Tea or coffee, anyone?

The wealth of Christmas gift ideas can, at times, threaten to overwhelm shoppers.

It seems everywhere one turns there are beautifully packaged toiletries, gorgeous food baskets, fabulous chocolate boxes, shimmering jewellery, stunning homewares and enough imported treasures to fill a dozen museums or galleries.

But some of the most refreshing ideas, to suit a range of budgets, can be found at Coffee and Tea Lovers, tucked away in the Amera Lane shopping complex on Ti Rakau Drive.

Firstly, what a lovely array of tea tins, teapots and tea accessories.

The decorative tins come in a wide variety of sizes and delightful patterns — buy one, two or three and make-up a set. Pack them with a range of loose leaf black, white, green, herbal, flavoured or fruit teas and you’ll keep someone happy for a month of Sundays.

Combination tea cup/tea pot sets or mugs and saucers make novel yet practical gifts while sumptuous coffee syrups, Bennetts chocolates from Mangawhai, Turkish Delight, multi tea and coffee gift sets and many other taste sensations provide a special touch when making up a parcel.

While there I suggest you take the weight off your feet, enjoy a cuppa of your choice and perhaps a bite from the very yummy display cabinet — this is a shop where “dying for a caffeine kick” and “tea for two” (or more) take on an entirely new meaning. So readers who are all out of ideas and still have a few last minute items to buy, Coffee and Tea Lovers could solve all your problems.