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 is a review of the Classic Tea, $9 a month, 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.)
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 August 2018 Review
There isn’t a monthly theme, and there is already brewing information on each pouch of tea (as you will see below), but there was a simple brochure this month. (As an aside, I am a fan of the new, smaller box – less cardboard waste.):
Here is the booklet 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. You’ll get a new set of 4 bags every month, too. I am happy to see that these are unbleached.
Berry Chamomile (10g)
To me, this was more “berry” than chamomile. Seeing the whole chamomile flowers is kind of fun, though. This is caffeine-free and very fruity without being too tart (sometimes hibiscus is really tart) and is a nice one for evenings to wind down before going to bed.
Grand Keemun (10g)
This is a black tea and I have to admit, plain black teas are some of my favorites. Although this has a name that makes it sound like an Asian style, I think those with a more Western palate will find a lot to enjoy here. If you are into adding flavors to your own tea, I think this one works particularly nice with floral additions (I have some drops of edible rose oil and some rose buds that I’ve been adding). But it is also pretty good on its own.
Green Hibiscus (10g)
This is a green tea blend where the green tea takes a back seat to super fruity flavors (lychee and mango in this case), even though there are actually quite a lot of floral ingredients (i.e., hibiscus, marigold, safflowers, jasmine). I will say, the flowers make this one very pretty in person. This blend works well for me as a summer afternoon tea so I brought it to my office.
Kashmiri Chai (10g)
This month, instead of an oolong, we get a second green tea (sometimes that happens). This one is super spicy but in a good way, just be sure to remove the tea leaves after steeping for a little while or the cinnamon will get too strong. I think the spices work well with green tea in a way that would be a bit overpowered by a black or oolong tea. I just drank this brewed with water but you could also do it true “chai style” and add milk.
Verdict: Simple Loose Leaf is only $11.99 (including $2.99 shipping to the US), so you can think of this as getting four teas for $3 each. There’s enough in each bag to brew about 5 cups (if you measure, which I admittedly usually don’t), which works out to about 60 cents per cup, with the bags thrown in as a nice extra. The teas this month were not yet available in the Simple Loose Leaf shop (but they will probably show up there eventually) so I haven’t linked or provided pricing; these are often exclusive blends and/or hard-to-find cultivars, often not available in retail packaging at these small sample sizes, and it’s a great way to try some new blends before committing to a full-size purchase. I was definitely a fan of this month’s selections and am already almost out of the Grand Keemun!
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 September's.
Coupon - Use code SUBADDICT to get $2 off any Simple Loose Leaf quarterly order!
Value Breakdown: At $11.99 per month (including shipping), you are paying about $3 per tea.
Check out all of our Simple Loose Leaf Team Box reviews and the Drinks Subscription Box List for more tea subscription boxes!
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What did you think of Simple Loose Leaf? Do you get any tea subscriptions?
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