tea gift baskets, the perfect gift for any tea lover. What would be the perfect thing to find in a special basket like this? Being an avid loose leaf tea drinker, finding those loose leaves in a gift basket would make it special for me. However, best of luck trying to find this type of basket. I have been disappointed to find that most companies that offer tea gift baskets fill them with lots of goodies along with tea bags. Offering tea bags to a true tea lover is comparable to offering a white rinse to a wine connoisseur.

What is the answer to this dilemma? Create the tea gift basket yourself. Don’t be intimidated, you can do this. Today I am going to give you three tips to get you started making beautiful tea gifts. You won’t break the bank while doing this either.

Let us begin.

You will need a basket or container to store your gift items. Here’s a great tip, buy containers right after the holidays when prices are low. I often buy beautiful sneakers at a discount of 50% to 80% at retail. Why, because they are decorated in some way for a particular holiday and that holiday has already passed. Retailers need to get that inventory out of their stores.

I will save some of the containers for that same holiday next year. Others will have trim or decorations removed. I recently made a basket of a find after Christmas. It was completely covered with a green felt with decorations. The cover was easy to remove and the basket became a perfect container for any occasion.

Definitely use good quality loose leaf tea in your basket. Again, you don’t have to break the bank to do this. Purchase sample sizes of tea. Many companies offer this small size so consumers can see if they love a particular tea and want to buy more. This removes the barrier to trying something new for fear of spending money. That makes it a win-win situation for both the consumer and the retailer. The consumer is more willing to make a small purchase, but will often stop spending more for something that he is not sure he will like. The retailer wins because the teas the customer really likes will be purchased again and again.

I have even found some companies that have great teas that will send you a free sample with a purchase. You just can’t get anything cheaper than that. Use these samples to place in your tea gift.

This type of gift basket will always have a few food items for tea. Scones are a favorite food to serve with tea. Instead of shopping at an expensive bakery, make the scones yourself. I bake buns and freeze them. Once frozen, I vacuum wrap them. This keeps them fresh for a long time. Many years ago I purchased a Food Saver vacuum that has saved me a lot of money over the years. This item has turned out to be worth the cost of the purchase.

If you don’t have access to this type of device, you can still wrap your handmade gift in perhaps several layers of plastic wrap or foil. If you must use this method, I recommend wrapping them in tissue or wrapping paper complete with a bow to add to the look of the tea gift baskets.

There you have it, an easy start to making your true tea-loving friends a special gift that will be enjoyed and appreciated.