Everyone has enjoyed a hot cup of tea. Perhaps your first encounter was with your Mum enjoying a nice cup of tea, or an experience with a delicious iced fruit tea. It’s a chance to sit down, relax, and unwind during a break in a busy day, or to share a quiet “cuppa” with friends on the weekend. One of life’s affordable luxuries, drinking tea calms, refreshes, and is immensely satisfying for the body & soul.

Fresh tea though, is a big step up in aroma and flavour over that sourced from a supermarket. And you don’t have to be a connoisseur to notice the difference. The secret is in the freshness!

Tea Drop is a tea merchant with a difference. We insist on excellence and believe that every cup of tea should tell a story. Our commitment is to the craft of tea-making. We search for the finest tea leaves from around the world, chosen for their flavour profile, crispness, and freshness.

Why is fresh tea the better choice: 

"Tea in your cup will carry fresher quality solely dependent on the time frame between “bush to cup". Fresh tea brought to you in that lesser time frame will carry the better aroma and the fuller flavour of the tea at production than a tea which has spent more time on a supermarket shelf, which is usually of lesser quality by the time it reaches you. Fresher tea definitely tastes more refreshing with body, character and bright coloured brew, than tea that has spent its time on a supermarket shelf."

Large tea brands by necessity, store their teas in warehouses for many months with added shelf storage time. In the process of store house trading, the number of transit vehicles moving mass-produced tea to supermarkets also exposes it to humidity and high temperatures. "Inevitably, the tea suffers with less flavour by the time it reaches you."

As artisanal tea producers, we work completely opposite to how larger tea providers and supermarket brands operate. We absolutely minimize the time frame taken between processing and sending the tea to you.

Quality over quantity:

"As tea specialists, we emphasize and focus on the selling of ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’. We pay close attention to the clean and crisp flavour of fresh tea. To achieve this, we only produce, package and distribute a limited amount of tea, with the focus on freshness, quality, and taste.

We make sure the conditions are perfect for growing and picking. We handpick all of our leaves and take time and care at all stages of the packaging and delivery process to ensure crispness and flavour, to bring to you, the most flavoursome and satisfying tea possible. Our master blender, who draws on decades of family tradition, knowledge and skill, tests and approves every batch.

The finest customer service

To buy tea directly from our online tea store means receiving the full customer experience. We send our packages with minimum shipment time to make sure you get the freshest product. Not only are our leaves ethically sourced and checked for quality, but you also will receive a range of extra tea material and samples of our other products to try. You will also be able to contact our tea specialists with questions you may have on your tea experience.

Experience the freshness, different flavour characteristics with some of our fave brews.

 

Tea was first discovered in China, in the mountains around Sichuan and Yunnan. According to earliest legend Emperor Shen Nung first tasted the drink when some unidentified leaves fell into his pot of hot water.  Tea drinking became an elegant art form during the Tang Dynasty and overtime, this ritual spread across Asia, and later to Europe and America.

Asia is by far the biggest producer supplying 80-90% of all tea, mainly from India, China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. China is the largest individual tea-producing country, growing more than 38% of the world’s tea. Tea was introduced to East Africa at the beginning of the 20th century and has become an important crop there, particularly in the highlands of Kenya.

Regions we source our tea

Our blends have been created using the finest ingredients from around the world with tea leaves that have been expertly grown, handpicked, and packed in small batches to provide a premium, fresh tea experience. We source different types of tea from different tea growing regions. China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa are to name a few.

White Tea

We source all our white teas only from the traditional region of Fuding County, Fujian. Fuding is one of the main producing areas for white tea in China. It’s surrounded by highlands with spectacular rock formations, caves and towering mountains, including the famed Taimu mountain – known as ‘Paradise at sea’. The region is awash with rolling hills, fresh streams and forests. The hilly territories with their red and yellow soils and the year-round mild climate and consistent rainfall contribute to the unique flavour of the white tea produced here.

Shop our collection of White Teas

Green Tea

Our artisan range of green teas are sources from 3 distinctive tea growing regions. Sri Lanka, Japan & China.

Sri Lanka (Kandy Region) - The tea industry was born in Ceylon when James Taylor started a tea plantation in Loolecondera estate in Kandy in 1867. He was drawn to this medium grown region and it’s not hard to see why, the Kandyan Hills are spectacular - marked by a cool, calming atmosphere and heady fragrant breezes. It is one of Sri Lanka’s most flourishing tea growing regions, but it was also the last Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Known as the central province of Sri Lanka, the tea estates are dotted in the hills surrounding the low-lying valley of Kandy. The altitude is considered ‘mid-grown’, the estates are surrounded by mountains all around, which protects them from wind and helps produce a deeper-coloured, bright and fragrant tea.

Our green teas such as Honeydew Green, Strawberry Green & My Marrakech are directly sourced from Sri Lanka’s medium grown region.

