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.
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 fall 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.
Oh You, TEAse
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Oh you, TEAse founder, AnnaRose, had always had an entrepreneurial spirit – being the daughter of a pizzeria-restaurant owner and growing up in a commercial kitchen, she knew she wanted to open up her own business one day. As a tea lover, she started crafting her own artisan tea blends by hand in small batches. On her 30th birthday, AnnaRose turned her dream into a reality and decided to officially launch Oh You, TEAse.
From her delicious hand-blended teas with their fun, clever names, to the adorable packaging, we can tell that AnnaRose is passionate about spreading happiness and health through a cup of tea.
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.
DRYAD TEA
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Dryad Tea was created in February 2012 by Rubiee, a tea aficionado who also loves music. She handcrafts unique blends inspired by music, mythology, works of literary art and general geekery. You’ll find blends inspired by music from artists such as SJ Tucker and authors including Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, with more to come soon.
We love all the unique and delicious blends that Dryad Tea offers - all with fun names and stories behind them. They also sell tea accessories, and Rubiee has created a beautiful line of ceramic art to pair with Dryad’s blends.
CHICO CHAI
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Chico Chai began in spring of 2004, when owner Sarah Adams saw a need for fresh, handmade chai in her hometown of Chico, California. She had enjoyed brewing chai at home for years, and thought other people might, too. To this day, Chico Chai is blended by hand in small batches, combining fresh, organic spices and organic fair trade black tea. In addition to their Original Chai, you can also find delectable chocolate, turmeric, rooibos, and yerba mate chai blends.
We love the freshness and burst of flavor that we get from each of Chico Chai's blends. You can tell that this is a truly artisan product. Chico Chai strives for sustainability by reusing, recycling, and composting - they're also very active in their community and you can often find them serving up chai goodness at local events and markets.
YOGI
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Yogi Tea's story began in 1969 when Yogi Bhajan, an inspired and inspiring teacher of holistic living, started teaching yoga in the West. He shared with his students the wisdom and knowledge of healthy living and the beneficial properties of herbs that he had mastered in India, all while serving a comforting and aromatic spiced tea they affectionately named “Yogi Tea.” Intrigued by the complex flavor and inherent health benefits of the unique blend, it wasn’t long before several of the yogi’s students were inspired to brew their own “Yogi Tea." In 1984, this grassroots endeavor blossomed into the Yogi Tea Company; now Yogi®, which offers over 40 herbal, green and black wellness tea blends, many of which are created using the five original Yogi spices.
Yogi was founded on the belief of "Feel Good, Be Good, Do Good," which serves as their guiding principle. They are committed to providing a positive workplace for their employees and to making healthy, organic and natural teas that are accessible to many people. We love that their teas are inspired by a combination of the holistic teachings of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Herbalism.
ASHEVILLE TEA CO
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Asheville Tea Company was founded in 2016 by Jessie Dean, featuring craft teas blended with locally sourced ingredients. After experiencing tea in different parts of the world while traveling with her British-born husband, Jessie wanted to bring "everyday tea culture" to Western North Carolina. Noticing the lack of local tea in a town with a thriving craft beverage and farm-to-table scene, she set out to fill that gap and bring local tea to Asheville, partnering with local farmers to source organic ingredients that she uses in her handcrafted blends.
While most tea companies use ingredients from all different parts of the world, Asheville Tea Co is spearheading the farm-to-teacup movement by cultivating partnerships with farmers in their own hometown. This not only benefits the local economy and environment, but also the healthfulness, freshness, and taste of the teas themselves.
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.
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.
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.
TEA FOR THREE
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BRAND
Tea For Three is all about being kind: (1) to our bodies, (2) to the earth, (3) to people around the world who help to grow and process our tea. That’s why all of their tea blends are made with organic and rainforest alliance certified ingredients, ensuring that they are processed in a sustainable and fair way.
We love that Tea For Three is providing amazing teas that are healthy, sustainable and fair - their tea leaves, herbs and spices are sourced from various farms around the world and are then hand-blended in small batches in NYC.
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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.