Sips by is shaking up how U.S. tea drinkers discover their new favorite teas and tea brands. Each month, Sips by delights both new and experienced tea lovers with a personalized tea subscription box. Members receive, taste, and rate personalized tea selections sourced from top tea brands around the world. In 2018, Sips by received more than 75,000 ratings from over 20,000 tea lovers.
Interested in trying these teas and others? Subscribers receive 4 teas chosen just for them in every box. Learn more about our tea subscription box or explore the loose leaf tea shop.
To celebrate the official beginning of the best season to drink tea while sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket, we’re posting our top tea brands from winter 2018 as voted by our members. From loose leaf tea to bagged tea, from small to large tea brands, our top tea brands, much like our monthly personalized tea subscription box, have something for every taste.
NEPAL TEA
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Nepal Tea brings the finest, organic and high mountain teas from the foothills of Mt. Kanchanjangha, the third highest mountain in the world. They take responsibility for the entire supply chain – from production to packaging and distribution – and eliminate the middlemen who provide sub-par values to poor farmers in Nepal while increasing costs for the consumers. They not only empower their farmers economically by providing them better revenues, but also uplift them socially by providing free housing and free education to their children and distributing cows for additional income.
Nepal Tea LLC not only provides high quality, delicious teas to tea drinkers around the world, but also is committed to improving the living standards of villagers in Nepal. They provide a range of support and benefits for the farmers and their families, keeping them out of poverty, and help in various areas, from sanitation and medical facilities, to housing and education.
HARNEY & SONS
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Harney & Sons was founded on a commitment to deliver customers the finest quality tea possible. This promise, made over 30 years ago, serves as the company's guiding principle. Founder John Harney's sons carry on the tradition. Today, Harney & Sons Tea remains family owned and managed, with three generations of Harneys preserving John's tradition of fine tea and traveling the world in search of the finest ingredients.
Harney & Sons Fine Teas is a staple in the tea industry and has a wide variety of modern flavored blends, as well as timeless classics, to choose from.
AJIRI TEA
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Founded in 2008, Ajiri Tea is a women-owned and women-run business that started with the social mission of creating employment for the people of western Kenya and of educating the local orphans. Ajiri comes from the Swahili word "to employ." They specialize in Kenyan tea handpicked on small-scale farms and employ women in the Kisii district of western Kenya to produce the handmade labels and decorative features of each box of tea. All profits from the tea go directly towards orphans' school fees and the purchase of books, uniforms, and school supplies.
We love the mission that Ajiri Tea owners Sara and Kate Holby are focused on - instead of just short-term aid, they have found a way to create a sustainable cycle of employment and education where it is truly needed, and are bringing us an incredible product as well. Plus, each box of tea comes with a beautiful and unique piece of artwork handcrafted by women in Kenya.
FULL LEAF TEA CO
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Based out of Southern Oregon, Full Leaf Tea Company was created by husband and wife team Matt and Lisa, and offers a wide variety of loose leaf teas, matcha, and accessories. Their teas are created by in-house tea artisans and blenders, giving their customers an array of products that can't be found anywhere else.
We love the attention and detail that the Full Leaf Tea Co team puts into each and every order - their teas are hand-blended and packaged, and their brand truly revolves around their customers. We also love the variety of tea you can find, including unique wellness teas designed for certain health functions.
DAVIDsTEA
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
DAVIDsTEA opened their first store in 2008 in Toronto, Canada, with a mission to provide great tea, friendly stores, and above-and-beyond customer service. Today they have over 240 stores across Canada and the United States, providing over 150 types of teas, including exclusive blends, limited edition seasonal collections, traditional straight teas and exotic infusions from around the globe.
DAVIDsTEA has something to satisfy every palate and every craving, whether you're looking for a sweet treat or something more traditional. They also will help you make your best cup of tea possible, providing a line of innovative tea accessories designed in-house, from spoons and infusers to tea sets and travel mugs.
teapigs
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Nick and Louise started teapigs in November 2006 with one mission – to get people drinking real tea again. They met while working for a really big tea company, where they learned all about tea and drank lots of it. The more they learned and the more they drank, the more they came to realize something: there's a whole world of quality teas out there that simply aren't getting the attention they deserve. And so teapigs was born.
teapigs, hailing from the UK, has a "no air, no graces, just fine tea" approach. They offer a "mix and match," where you can combine two of your preferred teas at a discount, and "piglets" which let you sample their variety of flavors.
AHMAD TEA
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Ahmad Tea is a British family business with over four generations of passion for producing the finest teas. Their comprehensive range of classic black teas, delicious fruit teas, healthy green teas, and natural herbal infusions are sold in over 80 countries around the world.
Ahmad Tea combines heritage and innovation to provide some of the best classic English teas along with new and unique blends. Fun fact: in 2011, Ahmad Tea was awarded the responsibility of supplying and packing tea for the Royal Collection, including Buckingham Palace - their tea is truly fit for a queen.
DAVIDSON'S ORGANIC TEAS
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Based in Reno, Nevada for over 40 years, Davidson's Organic Teas is a third-generation, farm-to-cup tea company that prides itself on offering healthful, organic, high quality teas, herbs and spices. The family-owned company operates nearly a dozen bio-dynamic, organic tea gardens in Darjeeling, India. That means that Davidson's grows, imports, blends, and packages their own tea.
With over 40 years of experience, Davidson's has worked tirelessly to develop tea blends that are true reflections of the flavor profiles for which each blend is named. Davidson's believes that organic farming works in harmony with nature, and they are committed to promoting the health and safety of their small farmers, in conjunction with preserving the rich environmental diversity in the regions where their tea is grown.
PUKKA
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Pukka creates delicious organic herbal teas that help you on your journey to a healthier and happier life. ‘Pukka’ means authentic, and it’s at the heart of everything they do. Created by co-founder and master herbsmith Sebastian Pole, Pukka only uses the finest grade organic herbs sustainably sourced and fairly traded. Their passion to connect people, plants, and planet starts with a cup of delicious herbal tea. Pukka loves when people all over the world to tune in to the power of plants and discover more about themselves.
Pukka is a UK founded brand with a culture that feels right to us. We love their focus on fine ingredients to bring its customers quality herbal teas.
FAVA TEA CO
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Fava Tea Company is a family-owned loose tea specialty retail store offering over 350 rare, classic, and unique teas. It was founded in 2007 by Bryan and Melissa Stafford in Appleton, Wisconsin, and they now have three locations throughout Wisconsin. In addition to hundreds of varieties of tea, Fava Tea also provides brewing accessories, as well as education and tips for customers who may not be familiar with the loose leaf tea process.
Fava Tea provides an exciting, delicious, and educational tea experience for their customers! Many of their teas are handcrafted in small batches, ensuring the freshest cup each time, and they are always coming out with unique and beautiful blends.
Want to learn more about our top rated teas?
About Sips by: We’re a female-founded and led startup that makes discovering tea fun, personalized, and affordable. The Sips by Box is the only multi-brand, personalized tea subscription box. Each month, we match tea drinkers across the U.S. with delicious teas from over 150 global tea brands that we’re sure they’ll love. Based out of Austin, Texas, we are adept at savoring a hot mug even when it’s seasonally inappropriate.