcha and other Japanese green and black teas. Stay tuned for a very special giveaway from Ocha & Co coming in the next few days!
-If you have a tea friend that's new to Nepalese teas, you can't go wrong with anything from Nepali Tea Traders. The owners of the company are friendly and passionate about the company. I'm partial to the Sagamartha Gold and Lhotse Black, but a flight of Nepali teas (you could do black, oolong, etc) would make a thoughtful gift, for sure.
-For something else a little different, I love the Doke teas from Lochan Tea Limited, a company run by passionate tea experts. Doke is a small family run garden in India producing big flavors. If you are looking for Darjeeling teas, it's also a great site to check out.

For The Tea Bookworm
I'm a voracious reader, and I love to collect tea books. This year there are two interesting books that stood out for me. First, Tea Sommelier: A Step-By-Step Guide by François-Xavier Delmas and Mathias Minet (of Palais des Thés). I was very skeptical of a book that claims to give you the knowledge needed to become a tea sommelier, but I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of information included in the book. It doesn't take the place of tasting and experiencing teas first hand, but this book is extremely informative. Everything from tea types, preparation, history, serving, and pairings are included. I also loved the illustrations and the many charts included in the book.
Another book perfect for gifting is A Little Tea Book: All The Essentials From Leaf To Cup by Sebastian Beckwith (from In Pursuit of Tea) and Caroline Paul. This is a little book with a surprisingly large amount of tea tidbits. There are all sorts of interesting facts and the book is very well written. I also love the illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton, especially the tea history timeline.

Zens Pi Travel Cup

For the Tea Traveler
My favorite travel tea maker is this Pi Travel Cup  by Zens Lifestyle. I did a review of it a few months ago and I use it constantly in the office. It's great for travel, or for the office. It's also compact and easy to clean. Most importantly, it makes a good cup of tea and is really fun to use. To get 10% off your purchase, use the DISCOUNT CODE: teahappiness10.

For A Little Tea Bling

I have a love of tea jewelry, it's true. You can't go wrong with anything from A Gift Of Tea, and I think I mention her every year since her stuff is amazing  and you can find it in NYC's own T-Shop. I recently also discovered a tea-themed jewelry line from the company Lotus Fun. The jewelry is all handmade, using natural amber and sterling silver for the teapots, and they plant a tree with every order. I'm in love with the pretty tea pendant with a teapot and cups (note, the pendant, first photo above, does not come with a chain), and I adore the tea ring! If you also love this ring, stay tuned- one of the giveaways I'll be running will be for a ring of your very own!! To get 15% off your Lotus Fun purchase, use the DISCOUNT CODE: TeaHappiness

For The Subscription Fan
Tea subscription boxes are popular these days, and there are tons of them out there. I recently got to try a box from Field To Cup. I like that you can select a box based on tea experience, tea type, and caffeine level. I received the November Tea Adventurer box, and was very impressed with the quality and selection (teas pictured above). I also appreciate all the information included about the teas, and how to steep them. And guess what? I have a discount code! To get 20% of your order, use DISCOUNT CODE: Teahappiness20.

I hope this selection of tea gifts helps you check off everyone on your list! Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you need further suggestions. Don't forget to keep an eye out for my upcoming giveaways! I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season.

The Tea Happiness 2017 Gift Guide

Just like that, Thanksgiving is over and the season of festive holiday gatherings begin. It's a special time to spend with family and friends, and of course everyone likes to come with a gift in hand. If you're still wondering what to get for the tea lover in your life, you've come to the right place! Here are my pics for this year's holiday gift guide. There is a little something for everyone on your list!

Green Tea Set: The beautifully presented green tea assortment from Ippodo Tea makes a perfect gift for someone just starting on their tea journey, or basically anyone that loves Japanese tea. The set pictured above includes three tins of Ippodo tea: a toasty and mellow genmaicha, a nicely creamy, vegetal matcha, and a soothing hojicha. This and other gift sets can be purchased at their NY store, or online.

Matcha Treats: For the matcha lover that already has all the necessary tools, how about matcha candy? I'm a huge fan of matcha kitkats- they are amazing but can be difficult to find. I recently discovered you can get them directly from Amazon, right here. Or for something a little more decadent you can order from Royce, the Japanese chocolatier. They make a fantastic 'macca chocolate' that is available on their website.

Necklace by A Gift Of Tea

Handmade Tea Jewelry: For the person that likes to wear their love of tea, consider the beautiful handmade tea-themed jewelry from A Gift Of Tea. She puts a great deal of love into her work, and it's versatile enough to wear for any occasion.

Traveling With Tea: For the jet-setting tea lover, I've got just the thing. It's difficult to transport loose leaf tea carefully for travel, especially if you are taking more than one type. To travel with your tea in style, this cleverly designed case by The Tea Lover's Archives is just the thing. The case includes two food safe tea tins for loose leaf tea, and there is a pocket on the inner lid is for fillable tea bags, conventional tea bags, or other small essentials. This kit is perfect for taking tea around town, or across the globe. The photos above are courtesy of The Tea Lover's Archives.

Oliver Pluff teas

Going to a holiday party, but don't know what to give the host? Here are a few ideas:
-I like gifting tins of Oliver Pluff & Co colonial tea blends. I love the graphics on the tins, and the blends are a great way to learn about teas often consumed in colonial America. They sell individual tins like you see above, and I also like the Teas Of The Boston Tea Party set.

-If you're already giving tea, how about a teapot to go along with it? I like to keep things simple when I gift teapots, since everyone has different taste. I find that the simple and cheerful color choices of Beehouse teapots are a great option. They are simple but fun. They are also quite sturdy and are great for home or office

Lauku Teas

-For something a little different, what about hand-picked herbal tea grown on a woman-run farm in Latvia? I've been enjoying beautiful herbal tea by Lauku Tea for awhile now, and haven't had a chance to post a review. But these herbal teas are lovely, and support a wonderful company. Lately I've been winding down with Evita's Twilight.

-For something a bit more handmade, I love all the little pins, coasters, paintings, and cards at Tea Thought's etsy shop. They even sell tea themed wrapping paper! I find that Etsy is a great resource in general for teaware and tea themed gifts. 

There are endless other options for tea and gifts. If you're still not sure to get the tea fanatic in your life, feel free to drop me an email, or comment on this post. I'd be happy to help with more suggestions. Happy Holidays everyone!
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