Hi everyone :) 

For those of you that have been here a while, you know that I LOVE putting together this annual list. It’s a special ritual to spend early November compiling all the best things that I think we should be spending our money on. ALWAYS from small, independent brands, that are also usually BIPOC/women/queer-owned, because well… me :) 

If you’re new here - my 2024 and 2023 gift guides are pretty great, if I may - and continue to be our most popular blog posts to date. 

Since I've already covered my fave pantry items, fashion brands, and kitchen tools in those, I decided to do something a little different this year.

Firstly, we launched our Masala Chai in August, and it has quickly become our #1 product?! I did NOT see that coming, beating even our cult fave Aranya Black Pepper on the leaderboard! I’ve been a tea > coffee drinker for most of my life, and growing up in Asia, that’s meant being lucky enough to drink some pretty incredible teas from across India, Nepal, Taiwan, Japan, and Vietnam. I lean towards lighter, nuttier teas, so that makes up a bulk of my recs, but each company that I’ve linked below sources a wealth of INCREDIBLE, equitably sourced, and truly delicious teas for every palate. Let’s ditch the colonizer aesthetic tea companies and the big box stuff that is responsible for some truly terrible labor practices, and build the tea future of our diaspora dreams :’) 

Secondly, as a spice dealer, whose literal job is to source, grade, and sell the world’s best spices, I know a thing or two about sourcing the good stuff, regardless of its country of origin. So this year, I’m sharing some of my Diaspora favorites of course, but I’m also sharing the spices from other brands that make up the rest of my spice drawer! To read my complete spices guide, click here!

1. Song Tea’s Shan Lin Xi Winter Sprout and Soba Botanical Tea - Eight years on, Shan Lin Xi is still my favorite tea of all time. I take it everywhere with me - no plane ride, no farm visit, no morning ritual is complete without a cup, it’s a dangerous one to fall for and oh so worth it! Meanwhile, on the herbal side of teas, a mug of this complex, toasty blend while flipping through a cookbook in bed has become a beloved nightly ritual.

2. Smith Tea’s Rose City Genmaicha - I love classic Japanese Genmaicha, all that savory green nuttiness. So I was initially quite suspicious of this Oregonian twist on the original. But the addition of rose petals and a hint of honey, whilst a little audacious, is extremely delicious. These are my tea bags for a crowd. 

3. Mizuba’s Yorokobi Matcha - Whilst the matcha craze has reached an all time fever pitch and there seems to be a new matcha brand popping up every day, Mizuba has been thoughtfully and diligently working with small, regenerative farms in Japan since 2013. Fun fact: Lauren of Mizuba actually taught me the ropes of importing into the US way back in 2017 when I was just getting started! This particular matcha is a blend of two cultivars, and has a beautiful velvety sweetness. 

4. Young Mountain Tea’s Organic Nepali Golden Black - I often find black teas too astringent and strong but this was an absolute revelation. Honeyed and silky, this tea is a gateway to the sweetness and depth of high quality Nepali teas! 

5. Diaspora Spice Co.’s Chota Tingrai CTC Black Tea - If you’re making masala chai at home, or you just like a high strength, bright black tea, I think there’s truly no CTC tea quite as delicious or high quality as this one!! It just plays SO nicely with milk, sugar and/or spices. 

6. Anna Ye Tea’s Wild Silver Tips - Until Anna visited our Mumbai test kitchen earlier this year for a tasting, I knew little of Vietnamese tea. One of the many teas she poured for our team was this one, and I was so captivated by its delicate sweetness, I placed on order for it immediately! Processed from wild tea buds by the Hmong people of Yên Bái, we are so lucky to have access to this beautiful tea! 

7. Kettl’s Jou Yanagi Houjicha - Roasty, nutty and downright chocolatey, brewing houjicha as a loose leaf tea rather than using the powdered version for a latte opened up a whole new world for me. And because it’s low in caffeine, this is my go-to 5pm brew when I need a lil boost as I cook dinner. 

8. Té Company’s Superb Iced Tea Set and Pineapple Linzer Cookies - I cold brewed these beautiful ice teas from Taiwan all summer, and agree that they are, in fact, superb. Their cookies are a very special (this year, the New York Times Gift Guide agrees with me!) and honestly, the loveliest companion to a cup of buttery oolong. 

9. Diaspora Spice Co.’s Masala Chai - I used to find making chai, even as a literal chai dealer, always a bit of a hit or miss process. Truly, since we developed this blend, I make chai for our guests and visitors at home and the office alike like it’s a magic trick. We use 100% more spices, that are also fresher and higher quality than basically anyone else in the world, and the highest quality CTC we could possibly source, making this a bestseller for a reason. I couldn’t be prouder. 

10. Kee Wah Bakery’s Egg Yolk Custard Mooncakes - I got addicted to these in Hong Kong, and now whenever I order some as a treat, I’ll cut each mooncake into the thinnest slivers to enjoy with a cup of tea, and stretch the box of eight pieces for as many weeks as possible. There’s something about the richness of the custard and the dough that is made to be drunk with tea. 

PS - my #1 (highly biased) rec for holiday gifting this year is The Diaspora Cookbook. It comes out in March ‘26 but if you preorder today, you’ll get 20 exclusive bonus recipes that you can gift in time for Christmas, and then have the second part of the present arrive in the spring!
 

With love & in community,

Sana Javeri Kadri