For a lot of us, the day doesn’t officially start until that first cup of brew. There’s just something about the aroma, the ritual, the caffeinated jolt that gets us going even on a sleepy Tuesday morning!

So, in honor of our beloved beverages, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite gifts for the coffee and tea connoisseur in your life (even if it happens to be you!). Who needs the coffee shop when you can be your own barista right in your kitchen?

1. DeLonghi Nespresso Capsule Espresso/Capuccino Machine, 2. Keurig MINI Plus Brewing System, 3. Le Creuset Whistling Kettle, 4. Krups XP2280 Programmable Precise Tamp Combination Coffee Maker, 5. KitchenAid Four-cup Personal Coffee Maker, 6. Breville You Brew Coffee Maker

The word Keurig® is derived from the Dutch word for excellence, and Keurig lives up to its name. Since 1998, Keurig has revolutionized the way we drink coffee with its innovative K-Cup® technology for brewing a single cup at a time. The K-Cup allows coffee lovers to prepare a cup of gourmet coffee in less than a minute without grinding beans, measuring or dealing with filters and cleanup.

Sit back, relax and sip a cup of delicious coffee or tea with your very own easy-to-use Keurig brewing system!

There’s just something about sitting back with a hot cup of fresh-brewed coffee or tea that makes the worries of the day melt away. Bodum makes creating this everyday indulgence easy and savory with these three kitchen must haves:

1. Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Coffee Grinder:  Easy to use and easy to look at, this sleek grinder creates a more uniform grind for the freshest cup of coffee imaginable.

2. Bodum Bistro Pour Over Electric Coffee Maker: This reinvention of the coffee maker distributes hot water evenly to keep the coffee’s taste pure and pristine. No paper filters needed!

3. Bodum Bistro Electric Water Kettle: This compact water kettle boils up to 34 oz. in about 4 minutes. It’s perfect for quick teatime without a stovetop.

The perfect cup of fresh-brewed tea is a classic comfort drink that has been celebrated for centuries.  With the many health and wellness benefits of tea, it’s no wonder different cultures all over the world drink tea as a part of their daily diet. In fact, more tea is consumed worldwide than any other beverage!

Every tea connoisseur knows how invaluable the perfect tea kettle is to creating the perfect cup of tea. The Chantal Timeless Tea Kettle is a great choice for its durable enamel and steel construction and, as the name alludes to, its classic, timeless style.

Next time you have a little daytime gathering at your home, why not change things up with an old-fashioned English tea party? Nibble on some tea sandwiches, scones and tea cakes while sipping some delicious hot tea. Here’s a great recipe for classic milk tea to try at your very own afternoon tea party:

• 1 cup of milk
• 1 2-inch piece of vanilla bean, split
• 4 teaspoons English Breakfast tea
• 1 quart boiling water

1. Pour milk in a small saucepan, add the vanilla bean.
2. Simmer, stirring often.
3. Take saucepan off the heat and let stand until milk is cool.
4. Remove the vanilla bean.
5. Put tea leaves in the tea kettle and add the boiling water.
6. Cover with tea cozy or towel and let steep for 5 minutes.
7. Pour about ¼ cup of the cooled milk into the teacups.
8. Stir and strain the tea into the teacups and serve.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Now, it's time to sit back and take a sip of timeles tradition with the perfectly-brewed cup of tea.

Bodum surprised the Zappos Family with a special Bodum Day. Every employee was given a brand new Bodum coffee press, coffee and tea along with some delicious baked goods. Bodum is best known for the French Coffee Press, which was selected as the most environmentally friendly coffee maker by the international media and has been highly awarded for its design. Without the use of electricity and messy filters, the French Coffee Press creates a stronger cup of coffee that delivers robust flavor. 

The Bodum Chambord French Press Coffee Maker adds an artful dimension to your kitchen décor. Brew up to 4 cups of fresh, hot coffee with ease. Simply add hot water to coarsely ground coffee, let steep, then slowly plunge the mesh filter to extract full-bodied flavor. Not only will you love the coffee, but you’ll also love the easy cleanup. If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, take brewing to the next level with the Eileen Tea Press from Bodum. The stainless steel covering protects the glass carafe and shows artistic flair. It’s the best cup of tea you’ll ever enjoy. 

