What is the best tea subscription on the market?

316 Replies

Has anyone else tried the Golden Tips plan? I am looking but a bit nervous about purchasing. I’ve never had a subscription plan before (and I prefer black teas in general). Thanks!

I know I posted earlier, but so far I am really enjoying all the teas I got, and the value really can’t be beat. Purchasing a year works out to be a little over eight bucks a month.

Most of our teas will be black teas from Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, Chai, Signature blends along with a few green, oolong, White & flavored teas.

Cheri select said

I got my first month of it last night. Honestly, you get a TON of tea. What I’m drinking right now….yum!

Will love to read your reviews. Also the August box will be a delightful and fresh assortment of summer teas :)

If you love or like and want to learn more about Indian teas—above all Darjeeling and Assam—I don’t think that you can go wrong with this plan. I am very happy so far and already looking forward to August!

Blod, you need a friend like I have in Cheri. She likes greens and whites, I really prefer blacks, so I just mail her the things I get that aren’t to my taste ;)

Cheri select said

The worst part is that I’m starting to like black teas, too. The Goomtee second flush…wow, that was good.

That’s not a bad thing!

Cheri select said

No, it’s not. It’s a good thing. I’m really growing in my love of tea. I probably wouldn’t have taken a chance on this subscription if it weren’t for the Butiki Educational TTB.

Dear Mr Tips,
I am in love. Your Darjeelings have stolen my heart. I swear I’m not a stalker or anything, but I want more! You might see me lurking on your website, filling my cart with your yummy goodness!
Love,
Sara
PS my husband knows about my Darjeeling affair… It’s ok

I absolutely need a tea buddy! Though I don’t mind whites or greens, I just have way too much tea and I keep purchasing more to try. Still on the fence with this subscription. So much tea, too little storage. :(

You fit right in here.

:D Can’t believe I didn’t know about Steepster before!

Edit: I took the plunge and bought the subscription. Looking forward to getting my first shipment.

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apt said

Tea Drunk does subscriptions. They’re ridiculously expensive but their tea is the absolute best I’ve ever had.
http://www.t-drunk.com/tea-club/

Maybe their tea is good, but fresh tea from China is still fresh tea from China, no? What value is added by their “curation” which could possibly justify a four-fold (or more!) increase in price? $70 for an ounce? Is that tea or gold? ;-)

To be honest, this is starting to look like a tea emporium bubble to me.

I’ll continue to go straight to the source, whenever possible: China, Taiwan, India, Japan…

apt said

sherapop: their tea is REALLY high-grade stuff. much better than ANYTHING that places like Verdant sell. it’s all direct trade with family farms, which the owner curates. high-grade chinese tea fetches more than growing regions (Taiwan, India) due to its fame and a lot of the teas have limited space in which it can grow (wuyi/phoenix teas)

Okay, I’ll just have to take your word for it! ;-)

darby select said

I could agree with them being above Teavana, but not Verdant! If you knew them at all you’d know that they work directly with family farms. David even travels there to visit the farms and meet the growers.

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I signed up for the Verdant Blends Club! They got me with their email telling me that next month’s teas are centered around vanilla. My favorite, those rascals! I’m pretty excited, will let you all know how it goes. :)

Hmm 3 oz for $17 seems high.

I didn’t think it was bad as compared to some other options. And I’ve really liked the blends I’ve tried so far from them. It’s nice that they’re blended teas instead of flavored. AND VANILLA! <3

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Any companies that send you a larger variety of small samples?

Golden tips

Is that the one where I pay one price for the year?

10 Teas | Every Month | Entire Year | Door Delivered

Our tea tasters will go around the lush tea estates of Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, Sikkim, Kangra & Dooars to discover 10 new teas, flavors and experiences for you every month. These teas will then be packed and door delivered to our subscribers all 12 months of the year. Each shipment will include 10grams of each tea and a total of 100g, enough to make 50 cups of distinct and exclusive teas.

$99 for 12 Months | $69 for 6 Months | $49 for 3 Months

Our subscription programme involves a one time payment. Simply pay for an annual, bi-annual or a quarterly programme and sit back as we door deliver 10 new teas every month to you anywhere in the world direct from India. Also, cancel the subscription anytime you want.

Discover India Every Month

Enjoy an entirely new tea experience door delivered every month. Each shipment will come with a tea brewing guide, expert tasting notes and exclusive promotions in case you would want to take the indulgence with your favorite tea forward. Also, be prepared for exciting surprises.

Thank you everyone for the recommendation :)
Please note that our introductory annual subscription price of $99 will be updated in the coming days. So please go ahead and get your subscription booked at the current price very soon. Also, our quantities maybe good, but we always try to keep the quality of our teas better :)

Frolic select said

I was lucky and got in on it while there was an introductory 25% of sale so I got a years worth for 75$. That comes out to $6.25 a month for 100 grams of new to me tea shipped from India!

I love how it’s broadening my horizons and I think the 10g pouches are just right for sampling.

Even at $99 it’s a great deal—less than half the cost of the same program at Teabox…

Hmm… maybe next year.

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cookies said

Are there any companies that do exclusively unflavored subscriptions?

Golden tips

Dexter said

It’s my understanding that the Verdant Classic subscription is all unflavored.

apt said

again – tea drunk for super high end stuff

http://www.t-drunk.com/tea-club/

yyz said

I’m pretty sure this one is http://www.cantonteaco.com/cantonteaclub

cookies said

Thanks everyone! I’ll check them all out.

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Has anyone received the August Golden Tips Teas India box yet?

Cheri select said

No. I chatted with them earlier today. I’m not sure when we’ll get them. They seemed to indicate that there are two festivals in India and that they should have tracking “soon”

I was kind of worried about this for some reason.

