Tea is more than just a healthy drink, it has its own culture and fascinating history and traditions that surround it. If you’re just getting started with your first cup of tea, where should you begin? What are the qualities of tea brands that you should avoid? Depending on how serious you are about your tea, the company that provides it to you is a major factor in what tea you drink.

Long-time tea drinkers tend to avoid large corporations that exploit their downlines, are bad for the planet, or add artificial ingredients. This is all beside the fact that you want delicious and organic tea in the first place. So, here are some tea brands that are good for the planet, good for people, good for you, and safe for your wallet.

Why Are We Talking About This?

Unfortunately, the culture around tea isn’t as strong in America as in other parts of the country, so when we decide we want to try it, we don’t know where to begin or are left with mass-produced garbage. We want to help you not only find affordable and tasty tea but also tea companies that are worth supporting.

#1 ChariTea

• Ethics: Fairtrade, Organic, ChariTea Foundation

ChariTea is a UK-based iced tea company that sells iced tea in beautiful glass bottles. It sources its fair trade whole-leaf ingredients from cooperative and small farms in Sri Lanka and South Africa. They consciously pay higher prices for their ingredients to support dignified farming. It also has a foundation called the ChariTea Foundation that gives 5 cents for every bottle sold to social projects in those regions. It has given more than 6 million euros so far. 

ChariTea’s signature flavors are ChariTea red, ChariTea Mate, ChariTea black, and ChariTea green. The ingredients are just tea organic agave syrup, and fruit juice for sweetening. You unfortunately can only get this Tea in the UK, but fingers crossed that the company considers global shipping in the future.

#2 Sarjesa

• Ethics: Woman Empowerment, Woman Owned, POC Owned

Sarjesa is a Canadian-based company established to raise awareness surrounding Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people who have been murdered or are currently missing. Sarjesa collaborates with local indigenous elders, supports a local women’s shelter, and economically empowers women via its supply chain development.

Sarjesa offers latté powders, loose tea, and tea sachets. Some of its flavors include Blueberry Breakfast, Spiced Chai Blend, Spice RoséLatté, Ginger Peach, and Raspberry Rooibos. Its packaging also features diverse dancers crafted by “community-focused” artists.

#3 Key to Teas

• Ethics: Sustainable, Woman Owned, Compostable

Japanese-American founder, Naoko Tsunoda, created Key to Teas to bring the ritual of Japanese Tea culture to the U.S. On its website, you can find tea organized by type (rooibos, white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong, and botanical blends), by flavor profile (citrus, floral, fruity, spice, cocoa, mint, vegetal, vanilla/honey, and toasty), and by ritual (morning, mid-day, afternoon, and evening). Some unique flavors it carries are Bourbon Vanilla Rooibos, Citrus Lavender Love, Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls, Peach Oolong, and Masala Chai. In the name of sustainability, all teas are loose-leaf and compostable.

#4 Oteas

• Ethics: Sustainable, Responsible Sourcing, 100% Plastic Free, Woman Owned

Aunt/niece founders Shelley & Kris are on a mission to help be the change for climate change. It uses 100% plastic-free, biodegradable, and compostable packaging. It offers teas and infusions made from whole-leaf ingredients and unique blends. Plus, you can buy its products at your local Whole Foods as well as order online!

Some of its unique flavors include Strawberries & Cream Tea, Berry Blend Tea, Belgian Chocolate Truffle, and Lemongrass- Apple- Hibiscus.

#5 Tahmina

• Ethics: WOC Owned,

Tahmina is creating tea to reduce drug trafficking in Afghanistan. By choosing Tahmina, you are choosing to help support sustainably sourced saffron farming and stimulate economic growth in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a conflict-affected country and Tahmina aims to establish economic development through saffron. The Afghan government is investing resources to establish a saffron-exporting economy to offer an alternative to the illegal illicit drug market.

Tahmina offers saffron tea which isn’t just beneficial socially, but is beneficial for gut health and anti-inflammatory properties. Current offerings include loose-leaf tea, Afghan Saffron, and drinkware.

