6 Curated Boxes For Those Who Like Unpredictable Gifts

Text by Sadaf Shaikh

From jams to stationery, founders tell you exactly what goes into the making of the perfect present

TEA BOX

The inception: For founder Kaushal Dugar who was born in Siliguri in Darjeeling, dabbling in the booming tea business was a no-brainer. When he was young, the huge machines in the estate factories would fascinate him endlessly and he thought the process of a small green leaf turning into a delicious drink was quite magical. On completing his education, he decided to work for his older brother who ran a tea export business. He realised that the whole procedure of marketing tea was very archaic and decided to import ideas and practices from other cultures and present them tastefully to transform tea into more of an experience than a mere concoction.

Why you should choose them: The quality and freshness of their teas will transport you right to the verdant tea gardens in Darjeeling. Employees visit the tea gardens personally to taste and select the teas which are vacuum-packed to retain freshness. The teas are sourced from some of the best gardens in Assam, Nilgiri, Kangra, Sikkim and Nepal. During packaging, they ensure that details of the teas are mentioned comprehensively so that customers are privy to information like location of the tea garden, date of plucking, tasting notes and details of the garden.

Quirkiest creations: “For Diwali this year, we created a hamper of the most exquisite flavours of tea like oolong, vanilla pistachio and other balmy spices. These sold like hot cakes because Diwali is a time of togetherness and a good cup of tea only adds to the celebratory spirit. Also, keep an eye out for our ’12 days of Christmas’ box which comes in special box with little Christmas trees printed on the cover and a glorious smorgasbord of flavours like coco berry, mint chip and chocolate marmalade among others.”