Check out the fun we had in the video below and make sure you get all of your Bodum products on Zappos.com:

As a welcome back to Caron, who was on vacation, Zappos Merchandising, Inc. decorated her desk with hundreds of tea bags. Caron is known for her strong love for tea, so this prank was perfect for her. Check out her reaction below:

Candles are a must-have item for relaxation. They not only are easier on your eyes after a long day under harsh fluorescent bulbs, but they create a calming effect with their hypnotic flicker. If you are interested in building a candle collection, you will have several types to choose between.

Sizes of Candles

When buying candles, it is important to think about the size of candle you want to purchase. The size and shape of a candle will impact what type of holder is required and how long it will burn. Obviously larger candles will burn longer but will cost more, and smaller candles will be cheaper but will burn out faster.

Candles come in the following sizes and burn times:

- Tea lights - burns for between 8 and 10 hours 
- Votives - burns for between 10 and 15 hours 
- 8 oz. Jar - burns for 50-60 hours 
- 16 oz. Jar - burns for 70-80 hours 
- 26 oz. Jar - burns for 125-150 hours 
- 28 oz. Jar - burns for 130-150 hours 
- 3X3 inch Pillar - burns for 40-50 hours 
- 3X6 inch Pillar - burns for 70-80 hours 
- 6X6 inch Pillar - burns for 90-120 hours

Types of Candles

After selecting a candle size, your next step is to select the type of candle you want to use. The first type of candle is the unscented candle. This is a great option for people with sensitivities or allergies to perfumes and strong scents. The second type of candle is the scented candle. If you enjoy scented candles, it is a good idea to invest a little extra money in buying a quality scented candle so you get consistent scent release during the entire burning of your candle. Your third option is the organic candle. These candles are made with natural and organic materials.

Candle Safety Tips

When burning your candles, you need to be careful. They do use an open flame, so you will want to position your candle on a fireproof plate or in a fireproof container. Glass, ceramics and metal are all viable options. Once in its container, do not put your candle too close to walls or other combustible objects. Finally, keep lit candles out of the reach of pets and small children.

Tea is relaxing and refreshing whether it is hot or cold. However, have you ever wondered who first thought of the various methods for brewing and serving tea? Well tea drinks have a long and colorful past that circumnavigates the globe.

Brewed Tea

Brewed tea, or hot tea, is suspected to have originated in China. There is documentation that proves that tea was brewed and consumed as a refreshing beverage prior to 4700 B.C. In fact, an early Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, is often credited with inventing hot tea. This discovery is fabled to have occurred when he noticed that tea leaves that had fallen into a pot of boiling water produced a liquid that smelled enticing and that tasted even better. Further evidence shows that the English word "tea" derives from the Amoy Chinese term te (tay), which also means tea. Also the Mandarin word for tea, cha, is most likely where chai (an Indian tea) derived.

Iced Tea

While brewed hot tea has a very long history, iced tea is a somewhat newer invention. In 19^th century America, tea punches were often served as a summer refreshment. These punches were made by mixing various liqueurs with cooled brewed tea. In 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair, Richard Blechynden introduced the world to what we now consider iced tea. Tea that is brewed, cooled and iced for a refreshing summer beverage.

The Tea Bag

Another advancement in tea development occurred in the early part of the 1900s when the tea bag was invented. Officially a patent for a fabric tea bag was filed in 1903, but it was not until 1904 to 1908 that tea bags were introduced to the public. This invention made tea vending a lot less expensive and brewing tea a lot more convenient. You now no longer needed to use a tea infuser or other metallic devices to steep tea, and you no longer needed to worry about tea leaves and other plant parts floating in your beverage.

Conclusion

Today tea is as popular as ever as a beverage. In the North, people drink tea that is more bitter, and in the South, it is served sweet. To accommodate the difference in regional taste buds, dozens of tea flavors are now available in mixes, in tea bags and in bulk.