April 2021 Tea Review + Online Tea Shops I Recommend
My first tea review! It’s SO about time.
I currently have 3 dresser drawers full of tea related items and I’m still figuring out solutions to organize this all. Let me know if you have excellent way to organize your teas at home because I’d love to hear them.
Currently, working on some floating shelves to display my treasured tea pot- and tea cup friends and possibly moving into a glass container display for teas. Not minimalist enough you say?
Well to that I say, minimalism is about intensely minimizing things that don’t matter as much to you and maximizing the things that you are passionate about. Also, minimalism is a principal to help you live and consume more intentionally and not just living minimally for the sake of being the best minimalist there ever was.
After all, shouldn’t our collective end-goal as humans be working towards being good stewards to mother earth and each other?
I’ve been dreaming up plans for a capsule tea collection. Any thoughts? Since downsizing my belongings, namely three-quarters of my closet, files and books, I’ve started to feel a new found sense of spaciousness. Opens gate to welcome you to join minimalist cult with creepy smile. >:D
After all, my clothing dresser drawers now have room for tea. :) I would put them in my kitchen but in the last place I lived I had 3 others housemates and sharing (space) is caring.
Anyways, it’s time for what you came here for: the tea review! Here are some tea shops I’ve ordered from or had tea from that I enjoy. I’ve included some thoughts about them below.
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Criteria I generally look for in tea brands:
Quality Taste
Responsibly Sourced & Environmentally Conscious
Organic Selection a plus, but organic doesn’t always mean good.
Reasonable Pricing
Good Storytelling & Purchase Experience
Compatible Tea Ware Selection. It’s so fun to browse these. I’m obsessed. Also, their selection tells you a lot about the tea shop.
4 high quality tea brands I like:
All of the tea companies mentioned here have an online store that should easily ship anywhere in the US and/or Canada and internationally even. Let me know if otherwise or leave a comment below if you have questions.
🌿 Rishi Tea & Botanicals:
This is one of my favorite tea companies that is based out of Wisconsin. Their Earl Grey and Black Tea selections are all excellent. I wake up often craving their English breakfast and mourn when I’m down to the bottom of the sack. When I say excellent I mean, their black tea base is well-balanced in tannins, malt and subtle sweet aromas. These teas have an elevated yet approachable black tea taste.
Their sleek navy blue packaging, gold accents and tea descriptions (on website and package) helps any tea lover to further enjoy their products. It would make a chic addition to any stylish modern household.
They also have an impressive blog and wealth of information on tea around the world and the brewing processes. Occasionally you’ll find their teas in a nice grocery store.
I’m not usually a fruity-froofy person for tea flavors, but for Rishi, I would say their Blueberry Rooibos blend is so delicious when enjoyed iced in the summertime. While they offer a fancy variety of tisanes and other varieties, I haven’t had a chance to try them as their prices add up quickly for my budget.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 6/6
Price : $$
🌿 Red Blossom Tea Company:
Red Blossom is another fine tea vendor from San Francisco that specializes in Chinese Tea varieties. I’m currently loving their Essential Gaiwan Set because its the perfect petite size for travel, solo gongfu tea session, or enjoyment with up to 3 other friends because there are 4 teacups total in this teeny travel set!
I’m making my way through the tea samples in their Essential Collection and so far they are all high quality teas. I love that they also have companion videos that you can QR code-in for tasting guidance. In addition, this set comes with a nice professional cupping set! How neat is that? At $60 (8 tea samples + teaware), I’d say the experience you get from this is worth the more-than-reasonable price, especially with the addition of an industry standard pro-cupping set and strainer.
