A gift from New York that's a new name in tea (to me!)

My friend Susan is one of the best shoppers I know. She is not only a great bargain hunter but also a judicious shopper who is determined to find just the right thing for each friend or family member on her gift list. She loves to travel, so I'm also very fortunate that she keeps me in mind when she's traveling and sees teas she thinks I might like. Not too long ago, I got some delicious and exquisitely packaged teas that were in her hotel room as a gift from a resort where she stayed in Hawaii. This time, I was fortunate enough to be on her mind when she was visiting Rockefeller Center in New York City right before Christmas. So my gift this year wasn't in a Christmasy bag, she said, apologetically—and there was definitely no need!—but she wanted me to have the bag in case I wasn't familiar with the tea company T2. I had not heard of this Australian tea company before, so I was especially thrilled with this gift and, yes, the great packaging too!

She even made sure to protect the tissue since it had the company logo on it!

She also did something very smart for someone who is not herself (alas for her, yay for me) a tea lover: she asked someone at the store what their top sellers were and got me a box of each!

These teas are from the box marked "Fruit."

These teas are from the box marked "Tops."

And when I first opened a packet, expecting perhaps a tea sachet, I realized I had not actually *read* the packet, and so I quickly learned that each one contains loose leaf tea! Have you ever seen individually packaged loose tea before? I have not, and I think this is simply brilliant! Now, I'm still trying to drink up my Christmasy blends before I slowwwwly allow myself to indulge in these lovely and delicious teas from Susan, but I can tell you that the ones I've had so far are quite delectable. I started with a wonderful chocolate one, and this is the Strawberries & Cream tisane that is the best strawberry tea I've ever tasted.

This tea had no tartness at all, and it does indeed taste creamy. I'm so enjoying this tasty and thoughtful gift, and I wanted you to know so that you can a) check out T2 for yourself! and b) perhaps stop by the next time you're in New York City!