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 $28.02 USD a month. Save with longer subscriptions. Pause or cancel at any time.
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 April 2018 Review
This was my third box from Teatourist and I was looking forward to some more new brands:
And there was a rather large information card with coupon codes for the individual tea brands included this month.
Belgian Chocolate Rooibos from the Cheshire Tea Co. (8g)
This tea was blended exclusively for Teatourist so it’s not available in the Cheshire Tea Col shop. This has cacao bean pieces for a chocolate flavor and calendula petals (they seem to be mostly for appearance as I couldn’t really taste them). I like rooibos but too often, it just gets vanilla and orange flavors, so I appreciate this opportunity to try a blend that’s a little different (but still totally works). This is a good dessert tea and it seems to be helping me fight chocolate cravings in the office, too.
Blooming Marvelous by Eteaket (12g) – Buy 100g for £7.50 (about $10.51 USD)
This is a sencha (green) tea with flower petals, rosebuds (you can see one in the photo), vanilla, and fruit. The fruit (strawberry, here) is quite evident both in the scent and flavor of this tea and it works quite well. This is a relatively high-caffeine tea so it’s probably best for earlier in the day and it’s a good introduction to sencha if you are not quite ready for plain sencha (some Asian green teas can be an acquired taste…).
Breakfast in Bed by Teatourist (10g)
This is another exclusive tea for this subscription. I think it’s the first time we’ve received a Teatourist-branded tea (at least since I’ve been reviewing the box). It is a black tea with vanilla flavoring. I’d recommend not oversteeping (vanilla can become quite strong). This is called “Breakfast in Bed” but the sweetness has me thinking it’s good for later in the day, maybe after lunch. (It’s not sweetened – the sweet flavor comes naturally from the vanilla.)
Mountain Mint by Nazani Tea (12g) – Buy 50g for £17.95 (about $25.14 USD)
This one is exotic. It is not from a plant well-known in the west, but rather a wild mint relative harvested high above sea level in Armenia. The leaves are milled a little bit, resulting in a puffy, light texture that is unusual among loose leaf teas and mint teas. This is a light tea in terms of flavor, compared to what you would find in American supermarkets.
Pedernales Green Yaupon by CatSpring Yaupon (6g) – Buy 2 oz for $12.95
Yaupon is a plant from North America that is naturally caffeinated. This is grown in Texas using sustainable practices. This is the green or unroasted form but they also have medium and dark roasts available. Now that I’ve tried this one (and it’s quite mild), I’d be interested in seeing how the other roasts compare. (This didn’t make me jittery so, although there’s caffeine, it doesn’t seem like a super high amount.)
Shakti Original Masala Chai by Sonya’s Chai (16g) – Buy 40g for $10
This is a black tea (Assam) with Indian spices. You can drink it as-is, as a spiced black tea, or you can prepare it in the more traditional way with milk on the stovetop. The spices are pretty powerful here (I guess that means they are fresh as well as high quality) so don’t oversteep it. This is from a small company run by an Indian woman currently living in the West.
Bonus Fudge Sample
This is vegan and is supposed to taste like crème egg filling. My husband and I both liked it but agreed we just haven’t had enough crème eggs in our lives to say whether the flavor description is accurate. (It also didn’t melt in my mailbox, which is another plus.) I appreciate the complete ingredient listing provided, as well!
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, being on my 4th cup of the day before noon as I write this) 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 (i.e., even though there were several black teas, they were all a little different).
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. If you sign up before May 14, you’ll get the May box as the first box in your subscription. 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 - Use code Tea20 to save 20% off your first box!
Value Breakdown: This box costs about $28.02 at the current exchange rate. You get six teas, which means you are paying about $4.67 per tea, with the fudge as a bonus.
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