They also include a sample of a Taiwanese produced matcha from Lishan (oh, how intriguing!) that I was pretty skeptical about at first. I mean matcha from Taiwan? Will it even be good? Verdict: Multi-dimensional flavors and unexpectedly delightful wafts of florals reminiscent of a Tie Guan Yin (Steel Buddha green oolong). My only set-back with it was that it didn’t whisk well. Perhaps it called for a slightly different brew temperature than your typical Japanese matcha or maybe they’re still refining their grinding process? Who knows. I definitely appreciated the sample and would say it’s worth trying, especially if you’re nose-diving in matcha connoisseurship.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 6/6
Price: $$$
🌿 Verdant Tea:
As I sit here writing this, I’m brewing their Mi Lan Xiang (Honey Orchid) Oolong, which is a Dan Cong, or “single bush” tea. Single bush teas, or Dan Cong, are considered precious teas as they are what one would consider “free-range” unpruned and are traditionally picked from “wild” tea trees. More on this later, as Dan Congs deserve a whole deep-dive of their own. But I would say, yummy! I like that their teas come in smaller quantities so that you can sample more varieties. At $8 for 25g (.88oz), it’s a pretty good price for the quality of these teas. Remember, a small amount of tea goes a long way! You can always start with 2g for light solo brew sesh.
Anyways, from what I’ve gathered, this increasingly successful tea brand from Minnesota, has built close relationships with small farms in China. This is a really important point and I can see why it’s a selling point for them. Sourcing and exporting high quality teas from China has been historically not an easy task. At Verdant tea, they are all about transparency with their sourcing which is the direction that we really want to aim for in all tea brands. You can find the tea farmer profiles right smack on the front page. It also has tons of really clear infographics to lead the way when it comes to brewing. I’m really digging this brand already!
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 5+/6
Price: $$
🌿 BELLOCQ Tea Atelier:
I give this dreamy Brooklyn-based tea company 5-stars in terms of skill in tea blending and storytelling. When I’m visiting their website, I’m feel like I’m prancing through the hills of Switzerland with basket of scones in hand and a period-costumes tea shepherd leading the way as the breeze brushes past the ringlets in my hair. Wispy, Weeee!
I was looking to purchase something without caffeine and something that would be tonic for one’s immune system, lungs, and what not, so I figured if there’s any place to try a high quality tisane (herbal “tea” with caffeine), this would be it.
I purchased a 3oz. “Atelier Bag,” of Pic di Midi and Swiss Institute. The anise flavor of the Swiss Institute was expertly blended so as not to overpower the whole drink, but just enough for a perfect nighttime spice to tonify the lung system. The Pic du Midi made me want to take a nap with a woolen blanket (as it describes) under a tree at a botanic garden. Mm…so cozy. How did they do it? It’s one of those things you’ll have to experience for yourself.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 6/6
Price: $$
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Decent starter tea brands for the beginner/intermediate tea hobbyist:
🌿 Master Teas:
Good place to start when you are getting into loose leaf Chinese teas. They have abundant harvest information and plenty of good reading on the teas. I have found some teas can be hit or miss however. I particularly loved their Formosa Oolong. It stood for many brews and revealed many layers of dried fruit, honey and pink florals.
I wasn’t particularly impressed with their Jasmine Phoenix Pearl or the Tai Ping Hou Kui.
I tried their Huang Shan Mao Feng which is refreshing and layered in flavor for a green tea.
The one yellow tea I own, that looks very similar to the appearance of white tea, is their Jun Shan Yin Zhen. It had a nice creamy, artichoke flavor and the color of the pretty beige liquor reminded me of the pages of an aged manuscript.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 4/6
Price: $$
🌿 Teasenz:
I purchased many of my teas for tea class from this website as it had large variety of Chinese teas. The quality is mostly very good across the board.
Jin Jun Mei, or “golden brow” is like a dessert tea all on its own. This is variety is of my favorites and the Teasenz Jin Jun Mei did not disappoint. The first impression from the leaves you see an abundance of petite golden buds. The sweet malt chocolate aroma that pulls you right in. Flavor exhibits hints of hazelnut, cocoa, and sweetness. This top-shelf tea is a must try.
I would also recommend their Bai Mu Dan (White Peony), the Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe), and Anji Bai (Anji White), which is actually just a green tea.
