Simple Loose Leaf Tea Box Review + Coupon – February 2018

Simple Loose Leaf is a monthly loose leaf tea subscription box. Choose from the Classic Tea Box (which contains some caffeinated teas and some herbal teas) or the Decaf Tea Box.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review.   (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.) 

This is a review of the Classic Tea, $9 a month, box.

About Simple Loose Leaf

The Subscription Box:  Simple Loose Leaf

The Cost: $9/month + shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.

The Products: four different hand-packaged loose leaf teas; this is a review of the standard (caffeinated) box and includes a black tea, a green tea, an oolong, and an herbal tea (the types received per month may vary a little – you won’t always get an oolong, for example)

Ships to: The United States for $2.99 and Canada for $9.49

Simple Loose Leaf February 2018 Review

There isn’t a monthly theme, and there is already brewing information on each pouch of tea (as you will see below), so Simple Loose Leaf just uses the information card to introduce themselves:

Here is the card that came with this shipment.

4 Reusable Linen Tea Filters

If you are new to drinking loose leaf tea, not to worry. Simple Loose Leaf has you covered with these reusable tea filter bags. I used these to brew this month’s teas and they worked quite well.

Blue Lady Grey Tea (10g) – Buy 2 oz for $8.24

I used to think I didn’t like Earl Grey tea, but it turns out I just didn’t like really strong, supermarket brand Earl Grey. This one is a little lighter on the bergamot and I definitely appreciate that. I am one of those people who really likes an interesting appearance for a tea blend, and this one has it with some small flowers (blue mellow blossoms and lavender flowers) providing a bit of color without overwhelming the flavor. I brought this to work and I’ve already had a couple cups today. Not so much left now…

Genmaicha (10g)

This one isn’t in the Simple Loose Leaf shop yet. Genmaicha is a green tea with toasted grains (in this case, corn and hulled rice). This results in a smoky taste that can be an acquired taste. I keep trying genmaicha teas and I think I’ve finally acquired the taste (for some reason, I just don’t have the same dedication when it comes to coffee)! (If it’s not your thing, I find that eating some really sour candy before drinking it helps…) I have another genmaicha in my desk drawer and I’d say the ratio of grains/tea for this one is about average after comparing the two.

Blood Orange Herbal (10g) – Buy 2 oz for $8

This is another really pretty one to look at (I particularly like the rose petals). I have found in the past that teas with large fruit pieces (here, orange peel and apple pieces) don’t always have strong flavors, but I can actually taste the fruit in this one, so that’s fun. This is a rooibos and the blend is naturally a little sweet and not as tart as you might expect due to the presence of the hibiscus. Since this has rosehips in it, it is also a source of vitamin C.

Red Robe Oolong (10g) – Buy 2 oz for $13.49

I like that you get teas with a range of price points and that the subscription doesn’t just send out all the cheapest ones from the Simple Loose Leaf shop. Oolong is kind of like a middle point between green and black teas and this is a nice one (oolong, like Earl Grey, is another tea to experience in a high-quality loose leaf form rather than in a bag from the supermarket – completely changes your perspective to get good tea). This is an Asian style tea and might be a little unfamiliar to the Western palate (if you are new to tea, anyway). You can control the strength by steeping for a longer or shorter time; I did not think this got bitter.

Here are the teas brewed:

Clockwise from bottom left: Blue Lady Grey, Genmaicha, Blood Orange Herbal, and Red Robe Oolong. (This is from a fairly short brewing time, which is my standard practice for new teas. You can always dunk the bag back in to make a stronger cup, but adding additional hot water can’t always get rid of bitterness from oversteeping.)

Verdict: Not all of these teas are available in the Simple Loose Leaf shop, and none are available in the 10g size, so I didn’t provide a total value. This Simple Loose Leaf subscription is only $9, so you can think of this as getting four teas for $2.25 each. There’s enough in each bag to brew about 5 cups (if you measure), which works out to less than 50 cents per cup, with the bags thrown in as a nice extra. Everything had a lovely appearance and I enjoyed all the flavors as well. I also think there’s some value as a discovery service since you can purchase larger quantities of most of these in the Simple Loose leaf shop if you find one you particularly enjoy.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, boxes ship on the first of the month so your first box would be March’s.

Coupon - Use code SUBADDICT to get $2 off any Simple Loose Leaf order!

Value Breakdown: At $9 per month, you are paying about $2.25 per tea.

Check out all of our Simple Loose Leaf Team Box reviews and the Drinks Subscription Box List for more tea subscription boxes!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you think of Simple Loose Leaf?  Do you get any tea subscriptions?