July Tea Runners Review

I love a good loose leaf tea, and Tea Runners is a newly-launched tea subscription that delivers the finest loose leaf teas right to your door! I sampled their July box and was very impressed.

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.

Tea Runners launched this past February and they already have more than 900 happy subscribers. Each month you'll receive a curated collection of four of the world's finest loose leaf teas, along with tasting notes and brewing instructions. Each box will have enough tea to make 30-50 cups. Their teas are sourced from small batch producers and many are top place finishers at the Global Tea Championship Awards. Boxes may contain black, green, oolong, yellow, white, pu-erh, rooibos, and herbal teas.

Tea Runners is so popular that they currently have a wait list to join, but you can sign up on their website to reserve your spot in line. They will likely have space for 75 new members at the end of July.

Boxes are $25 per month for four loose leaf teas, which comes out to about 56 cents per cup. You can also prepay for three months ($67.50, or $22.50 per month) or six months ($127.50, or $21.25 per month). Shipping to U.S. and Canada is free and international shipping is $12. You can also skip a month or cancel any time.

The first thing I noticed about Tea Runners was the unique packaging. As you can see from the last two photos, the teas ship in a beautifully-designed thin cardboard box.

The teas are neatly packaged inside with a tissue paper wrapper. They're individually packaged in bright gold packets with lots of information about each tea on the outer label. The info card also lists information about each tea.

• Mystic Mint from Rishi Tea - I've had this tea before and I love it. Mint tea is probably my favorite type of tea, and I drink it often to help soothe my stomach. This has a blend of peppermint, cardamom, and licorice root and sweet notes of basil with a slight hint of clove. It's a caffeine free organic herbal tea. I really like that Tea Runners includes steep times, serving sizes, and water temperature on the labels to ensure you brew the best cup of tea. This tea has a slightly sweet flavor and was very soothing.
• Black Gold Biluochun from Tea Runners - This is a pure black tea with a medium-high caffeine level. The leaves were harvested last spring in the Simao district of Yunnan, China. It has a smooth, sturdy flavor with notes of chocolate and flowers. I love the way the leaves smell, they're definitely strong and bold, and I think I will try this one iced.

• Organic Bliss by American Tea Room - This is a green and white tea blend with dragon fruit and pomegranate. The fruitiness is balanced with a grassy lemon tartness. It also has organic kiwi and raspberry pieces with a bit of sugar added. It has a lovely, fruity aroma and would be a good starter tea for anyone who isn't as experienced with fuller teas like black teas. It's very refreshing and great for summer!
• Dragon Claw Oolong by Tea Runners - This is a pure oolong tea (which, I recently learned, is pronounced "WOO-long") from the ilam region of Nepal. The tea leaves resemble claws unfurling, hence the name. The cup steeps to a beautiful amber color with a nutty, toasted finish and sweet tartness of apricot. I'm not as experienced with oolong teas so I'm excited to try this one.

Pictured clockwise, from top left: Mystic Mint, Dragon Claw Oolong, Black Gold Biluochun, and Organic Bliss.

• Visit Tea Runners to join the waitlist/subscribe
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Bottom Line: I'm very impressed with the July Tea Runners box and I can see why they have a waitlist! The teas they sent are all wonderful and I can't wait to try them all. I like that they send a variety of tea types and their packaging is absolutely beautiful.