The fun thing about all these Chinese teas is that they all have stories and legends that accompany them, which makes them extra fun to drink, research and share!
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 4/6
Price: $
🌿 Fusion Teas:
I also ordered many teas from this Texas based company for my tea classes as their teas came at an affordable price. They cater to a more southern clientele in America with their wide variety of flavored blends, which I’m not the biggest fan of always, so I wouldn’t suggest ordering your Oolongs or Green teas here if you’re looking for exceptional to fine quality Chinese or Japanese teas. However, their shipping was fast and overall pleasant drinking experience would have me coming back for their herbal blends. One herbal blend me and my friends took a liking to was their Harmony blend. I also like that they have a lot of background information on their teas. Also, they have a large selection of organic teas, but do remember, organic doesn’t always mean better quality or flavor when it comes to tea.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️ 3/6
Price: $
🌿 Simple Loose Leaf Company:
I really want to love this tea company as they have nice branding and a good story. They however cater more to the everyday consumer so their teas aren’t going to be anything luxurious or rare. Sometimes that’s okay though. Sometimes you just want a low-key drinkable tea. I ordered their Tea Sampler set to experience what a tea box was like, as well as their Second Flush Darjeeling.
Of the tea samples I tried, I actually was not so impressed with the Lavender Earl Grey. A bit too much lavender. Also they included a Blood Orange Rooibos which was also not blended so well in my opinion. These teas would probably go go down a bit better with sugar and/or milk, but then that’s where I draw the line. If a tea needs additions to taste good, it isn’t very good to begin with. Plus I’m getting all these extra calories I don’t need. I did enjoy receiving the little box of tea samples and cloth tea bags (which I still haven’t used any of them). This could be a nice gift idea possibly.
The Second Flush Darjeeling I had was notable. It had an attractive dry leaf appearance of reddish tints and buds. The brew was a beautiful red amber liquor. Aroma included a light cardamom spice and wood bark. Texture was smooth on the palate and I especially enjoyed the dark honey notes. Overall, very affordable for the overall value and quality of the products.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️ 3/6
Price: $
🌿 Harney & Sons:
For the sake of nostalgia, I included here Harney & Sons. This is a recognizable New York brand as it’s readily available at most markets and they offer artisan blends at affordable prices. They also have a large range of tea qualities, but I haven’t recently purchased anything in the top shelf from them. It was one of the first tea companies that I considered to be luxurious and high quality when I was a novice at tea drinking as it follows a bit of the fancy old world European-like branding. I’m still a fan of their Paris blend and once in a while enjoy their more subtle blends like their Coconut Green Tea. Also how can you not love their tins? As good as I’m sure some of their teas are, I’m not convinced they are as fine as they say. Maybe I need to order some of their rare teas in the near future just to see!
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 4/6
Price: $$
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A few last sentiments here…
I’m writing this review of teas often from notes and the impression I had on the teas. I encourage you to develop your palate and taste for these teas and teas you discover.
Concentrating on your senses such as sight, smell and taste is a great way to relax and take your mind off things that have been stressful throughout your day.
I’ve read countless articles on the subject of focusing on your senses to help relieve anxiety and stress. Not only does taking time in your day to enjoy some tea enable you to practice calmness of mind, but the actual minerals and relaxing chemicals in tea add to your overall health and well-being. Minerals, vitamins and relaxing chemicals, such as GABAs, or Gamma-aminobutyric acid, a type of neurotransmitter, can be found in tea and helps elevate mood.
The only set back to watch out for is that tea has been shown to decrease your absorption of iron.
If you are concerned about your iron levels, make sure you leave a 30-minute space before and after your meals before consuming tea.
It also happens to be a good digestive “hygiene” practice anyway to do so as to not dilute your digestive stomach acids.
I hope this article was helpful as you approach your tea buying experience online. Give it a try. I’m here to answer questions you have. Until next time!
xOO MinTea