#6 Firebelly Tea

• Ethics: USDA Certified Organic, Compostable Packaging, Rainforest Alliance, Certified Carbon Neutral, Vegan

Firebelly Tea offers natural teas that skip artificial flavors, additives, and preservatives. It is a zero-waste choice because all teas come in compostable and recyclable packaging. Indulge in flavors such as After Dinner Mint, Yuzu Matcha, and Paradise. You can purchase oolong tea, herbal tea, mate, matcha, black tea, and green tea. Always 100% certified organic and sustainably sourced.

#7 BLK + BOLD

• Ethics: Black Owned, Certified B Corp,

BLK + BOLD can be purchased at Target, Walgreens, ShopRite, Giant, and Albertsons, as well as online. It gives back by donating 5% of its profits to supporting American youth all over the country. Besides exceptional coffee, it offers loose-leaf tea. They sell herbal, green tea, black tea, and matcha. Founders Pernell and Rod are interested in investing in the youth to support the future. Its pledge partners include City Growers, Acta Non-Verba, Coud 9 Farms, the Greening Youth Foundation, Comp-U-Dopt, Code Fever, Juxtaposition, the LA Conservation, the Sunset Youth Services, By Degrees Foundation, Youth Guidance, the Urban Growers Collective, and Kid Power.

#8 Equal Exchange

• Ethics: Fairtrade, USDA Certified Organic, Worker Owned

Equal Exchange has been using a fair-trade sourcing model from Nicaragua since the 1980s- before it was cool (or legal).  The founders wanted to stand in solidarity with Latin American Farmers during the US embargo against the Sandinista government. Since then, that model has only grown and become even more fair. It partners with over 40 small farmer cooperatives globally to help them gain crucial market access.

Equal Exchange is a worker-owned co-op based on democratic principles. Each worker-owner gets a say and a vote. Besides its vast array of tea selections, its offerings also include coffee and chocolate. Some of its popular tea flavors are Organic Chai, Organic Jasmine Green, and Organic Vanilla Rooibos.

#9 Numi

• Ethics: USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certified, B-Corp Certified

Numi uses its Together For H(2)OPE initiative to partner with farming communities to give access to clean drinking water. It also uses sustainable packaging made up of 85% post-consumer waste, and biodegradable tea bags.

Something unique that Numi offers is Pu-erh Tea. Pu-erh Tea comes from the Yunnan Mountains, picked from 500-year-old Chinese wild tea trees. It is then fermented for 60 days and can be considered a coffee alternative. Other Tea varieties include Black, Green, White, Herbal, Damiana, Turmeric, Flowering, and Chocolate. It comes in loose-leaf or tea bags.

#10 Pukka

• Ethics: B-Corp Certified, 1% For the Planet, Soil Association Organic-Certified, Fair for Life-Certified

Pukka has lovely plastic-free tea bags and recyclable envelopes. Its website features a handy Dosha Quiz, which allows you to discover your dominant Ayurveda energy patterns that need to be balanced for us to be in fair health.

Some of its flavor offerings include Morning Berry, Joy Tea, Elderberry & Echinacea, and Womankind Tea. You can also shop according to your dominant Dosha, the time of day, ingredients, and tea type.

#11 Teabloom

• Ethics: USDA-Certified Organic, Single-Origin,

At Teabloom, you can purchase luxury tea and teaware. It offers Organic teas as well as Kosher teas! Some of its luxury tea flavors include White Vanilla Apple, Pineapple Ginger, Cape Orange Quince, Caramel Almond Blossom, Minted Mango Peach, and Wildberry Melange.

Teabloom doesn’t just see tea as a beneficial beverage, but an event that can bring people together and build community. Its mission is to sustainably elevate your tea-drinking game through its luxury tea and premium (and beautiful in my opinion) teaware. Most of its teaware is made from premium borosilicate glass, which is lead-free and cadmium-free. Teabloom claims that its teaware doesn’t retain odors, stains, or pathogens. Beyond that, its teas are packaged in plant-based pyramid sachets, loose-leaf tea tins, and metal canisters.

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