good product
low price and good looking for gift. I bought several of this for christmas gift and everybody loved it.

Lovely gift, but get one for yourself, too!
I bought 2 of these last year as gifts, but this year I bought one for myself. Oh my, how lovely! The tiny pot is the perfect size and shape to display the blooming flower. Truly magical, and tasty as well!

I like this tea or perhaps I just don't know better?
I am an avid tea drinker and have been for years. I got this as a present for Christmas 2008. I have since read all of the reviews and think perhaps I am not much of a tea connoisseur after all or maybe it is that some of you all just got back batches of tea. I think it is a very nice gift set. Perfect for someone wanting to "try" flowering tea. The pot is small but I think a bigger pot wouldn't necessarily be better. I've used the flowers more than once and the tea still seemed good to me. I've really enjoyed the tea and the tea pot and the box it came in.

Makes a great memorable and yummy gift!
WOW got two of these as gifts, came wrapped very well, both in separate cardboard reseller boxes, and in that wrapped with off white paper.

The wooden box is artfully designed and reusable. the teas come in their own smaller version bamboo box as well. your tea pot and tea box are both securely packaged in paper straw.

I had to chance to sample the tea which I gave away as a Christmas present with my friend, the teas are in a variety of flavors and flower shapes. the brewing process is unique and very creative, and creates a tasty brew! (it was a great change up from just green tea all the time!)

Looking for a gift? this one is at a great price, cheaper now than what i paid for it, and is a large and substantial gift when given. Both receivers really liked them!

Nice teas, but the packaging is ugly. No way I'd have paid full price for this.
I bought this set at the reduced price, and I feel I got no less than what I paid for. I didn't get much more, though, so I imagine I'd be upset if I paid full price for this set.

We were hoping to be able to salvage the boxes for reuse in case the contents were bad, but we're just going to be throwing them out. It is handmade, but the stain is an ugly orange (not mahogany), and there is no laquer finish, so the bamboo splinters. Also, there is a lot of wasted space in the box, so there will be a lot of padding material to throw away.

As for the contents, we tried the dragon lily last night, and it is a very pleasant tea for a quiet evening after dinner with no harsh flavors. I'd never given in to the markup on flowering teas, but at the discount price, I decided to give it a try. It is definitely fun to watch as it unfurls and the swirls of liquor fill the pot. We're very happy with the tea, as far as the tea itself goes.

I see some reviews for people complaining about the flavor of the teas. The instructions say to pour boiling water into your teapot. They even say to bring it to a rolling boil! Most of the teas in this set are either green or white teas. NEVER NEVER NEVER use boiling water on green and white teas. You'll extract awful flavors from the leaves while destroying nice ones and ruin your tea. Boiling water is fine for the black teas, but 175 to 180F is the optimal temperature range for green and white tea. Steep for 3 to 4 minutes as they say (no longer!) and you will have a pleasant tea to drink.

As for the pot, I wasn't actually expecting much. It's a small, thin glass thing with nothing special about it. However, it is quite the right size and shape for watching these teas unfurl. It's an ideal size for two people with 8oz cups. Steep, pour, and start steeping again while you sip.

After we're done with the flowering teas, I'm going to buy a strainer and use the teapot for smaller brews, when I don't want to make a full pot just for myself.

All in all, I'm happy with what I got. I just wish the packaging could have been nicer, as I'm sure a decent fraction of the price tag went towards it in vain. It would be a nice gift for couples, and really embodies "tea for two" as you both sit and watch the flowers bloom.