Dollar Tea Club Review – June 2017

Dollar Tea Club is an inexpensive way to sample different teas. Each month, expect to receive a variety of different caffeinated and herbal teas including plain and flavored teas. Some subscription options are customizable.

This is a review of the Explorer subscription (one of several versions they offer), which provides enough tea to make 6-8 cups ($1 per month plus $3 shipping).

Dollar Tea Club provided us this box at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Dollar Tea Club

The Cost: $1 for the Explorer (3 new samples every month), or choose the “Sommelier” or “Sensei,” which are more customizable options, starting at $8.99 per month. Shipping for the Explorer is $3 (but a decrease in shipping fees is planned for the future).

The Products: Three loose leaf tea samples per month along with a few tea filter bags.

ACTIVE DEAL: valid for 15% off, non-expiring coupon.
CODE: MSAWELCOME

Ships to: U.S. and Canada

Check out lots of great tea subscriptions in the Drinks Subscription Box Directory!

There wasn’t a traditional information card, but the tea packages themselves contain plenty of information on ingredients, brewing temperatures, etc.

Tea Filter Bags

I think there were five of these (unless a few were stuck together, and I miscounted, which is possible). Of course, I have a variety of tea infusers, but for those just starting out with loose leaf tea, it is nice to get a few of these disposable filter bags so you can make your first tea right away.

Assam Organic Tea (0.22 oz)

Assam is a plain black tea. I probably drink more plain black tea than anything else, and I enjoyed this one a lot. It didn’t get too bitter even though I left the bag in for much longer than I should have, and the leaves were big enough that I didn’t end up with a lot of debris at the bottom of my cup. I would say this amount was good for at least three cups, maybe four if you use smaller cups. This one would also be all right if you re-steep it (black teas usually are).

Note: These teas are not available outside of Dollar Tea Club subscriptions, and the blends are custom-made for Dollar Tea Club, so there is not a good way to provide pricing.  However, you are getting three tea samples plus filter bags for only $4.

Full Power (0.22 oz)

This is an herbal tea, and it reminds me of something medicinal. Ingredients include peppermint, lemongrass, echinacea, cinnamon, spearmint, fennel, cardamom, rose hip, ginger, burdock root, cloves, mullein, sweet blackberry leaves, black pepper, and natural flavoring. The cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom are interesting in combination with the mint, and the cinnamon is not too strong (cinnamon has a way of taking over some teas). I feel like this would be especially good to have on hand if you are expecting to experience some sinus congestion or a stomach ache, because it has both respiratory supporting ingredients (e.g., echinacea) and digestion supporting ingredients (e.g., peppermint, ginger).

Sunny Buoy (0.22 oz)

This blend was a pleasant surprise. It is an herbal tea with currants, rose hips, hibiscus, orange peel, pineapple pieces, papaya pieces, and “aroma.”  Not sure what they’re referring to with that last ingredient.) This looked almost like a trail mix to me, with the little pieces of dried fruit. What was interesting is how the dried fruit actually contributed significantly to the flavor (usually dried fruit in tea is hard to detect). The red color (see below) and tartness are primarily from the hibiscus, while there is a sweetness that comes from the fruit. I am a fan of this one.

Here are the teas brewed, from left to right: Assam Organic, Full Power, and Sunny Buoy.

The Verdict:  I did not calculate a value for the June Dollar Tea Club since there is nowhere to buy these specific teas/blends online.  However, for $1 plus $3 in shipping, I am happy. (As you can see from the first image, nearly all of that shipping cost is spent on postage; the rest is probably for the envelope.)

There is enough tea here to get, by my estimate, at least 9 cups, so it works out to less than 50 cents per cup, which is right in line with other premium loose leaf teas. Everything was high quality, too, with identifiable ingredients and robust flavor. If you like to drink a little tea now and then, or are thinking about getting into it, this is a good (and inexpensive) way to try a few things and see what you like without getting overwhelmed. My only criticism is that you can’t buy the teas individually in their shop right now. (You can sample them in this version of the club, then upgrade your subscription and add teas to your box for the next month with some of the subscription options, but that is the only way I can see for you to get more of a specific item.)

What did you think of Dollar Tea Club? Do you get any tea subscriptions?