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Admittedly, as a devoted coffee drinker, it took me a while to come around to tea. But after I started realizing that I have caffeine sensitivity, my husband — a lifelong tea lover — recommended Yogi's Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy Tea: a delicious jitter-free coffee substitute that now remains a staple in our household. Since I began incorporating tea into my daily routine a few years back, I've tried dozens of different products to find a tea for every mood and occasion.
We rounded up some of the best teas worth stocking up on whether you like to kick start your workday with a cup of caffeinated Harney and Sons Victorian London Fog, or you prefer winding down with a soothing herbal blend from David's Tea Fruit Tea collection.
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Best tea subscriptionEach monthly box contains 25-50 premium tea bags. Whether you opt for 6 months or a yearly subscription, you can choose from themed boxes based on your tastes or try a random assortment to find new favorites.
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Best peppermint teaPeppermint's tummy-soothing properties have been valued for hundreds of years, to say nothing of its refreshing flavor and aroma. This isn't a brew for those who aren't crazy about peppermint — it's strong stuff.
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Another great mint teaExpect an intense cooling effect that keeps going long after your last sip with this refreshing tea, which is made with wild mint from the Pacific Northwest.
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Best green teaWhether you enjoy it hot or iced, this traditional sencha tea promises a potent earthy flavor and is sourced from Japan.
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Best iced teaMade with tea leaves sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified estates, this tea is bold enough that it won't lose flavor over ice. There's no sugar added, so you can add lemon, mint, or your preferred sweetener.
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Best sleepy-time teaMake this floral-tasting fair-trade tea part of your nightly routine — it's chock full of relaxing ingredients like valerian root, passionflower, chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender.
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Best herbal teaThis tea is made with whole Chrysanthemum flowers sourced from the southeast Chinese province of Jiangxi, making it just as aesthetically pleasing as it is fragrant and delicious.
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Another great herbal teaIf you love cinnamon as much as I do, this super flavor-packed tea — which is reminiscent of Red Hots candy — is sure to become a regular in your rotation.
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Best chai teaIf chai tea is your thing, you'll love this traditional flavor. While recipes vary, the typical blend of spices includes cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, and cloves. The tea is grown and packaged in India and certified fair-trade.
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Another great chai teaMade with leaves from Northern India, six organic spices give this tea that quintessential chai kick. It serves as a stellar base for a hot or iced latte.
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Best sore throat teaAs a singer, I swear by this soothing licorice-tasting tea when my throat is feeling dry, sore, or scratchy. Add a dash of honey for further throat relief.
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Best oolong teaThis tea is sourced from a husband-and-wife farmer team in the Alishan Mountains — the most famous tea-growing region in Taiwan. It's rich, complex, and full-bodied, with a sweet lingering finish.
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Best Irish breakfast teaThis bold and slightly smoky brew is a mixture of Assam, Kenyan, Chinese, and Indonesian teas, creating a smooth, traditional black tea flavor. It tastes great with a bit of sugar and a splash of milk, or you can ice it on a hot day.
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Best decaf black teaA black tea flavored with orange rind, cinnamon, and other spices, this is a warming, comforting cup. It doesn't need any additions, but if you want it a little bit sweeter and creamier, add some sugar and milk.
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Best jasmine teaThis is an ultra-fragrent jasmine tea for serious floral tea drinkers. Note that it does contain caffeine because it's made with a green tea base, like most other jasmine teas.
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Best yerba mateThanks to its smooth and balanced flavor profile, Playadito is one of the most popular yerba mate brands in Argentina — which is where most of the world's yerba mate is made.
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Another great green teaDirect trade importer Rishi sources its certified organic green tea leaves from Japan's Kyushu island. Bright and herbaceous, it's super drinkable with little to no bitterness.
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Best dessert teaSatisfy chocolate cravings with this decadent sugar-free tea, which features organic cocoa powder, nutmeg, honeybush, cinnamon, orange peel, and cardamom. Top it with frothed oat milk for a real treat.
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Best chamomile teaYogi's products are all non-GMO and made with responsibly sourced, organic ingredients. This tea only contains one ingredient: 100% organic chamomile flowers to support relaxation and digestion.
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Another great chamomile teaThis tea blend gently shifts your brain into ready-for-sleep mode. A 10-minute steep produces a mild, floral flavor that tastes best with honey. It's caffeine-free of course, and will likely become a regular nighttime ritual.
Different types of tea
There are four main categories of true tea. While all are made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, they differ in the way the leaves are processed.
- Black tea, the most common and popular type in the West, is brewed from withered, oxidized (exposed to oxygen to break down the plant's cells), and dried tea leaves. It's dark in color, strong in flavor, and contains roughly 60-90 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce cup. By comparison, coffee has approximately 100 milligrams of caffeine per cup.
- Green tea is not oxidized but simply withered and dried, producing a pale gold or green tea with a mild flavor. There are around 35-70 milligrams of caffeine in an 8-ounce cup. Matcha is made from powdered green tea leaves.
- White tea is the least processed. The leaves are picked and dried without first withering. White tea has a delicate, fresh flavor and roughly 30-50 milligrams of caffeine per cup.
- Oolong tea is somewhere between black and green tea in flavor and caffeine content. It's only partially oxidized before it's dried, and the leaves are often rolled or stretched.
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