what is the best tea subscription for less than 20 USD?

That does look like a pretty good deal, although I’d prefer something with a bit more variety than just Indian black teas.

I’m a subscriber. I’ve really enjoyed it. Some of the blends are outstanding. All of them use quality ingredients. A few of them have been either not my thing (e.g. I really don’t like licorice root and they went through a period where it seemed like there was a blend with licorice root each month), or just plain odd. But, I appreciate the experimentation and love trying something new each month. There is at least one each month that makes it worthwhile.

In general each month has a black tea blend, herbal blend, and green/oolong/puer blend. There are about 3 ounces or so of tea, so it’s a fair amount. And, except for this month I think the only flavoring oils or extracts they’ve used is bergamot oil for the earl gray taste. This month had Cistus Black, Midwinter puer, and Cola Blend (herbal).

I did and I was happy with it! I mean, I prefer Verdant’s “pure” teas, normally, but the blends are great! It’s all really high quality, etc. So far, I’ve tended to receive two bags of tea blends and one herbal (though, in the first delivery I got, the herbal blend could be easily adapted into a black tea based blend, if I wanted to do that). It’s a good mix, too, in terms of the base tea – black teas, white teas, Tieguanyin, Big Red Robe…

To get a better idea of the kind of stuff you’ll receive, maybe have a read through some of the steepster reviews for the teas listed under “Verdant Tea (Special)”? Some of those including, for example, the Yunnan Bouquet that I reviewed, were Verdant blends from the Blend club, so it may help to give you an idea :-)

EDIT: I should add – you also get plenty of tea with this subscription. The three bags contain enough for at least 4-5 “big” Verdant-style steeps (you know, the 4-5 g, quick infusion routines) – that’s certainly how I prefer it. It’s a sufficiently small amount, though, that you can finish them all whilst they’re still “fresh”, etc, and not have to waste good tea.

Just curious, do they ship the teas in ziploc pouches that can be re-sealed?

Yes, they are in kraft paper pouches that are resealable.

Any suggestions for your favorites, regardless of price range?

+1 of Simple loose leaf and Amoda!

@Zack White2Tea club, $30 a month. http://www.white2tea.com/white2tea-monthly-tea-club-subscription-club/ I love it so much and worth it!

If I wasn’t subbed to White2Tea, probably Yunnan Sourcing’s club.

I’ve been hearing good things about White2Tea lately.. I’m thinking about switching over to them! How much tea per shipment are you receiving, and what has the typical variety been like? Any other observations/input regarding them would be appreciated too =)

I reviewed the first 2 months on my blog http://oolongowl.com/category/tea-reviews/white-2-tea/
For Jan’s teas, I’ll have the review up next week. Jan was a 125g ripe puer cake, dark feather oolong sample and sample of Big Tree Red (old arbor fermented puer tea made into a black tea). Very high quality stuff and neat variety. I actually group ordered full sizes of some of the teas I got from the last 2 months. December’s teas worked out to saving $15 (their shipping cost) than if you ordered on the site.

I think Yunnan Sourcings’ club has bigger variety and options, but White2Tea has been very impressive.

I have both White 2 tea and Yunnan Sourcing. They are both great and I’m very happy. I need them both .

Thanks for the replies! White2Tea seems to send a lot of puer, which I’m not too into. So would Yunnan be a better option if I don’t want to receive a ton of puer?

YS has different clubs. Go to the site. They have a description of each one. Also in the beginning of the month Scott lists what’s going to be. And you can switch between clubs, just send him email.

Having tried both Amoda and Handmade, I preferred Amoda’s a bit more.

I think the Yunnan Sourcing sub is AWESOME. I was doing puers, but Scott has different ones and I’m guessing the others are equally as good as the puer one. Samples are BIG.

I’ve tried a couple puers from a Mandala sampler I liked, but I’ve also tried others which I find undrinkable. I’m not completely against puer, I’d just rather not gamble with a subscription service sending me quality ones. It’s true though I typically dislike them so far… any suggestions on ones with these coffee/mocha notes you mentioned?

Boyou has some good things and the Menghai Tea Nubs brick is very nice as well. Have you tried Mandala’s Special Dark? it is pretty killer as well. Follow me and we can message if you want.

My favorite is the 2008 Menghai Song of Chi Tse from Berylleb King Tea.

^ Sipping on that one now. It is really enjoyable.
I also like Puerhshop’s 2011 MGH 1108 Mangku ripe brick. Very inexpensive with chocolate, vanilla and fruity notes.

I second the Special Dark recommendation from Mandala. Very cocoa-y. Very dark and intense.