I love tea. I drink a lot of it – everything from strong black teas to rooibos to fruity herbal tisanes. I also love trying new teas and look forward to David Tea’s “24 Days of Tea” advent tea calendar each year (well, for the last three years). I wanted to keep that feeling of trying surprise new teas alive so I looked into a few of the different monthly tea subscription companies that ship to Canada to see if there were any I liked well enough to subscribe to. Turns out there are quite a few. I just can’t believe it took so long for me to sign up for one (or five).
But since I did, I thought I would share my thoughts on the various companies (Canadian and American) I tried. Please note that I paid for each subscription for two months for this article, as I didn’t want base my opinion on a single box. As all five were similarly priced (prices are noted below), I based my opinion on the selection of teas in each box, the amount of tea in each box, the information provided about the teas, and of course, the flavours of the tea. I also made a note about the cost, location of each company, and when the teas arrived but those didn’t factor in my opinion.
After the boxes started arriving, I also realized that those with allergies might also want to think about the companies ability to accommodate them. This became apparent as three (3) of the five (5) December boxes contained a tea I can’t drink due to an allergy to rose petals (I know, it’s an odd allergy but what can you do). So I made a note of how each company handles special requests.
Please note: if there was no weight or amount of the tea listed, I measured using my usual tea measuring spoon (David’s Tea’s ‘perfect’ spoon) to determine a “serving” so I could compare.
Here are the tea companies I used:
Amoda Tea
- $20.00 CAN, includes shipping
- Vancouver, BC
- AmodaTea.com
The first box arrived not long after I ordered it, in fact I was contacted by email to verify which month I wanted my first box to start as I ordered the day after their regular ship date. They also send out regular emails about tea which is nice. The teas are curated from different companies but there’s not a lot of info about the companies they come from and they come in Amoda packaging with a small logo from the original company.
Selection: The first box included four (4) loose leaf teas plus 10 tea filters (without drawstring). The January box contained five (5) loose leaf teas, four (4) plus the replacement tea.
Amount of tea: No specific amount listed on the packets (I’m guessing approx. 20g in total) but each packet contained two (2) servings of tea, depending on how you like your tea. Although tea leaves could, and should, be used more than once. 🙂
Flavour/quality: Even though one of the teas in the first box had rose, I enjoyed the flavour and variety of the teas in the boxes. Well, most of them. The Coastal Cranberry Spice (herbal), Annapurna (oolong) and Dream (herbal) were my favourites. I don’t recommend the Blood Orange (pu’erh) though.
Accommodation of allergies: Very responsive to email and replaced the tea I couldn’t drink due to an allergy in the next box and made a note not to select any teas containing rose in future boxes. I was very impressed.
Rating: While I was a little disappointed in the amount of tea provided in each sample as it was the smallest amount of tea of the five companies, the personal responsiveness made me want to support the company. I liked their teas and the variety, although more so the January box, I just wish there was a little bit more of each tea.
Simple Loose Leaf Tea
- $9.00 + $9.99 shipping USD
- Arkansas according to their phone number but the location isn’t listed
- SimpleLooseLeaf.com
You can choose from different tea boxes – original sampler, herbal, green tea or black tea – and I choose the original sampler. The first box didn’t ship until January. Included in the box was a small pamphlet describing the teas and why they were chosen. I found the brewing directions less helpful as the amount of tea you were to use was listed in grams, not the more standard teaspoon or tablespoon.
Selection: Each box included four (4) loose leaf packets plus 4 reusable tea filters (with drawstring) – although each month’s reusable tea filters were made up of different types of material; as well as a brief description of each that sounded like it was aimed at people not familiar with tea (and which needed to be edited better).
Amount of tea: Each box included four (4) loose leaf teas that were 10g each (so 40g in total).
Flavour/quality: I found the first box’s teas to be quite basic (and one contained rose), although I liked the Qi Lan Oolong (oolong). The teas in the second box were better, more complex in flavour.
Accommodation of allergies: They don’t allow for customization because of their business model (which employs people with developmental disabilities).
Rating: I wasn’t overly impressed that I was charged for the February box two days after the January one arrived as that gives little time to cancel if one doesn’t like the product. Also I didn’t get a feeling of confidence when the instructions for the genmaicha said to use water heated to 212F (100C) which would burn the green tea.
My Tea Box
- $24.99 CDN, includes shipping
- London, ON
- MyTeaBox.ca
They let me know right after ordering that my first box would arrive in January which was nice. The first box came with a hand-written welcome card and a cute little heart-shaped tea ball which was a super nice touch. There was also an info sheet on the teas.
Selection: Each box included three (3) loose leaf teas and a note card about the teas. The January box also included the bonus tea ball. The February box included a little note letting me know about the substitution because of my allergy.
Amount of tea: Each box included three (3) loose leaf teas that were different sizes from 14g to 26g, with the total amount of tea varying but approx. 60g.
Flavour/quality: I really enjoyed their teas and there was a nice variety between the boxes. Favourites were Warm & Cozy (rooibos), Coconut Vacation (herbal) and Berry Hibiscus Love (fruit infusion).
Accommodation of allergies: I had to follow up before receiving a response to my email about my allergy. They plan on accommodating my allergy in the February box (it contained a tea with rose) but aren’t able to guarantee in the future as they can’t offer customization at this time.
