Top Tea Products

11. Sencha Naturals Green Tea Mints

Price: $6.21

These mints are boosted with organic tea extracts.

Tea is known to have many health benefits, from combating heart disease and lowering cholesterol to staving off several types of cancer. Less known is its ability to suppress the root causes of bad breath. David Kerdoon, founder of Sencha Naturals Green Tea Mints, has figured out how to give people the benefits of a fresh mouth via the help of tea without involving any brewing or mug-holding.

His Sencha (a popular Japanese green tea) mints come in three different flavors: Delicate Pear, Lively Lemongrass, Morning Lychee and Original. They are made with organic tea extract and other natural ingredients like sweet fennel, pear extract, fresh ginger root and tea tree oil. Don’t expect the strong minty burst of the usual breath fresheners—the flavor comes in waves of subtle sweetness in the Delicate Pear and pleasant hints of tartness in the Lively Lemongrass. Three loose-leaf mints is the equivalent to drinking one cup of green tea. And when they say loose leaf, they mean it. Each mint is shaped like a leaf, with lines etched into each one—a tiny detail sure to make any tea aficionado smile.

12. T-Sac Tea Filter Bags

Price: $6.99

Get the best of both worlds with these tea bags designed for loose-leaf teas.

In today’s bustling society, the teabag is an essential convenience. Thomas Lipton of Lipton Tea, who patented the Flo-Thru Teabag in 1952, knew this and made a fortune from it. But, what’s inside those little bags holding your tea? And with some made from hand-sewn silk muslin bags, others from see-through nylon, does the sachet indeed make a difference?

A bag with enough space for the tea to infuse properly is a sound alternative to loose-leaf tea that requires brewing in a teapot or cup. Teabags are efficient, convenient and easy to dispose of. However, teabags are constrictive and prohibit the leaves from opening, unfolding and releasing their delightful flavor. They often contain tea of inferior quality that tends to release tannin, making it taste bitter or harsh, especially if steeped too long. For the true tea-lover, the taste of loose-leaf tea is far superior to that in teabags, with only a few exceptions. Plus, loose-leaf teas are brewed right in a teapot or cup, giving the leaves room to open and unfold, releasing their full taste for the tea-lover’s pleasure and enjoyment.

A happy compromise is the inexpensive, fully-portable T-Sac Filter. It’s large enough for loose-leaf teas to unfold and open naturally, releasing their full flavor. Tea drinkers can take them anywhere, along with a pinch or two of their favorite tea, and enjoy all the convenience offered by conventional tea bags.

13. Tea Forté Rejuvenation Set

Price: $55

For a modern and sumptuous tea experience in stylish presentation, Tea Forté has created this innovative tea set.

Steep one of their gourmet teas directly in your cup with their assortment of green tea infusers, and then serve it up on an elegant ceramic tray for one. The experience is complete with a revolutionary teacup with a signature lid specially designed for in-cup brewing. There’s just enough room on the tray to add a scone or other treat to make your unique teatime elegant and complete.

14. Teaposy Gift Set

Price: $36.99

This modern gift set will delight any tea lover.

All gift-givers dream of evoking that reaction: part surprise, part awe, pure delight. But even with so many products available, a truly unexpected gift can be hard to find. However, with Teaposy’s gorgeous gift set, you’ll find your luck flourishing. The murmurs of appreciation will begin as soon as the beautiful Daydream teapot is unwrapped. This hand-blown glass pot is sturdy and heat-resistant but maintains an illusion of delicacy with its graceful, crystal-like handle and clever spout, which includes a filter for loose leaf tea. It begs to be tried out right away, a process which will transform murmurs to oohs and ahhs. Place a single bud of Teaposy’s blooming tea (six are included in the set) at the bottom of the pot and add hot water; almost instantly, it will blossom into a beautiful flower, a combination of Silver Needle white tea leaves and a cheerful chrysanthemum.

In about five minutes—during which this will be one pot you will want to watch—the tea is ready to drink. The tea brews to a surprisingly warm, hearth-like honey-gold color, and the lightly nutty flavor and fragrant jasmine scent are perfect for a rainy day. After everyone’s warmed their hands and tastebuds, the teaposy can be reused for a second round of cups, or the pot can be filled with cold water and the blossom left on display for up to several weeks. Like a perennial flower, this gift will set the tone for the season, and inspire awe every time it blooms.

15. The Tea Spot Steeping Mug

Price: $33

This clever porcelain tea mug combines mug, lid and infuser for an elegant, drip-free sipping experience.

The white glaze on the inside of the cup shows off the natural colors of the tea while the bold, solid color on the outside will brighten your day—and with choices like Blue Sky and Red Rock, you’ll never lose sight of it. Although a small quantity of powdery teas can slip through the porcelain strainer, it didn’t bother us much; if reading leaves isn’t your thing, use the mug for tightly rolled types such as oolong and golden yunnan. Besides, using this pretty mug is so much more fun than boring mesh strainers and filter bags.

16. Wisdom Wands Health Tea Wand

Price: $20

This hand-crafted glass straw is designed to filter tea leaves and herbs.

You may think sipping tea through a straw is odd. But in fact, millions of people do it all the time in South America. Yerba Mate lovers enjoy the precious herbal liquid through a bombilla, a steel or silver straw stuck into gourds. The Health Tea Wand has nothing to do with the national beverage of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, but the basic design is very similar.

This hand-crafted glass straw is designed to filter tea leaves and herbs through small strainer holes, with the purpose of delivering more nutrients from loose tea than you’d get with tea bags or balls. Also, the sucking action is supposed to help you absorb nutrients more rapidly through the lining of the mouth, directly into the bloodstream. Whether these claims have any validity or not, we really came to love our wand. Glass feels much better than metal against the lips, as with bombillas, and the slow sipping sensation is meditative. We do think that the wand works best with herbal infusions or tisanes. We didn’t like the effect with loose black tea. All in all, the Health Tea Wand is a great gift for yourself or the tea lovers in your life.