Teatourist Subscription Review + Coupon – February 2018

Teatourist is a UK-based tea subscription. Receive samples of six artisanal loose leaf teas each month with enough tea in each portion to brew 3-4 cups.

The outer box was shipped in a plastic envelope and there was an inner box, as well. So the teas were well-protected on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

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.)

About Tea Tourist

The Subscription Box: Teatourist

The Cost: £15 a month + £5 US shipping. At the current exchange rate, that’s about $27.68 USD a month. Save with longer subscriptions. Pause or cancel at any time.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code MOTHERSDAY25 to save 25% off your first box!

ACTIVE DEAL: Save 20% on your first box!
CODE: Tea20

The Products: Six artisanal tea samples selected according to a monthly theme

Ships to: US and Worldwide for £5, the UK for free, and Europe for £3

Teatourist February “Crushes and Blushes” 2018 Review

This was my first box from Teatourist and I was definitely curious to see how a UK-based tea subscription differed from a US-based one:

There was a card with a little more information about the subscription.

And there was a rather large information card with coupon codes for the individual tea brands included this month.

North Jetty Beach by Beach House Teas (8g) – Buy 0.5 oz for $4

This is an herbal tea. Please note that it does have bee pollen, so if you are vegan or allergic, you should avoid it.  The primary ingredients include blackberry leaf, peppermint, peaches, and lavender, with the ingredients all being from the Pacific Northwest. It is suggested as a cocktail infusion but I don’t drink alcohol so I just drank it hot. The peach wasn’t super evident (but dried fruit often isn’t, flavor-wise). I was familiar with this brand from Tea Box Express and I think they make some really interesting blends of a sort you don’t often find from other companies. This one has a rather long steeping time (10+ minutes) so I’m wondering if it would’ve been a bit darker and/or stronger if I’d paid attention to the directionsAnyway, this one is great for evenings before bed.

Cheeky Charlie by The Kettle Shed (12g) – Buy 15 Bags for $6.21 USD (£4.49)

This is a green tea with apple, lime leaves, and lemon verbena. The green tea is pretty light, which works great since the fruit flavors are also pretty light. They’d get lost in a stronger tea but they’re perfect here. This one is good in the afternoon; it does still have caffeine but not as much as a black tea.

Sparkling White by Hoogly Tea (16g) – Buy 50g for $7.61 USD (£5.50)

This is a white tea but it has some green in the blend, as well. It also has a few standard herbal tea ingredients like hibiscus, orange peel, and lemongrass. If you have read some of my other reviews, you will know I am not a fan of lemongrass in general, but it really fades into the blend here (so it works for me). This one has a complex set of flavors and once you drink it, the “Sparkling White” name kind of makes sense, even though it’s not effervescent (of course).

Honey Red Jade Tea by Golden Leaf Tea Co. (14g) – Buy 100g for $38.39 (found here for $23)

This is a fermented black tea from Taiwan and it does have that Asian tea flavor that you won’t find from most American supermarket brands. It is supposed to have a honey and floral fragrance and I think this may be the first time I’ve actually detected the notes in a plain black tea that the packaging says to look for. I love that the product description says you can leave it in the cup and not worry about bitterness because this is totally how I drink tea most of the time. I get busy with something at work and forget all about my tea leaves!

Raspberry and Rhubarb by The Tea Experience (12g) – Buy 50g for $4.57 USD (£3.30)

This is a rooibos tea. I am really happy to see a rooibos that is flavored with something other than orange and vanilla. Not that I don’t like orange and vanilla, but I see them so often, it is just nice to get something different! This one gets pretty astringent pretty fast and is one of only a few teas I think I would typically add honey to (I don’t usually sweeten my tea). I tried this hot, but I think it would also be quite good iced.

Whole Rose Buds by The Tea Makers of London (16g) – Buy 25g for $6.92 USD (£5)

This is an herbal tea. It really just has one ingredient – whole rose buds. It doesn’t have much color when brewed alone, but it has a wonderful rose flavor and aroma. You could drink this on its own or throw a few of the rose buds in a light tea (maybe a plain white) to mix things up a bit. This one is also very pretty to look at, of course.

Verdict: I didn’t attempt to calculate a value here, what with prices being in a mix of dollars and pounds and the sampled amounts not generally being available for individual purchase. If you drink a lot of tea (I definitely do) and are looking to find some new brands, this is a really fun subscription. You see a lot of UK-based brands here that don’t show up in American tea subscriptions, and from a US-based perspective, trying a few samples this way is a lot less risky than ordering large packages from overseas and paying individually for shipping. I was impressed with the variety, as well – I didn’t feel any of the samples were repetitive.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today?  This box is available for individual purchase here as of the time I am writing this review.  From Teatourist:

We ship our boxes during the 1st week (around the 7th) each month. Expect UK delivery within 2-3 working days, European delivery within 5-7 working days and US, Canada & Rest of the World delivery within 7-10 working days.

Coupon - For a limited time, use code MOTHERSDAY25 to save 25% off your first box! Or, use code Tea20 to save 20% off your first box!

Value Breakdown: This box costs about $27.68 at the current exchange rate. You get six teas, which means you are paying about $4.61 per tea.

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

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

What did you think of Teatourist? Do you get any tea subscriptions?