Cheri select said

We’ll see.

the boxes were sent out with ‘normal’ EMS int. despatch, at least, I think that was what it said in my shipping notice.
that usually means 14 days plus to get anything from India to Europe. fingers crossed….

You got a shipping notice? I didn’t :(

Cheri select said

I didn’t either. :’(

I got a shipping notification of sorts. I contacted them and they apologized for the delay and then sent me a tracking number.

Cheri select said

Funny. When I chatted them last week they told me they didn’t have tracking numbers yet.

I asked to cancel my subscription. Instead of cancelling they sent me a tracking number. Not sure I want to even pursue it at this point…

The next couple of days are going to go a long way in my decision to continue or not.

Cheri select said

I will wait for this box to arrive, and I will decide at that point. I’m betting it’ll be almost impossible to cancel.

I’ve asked again for a cancellation. Will let you know what they say.

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Dear Blodeuyn, Cheri, Marzipan, Sandra.

Please note that we want to sincerely apologize for the delay in the August box. There has been a delay in a few boxes going to USA & Canada. And keeping in mind this, we will be shipping all our future month boxes well before in time to ensure it is delivered to you around the second or third week of the month. We assure you that we will MORE than compensate for this delay through extra free samples in your September box which you will definitely love. You are aware of the quality of our teas and we can assure you that once you receive the box, you will be more than delighted. We have seen that you guys prefer the box early in the month and we will schedule all boxes accordingly. We will get back to individual queries on mail. Thank You.

Thanks for the update, this goes a long way toward easing concerns. I would really like to continue with the subscription if we can work things out so that they come regularly.

Cheri select said

I appreciate the reply, and I look forward to this and the September box. Communication goes a long way toward making up for issues. Please let us know in the future if there are delays or issues.

As for preferring the box early in the month, that’s not my issue. I just want to know when I should expect the box. It says on your website that it ships out the first week of the month. If this isn’t accurate, it should be updated. That’s all.

Thank you for the update, but is it possible to actually cancel the subscription? I’ve tried twice now with no luck.

I think that the issue is consistency. Everyone was very excited with the swift delivery of the first installment—mine was shipped on July 4th and arrived by the 7th!— so then we were expecting a repeat performance one month later. Now August is almost over, so it seems that the second shipment will arrive in September, which means that we missed a month.

Personally, I’m writing this off to new program logistics and hoping that the wrinkles will be ironed out soon.

I got a tracking number early this week, and a note that said it had gone out before that email. But when I track it nothing shows up. Has anyone else tried?

Mine shows up.

You see stops the box is making?

This is all it shows:
8/24/2014 3:08:03 PM INDIA DIMC NEW DELHI 110002 Receive item at office of exchange (Otb) Air ISC NEW YORK NY (USPS)
8/24/2014 3:12:05 PM INDIA DIMC NEW DELHI 110002 Insert item into bag (Otb) Air ISC NEW YORK NY (USPS)

Same story for me, Marzipan: the number doesn’t seem to correspond to any processed package…

If anyone wants to compare tracking numbers to see if they are sequential, please PM me. I was told my package shipped well before the 24th, but yah…

I just emailed inquiring about my seemingly missing box (which seems like it should arrive the same time at September’s box at this point), and they provided a tracking link that showed the same date and time Blodeuyn.

found a shipping note on another site….
8/24/2014 3:52:06 PM INDIA DIMC NEW DELHI 110002 Insert item into bag (Otb) Air unknown

this is what my shipping note says :( – destination unknown? item received at New Dehli airport on Aug. 24. Nothing after that… :(

This is my tracking number: RD366870425IN. Let me know if they gave you the same one.

my tracking details are: RD366870354IN

good news! I found this site: http://www.trackitonline.org/?service=track and it can help you find any parcel shipped to any destination in the world.
When I typed in my tracking details it said that my shipment arrived at Amsterdam/Schiphol airport on Sept. 1 and is now in transit. :)
hope this link works for you here as well!

I got a response from GT, they tracked mine on http://ipsweb.ptcmysore.gov.in and it shows in transit as of the 24th. Fingers crossed.

Edit, I tracked it on USPS and it says out for delivery today!

Cheri select said

I sent an email asking about a tracking number. Hopefully in future months they just go ahead and send one to everyone, instead of having to beg for one.

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my tracking no. is non-excisting :(! – other time it says pending. I chatted with golden tips on line, and they ensured me my box has left India weeks ago. :)
Indian mail is slow, but (usually) very reliable. Think mine is now 3 weeks on its way. When I haven’t received my Aug. box first week of Sept. I will contact them again…

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Mine is RD366870283IN. All I get is “not available” when I try to track the package…

I just tried at USPS. They say that the status is “sorted” in New Delhi on August 24…

Cheri select said

I’m just jealous that you all have tracking numbers. I didn’t get anything.

Good news: my status is now “out for delivery”!

Cheri select said

I finally got a tracking number (when I had asked before they said they didn’t have them) and it also says out for delivery!

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My box is here. It came registered mail so required a signature. It’s the first box I have ever gotten that was wrapped in cloth and sealed with wax. 10 teas inside, as promised with the regular sub.

Just got my box too. Guess USPS didn’t feel like scanning any of them!

Cheri select said

That’s how mine came last month, wrapped in cloth and sealed with wax.

Uniquity said

These boxes were definitely sent late, but on the tracking front – international tracking is usually a bit of a nightmare. Sadly!

Hopefully onward and upward!

Frolic select said

Mail came and no package :(

I wasn’t home to sign, but will be able to pick it up at the post office tomorrow. Woot woot :)

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