Free Your Tea

Free Your Tea has a unique way to purchase loose leaf tea- through personalized subscription boxes.  How this service works is that you start by filling out a short questionnaire about your tea preferences.  The company then uses that information to select 6 different teas for your first box.  There are three monthly plans to pick from- 30 cups for $20, 60 cups for $30, or 90 cups for $40.  If you do the 6 month plan, you get one month free.  The tea is delivered the first week of each month and shipping is free.

After drinking your tea, you rate each one either on their website, or by filling out the questionnaire on the back of the tea envelope and emailing a picture of it to them.  They use this information to select the teas for your next shipment.  What a great way to discover new teas, especially if you are someone that has strong likes or dislikes!  My favorite part of this subscription box is that one of the options is to receive a tea that you like again, or even choose to receive it each month.  I hate when you love a tea and then can't get it again.  That doesn't seem to be a problem here.

Free Your Tea sent me a subscription box in exchange for an honest review.  I won't be able to tell you how well the personalization works. This is a first box for me and I made it really hard for them.  I like all teas, so they really had no information to help them.  When I opened the box, there was a thank you card on the top, which conveniently had the website where to rate the teas right on it.  Underneath were the envelopes of tea.  I loved that I got a variety of teas, two of which were created specifically for cold brew iced tea.  Each tea was packaged in a resealable envelope that was easy to open. There was a description of each tea, brewing directions, origin of the tea, ingredients, and recommendations on what to add to the tea on each envelope.  I love when all the information you need is right at your fingertips!

The company believes that tea should be kept in its loose leaf state, not "crammed in bags" which helps the leaves to hold their chemical compounds longer, causing the tea to remain fresh.  Each tea was definitely good quality and fresh.  Tea bags  were sent along with the tea which I thought was great, especially because this is a fantastic service for new tea drinkers who may not have tea makers, tea balls, etc...

I tried Classic Assam #1 first.   This was a brisk tea, perfect for breakfast.  I tried it with nothing added and also with a bit of honey and milk.  It was wonderful both ways- a good quality assam.  Next I brewed Mango Mint Spice Iced Tea.  I used the cold brew method.  The ingredients for this unique tea were tea, raw mango, spearmint, black pepper, citric acid, cumin, and ginger.  This is not a tea I would have chosen simply because it sounds like an iced chai and I prefer my chai hot.  I am so glad I got to experience this blend.  There was a slight tartness mixed with a sweetness.  The ginger was the standout, but the fruity background just made this tea so different and refreshing.  It was a delicious

combination.  I drank it all and wanted more!  The second iced tea, Pomegranate Hibiscus Iced Tea,  contained tea, pomegranate, strawberry, orange peel, and hibiscus.  The brewing resulted in a beautiful pinkish orange liquid which had a light fruity taste with a hint of floral in there.  This was also very refreshing.  Chamomile Black, which was a simple blend of small black balls of tea from Nilgiri and chamomile,  was a slightly sweet black tea with just a hint of chamomile in the background.  The Moroccan Mint Tea was a green tea blended with spearmint and peppermint.  The green tea could be tasted, but it did not have a strong vegetal flavor and the mint was also not strong, so it blended very well, resulting in a light, fresh blend.  To me, it did not taste like I was drinking green tea. Chamomile Green was the final tea in the box.  This was a blend of green tea, chamomile, and marigold.  This had more of the vegetal, almost swampy qualities usually associated with green tea.  The chamomile in the background minimized the green tea just a bit resulting in a nice balance that green tea lovers would probably enjoy for a change rather than straight green tea.  I have to say I really enjoyed each of these teas, especially the iced teas.

This company really seems to focus on the tea.  When there was something added, for example, an herb or fruit, that taste was not the stand out.  I always could taste the tea in the forefront.  Also, the tea was definitely fresh and good quality, just as their website claims.  I recommend this subscription box for those that are new to tea or are looking to branch out in their tea drinking.  It is also great for those that find a tea that they stick with and like to have it delivered fresh it month.