Rating: I liked the teas, and there was a decent amount of each, even if there were only three of them each month. Unfortunately, they can’t accommodate allergies regularly so while I’d recommend them, the company won’t work for me.
Sips by
- $15.00 + $9.50 shipping USD
- Austin, Texas
- Sipsby.com
My first box arrived not long after I ordered it in December. This company curates teas from different companies and the teas come in those company’s packaging (and with a discount if you order from that company). Interestingly, you need to fill out a quick questionnaire beforehand so the boxes can be personalized to you. Each box also comes with a card listing the teas with steeping instructions and tasting notes.
Selection: The December box included four (4) teas plus 10 tea filters (with drawstring). There was a black tea, a white tea, a rooibos, and four chai sachets. Three loose leaf teas (two flavoured, one pure) and one (chai) in sachets.
Amount of tea: In the December box, each tea was slightly different sized – four (4) sachets and loose leaf tea from 10g to mystery sized. The January box was similar in the amount of tea.
Flavour/quality: The variety of teas was lovely. There wasn’t a bad tea in either box. I particularly liked White Tea with Apple and Holiday Spice (white tea) and Fireside Spice (herbal).
Accommodation of allergies: Responded to my email quickly that they made a note on my account of my allergy.
Rating: If I was living in the US (or the exchange rate wasn’t so crappy right now), this would have been my choice. Good variety and quantity of teas, and they were able to accommodate my allergy. It was just a bit to pricey with Canadian dollar right now.
Tea Sparrow
- $20.00 CDN, includes shipping
- Vancouver, BC
- TeaSparrow.com
The first box arrived not long after I ordered it in December and contained an extra tea packet. There is an information sheet but it could be designed better (bullet points rather than paragraph form). No information (or anything else) in the January box.
Selection: The December box contained four (4) loose leaf teas + one (1) bonus loose leaf tea – one herbal, two rooibos, one green and one black. All except the herbal were flavoured, not pure tea. The January box contained four (4) loose leaf teas; three flavoured and one pure tea.
Amount of tea: I was only expecting four (4) teas so was pleasantly surprised with the bonus tea in the December box. Each tea was 18g/0.6oz (which is approx. 5 servings). The January box had four (4) teas, so 72g in total.
Flavour/quality: I wasn’t overly impressed with the teas but neither was I disappointed. Basically, the teas were nice but nothing really stood out.
Accommodation of allergies: Responded to my email quickly that they made a note on my account of my allergy.
Rating: I liked the amount of tea as it allows for a couple of servings per tea, but found the tea boxes too structured as you always knew you were getting a black, green, rooibos and herbal tea. Good company if organic is important as most of their teas and ingredients are.
Final Thoughts
Monthly tea subscription boxes are an interesting, and not overly expensive, way to explore different teas. I would definitely recommend trying one if you like tea, although perhaps not five at once. But I would recommend that the companies either ask if subscribers have any allergies as it’s a bit annoying to have a tea arrive that I can’t drink (and I’m not the only one with allergies) or be up front that they can’t accommodate allergies (or any other customization/changes to the subscription).
Of the five I tried, Sips by did ask about allergies in their quiz but you could only choose between certain choices, there was no option to fill in your own answer if it didn’t match their selections (which mine didn’t). They did, however, respond quickly to my email and make a note of my allergy on my account (which I am assuming means they can accommodate it). Tea Sparrow does talk about allergies in their FAQs and invited subscribers to contact them with them. When I did contact them, they respond quickly to my email and make a note of my allergy on my account (which I am assuming means they can accommodate it). Simple Loose Leaf doesn’t allow for customization (although they have a good reason for it) and are up front about that in their FAQs. Amoda Tea has a guarantee (that I used) and sent a replacement tea in my next box. They also made a note of my allergy and explicitly said they would accommodate my allergy. My Tea Box asks you to contact them if you have any issues. I had to follow up on my initial email but while they would swap out a tea in my February box, they couldn’t guarantee to accommodate for future boxes; because they don’t offer customization.
After two months, I pared down my tea subscription to one company and here’s my reasoning. If Sips by were Canadian (or the prices were), I would have gone with them as I enjoyed their teas the most, and I liked their variety (and they could and would accommodate my allergy) but the exchange rate is killer right now. I liked the personal feel of Amoda Tea and I liked the variety of teas but the amount of tea was much smaller (compared to the others). My Tea Box had less variety (there were only three teas each month) but they were lovely teas and a nice amount of each but they couldn’t accommodate my allergy. Tea Sparrow doesn’t have the variety of the others as each month is a black tea, green tea, rooibos and herbal tea; and I wanted less structure in my subscription. However, the teas are quite good and a nice quantity. Simple Loose Leaf Tea couldn’t accommodate allergies, the exchange rate is horrible and they charged my second month a day after my first arrived (giving me no time to cancel if I wanted to).
The winner, for me, is none of them. Mainly because I own too much tea in general. Although I did continue on with Amoda Tea and My Tea Box for another month or two. But if you’re looking to explore teas, a tea subscription company would be a good place to start.
Have you tried any tea subscription companies? Which would you recommend?
The Musings Nook 
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