Japan – Our Gyokuro Prestige, Genmaichai & Yuzu Kukicha green teas are sourced from the beautiful Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. Known to be the largest tea producing region of Japan, Shizuoka is also one of the country’s most beautiful tea-growing areas, framed by the towering peak of Mt Fuji. The region is climatically perfect for tea cultivation, with fresh water, sun, heavy mists and nutrient-rich volcanic soil. There’s sun, extreme temperature fluctuations and heavy mists. This unusual terroir, produce a distinctive regional flavour.

The best senchas in Japan hail from the mountains of Kirishima in Kagoshima. Kagoshima is surrounded by volcanic landscapes and ocean, a beautiful and effective combination for tea cultivation. The endless sunshine and mild climate, along with the volcanic soil, combine to create the perfect conditions for sencha. Our Japanese sencha is made by Yutakamidori cultivar and the tea is processed and grown in a very particular way to ensure quality and avoid oxidization.

China – China is the largest green tea producing country and we source unique green tea blends from directly from origins.

Huangshan Mountain is one of China’s most famous and beautiful, and it’s also home to some of the best green teas in the country. Our Huangshan Mao Feng tea is sourced from this breathtaking region.

Longjing village is situated Hangzhou in China’s Zhejiang province – which has a moderate climate and high altitude, perfect to produce tea and our Longjin Tea hails from this region. The misty fields are nourished by low fogs and running streams. The leaves are picked and roasted on the same day, and the roasters use their bare hands to feel the heat and dryness of the leaves as they roast.

Hunan borders several other tea-producing provinces. The word ‘Hunan’ means south of the lake, because the renowned Dongting lake can be found just south of the border.  Hunan’s subtropical climate is ideal for tea, the rich soil, and small variations in temperature through the day produce a very fragrant and beautiful green tea which is our popular Oriental Jasmine Green and Spring Green tea.

Shop our collection of Green Teas

Oolong Tea

We source our oolong teas from a few different regions of China. 

Fujian Anxi, a county in the southern Fujian province, known to many as the Tea Capital of China. The tea plantations are in the lush mountains and hills, green and sprawling. As beautiful to look at as they are to harvest tea from. The soil is rich thanks to constant rainfall and a moderate sub-tropical climate and yields the high-quality tea that Anxi is famed for. The high altitude and cool climate produce sweeter leaves than the hotter lower-lying regions, and the mountainous terrain allows for excellent drainage.

Our oolong teas such as Milk Oolong, Jasmine Oolong, Tie Guan Yin, Ginseng Oolong, Oolong Rose, Kiwi Berry & Sweet Peach are sourced from this region.

Our Da Hong Pao tea is sourced from the scenic mountainous region of Wuyishan is home to Wuyi Oolong. Stretching along the northernmost border of the Jiangxi province, the mountains of Wuyi are home to 36 soaring peaks and the beautiful Nine Bend Creek – a river that undulates through the wild terrain. Tea sustains life here, there are tea gardens and teahouses dotted throughout the region, run by the Wuyi mountain people. Wuyishan has become an Ecological Preserve and is now protected from development – there are also laws in place to ensure tea production is environmentally sustainable. The abundance of native forest that flourishes here as a result, has created a beautiful habitat for birds and insects. This has encouraged the production of polyphenols in the tea, which generate a distinctive, rich flavour.

Shop our collection of Oolong teas

Black Tea

Black tea is mostly produced in the tea growing regions of China and India. And other popular black tea producing countries are Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam & Kenya. We directly source our black teas from China, India & Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka – Our black teas are produced in the Kandy & Ruhuna regions in Sri Lanka. Ruhuna’s low-grown long leaf, full-flavoured black tea combines beautifully with the rich and fragrant tea from medium-grown Kandy. The distinctive flavour and exceptional quality of the sweeping coastal Ruhuna leaves add a layer of distinctive complexity to the blend, while the protected, lush rolling hills of Kandy and its full-bodied plants bring richness to the tea.

Our most popular black teas such as English breakfast, Supreme Earl Grey, French Earl Grey, Malabar Chai, Royal Ceylon Breakfast, My Melbourne, South Melbourne Breakfast & Orange Pekoe are sourced from this region.

India – Our Assam tea & Darling Darjeeling tea are sourced from the popular tea growing regions of Assam and Darjeeling in India. Black teas grown in India are typically grown from the camellia sinensis var. assamica tea variety, and have a darker, richer, and more full-bodied character. Low altitude, rich soil conditions, sufficient rainfall and a distinctive climate help these regions to produce some of the finest whole leaf teas.

China - Black teas originating from China have rich history stretching back centuries. These teas tend to be slightly lighter and milder and are lovely when taken on their own without the addition of milk or sugar.  We have 3 artisan single origin teas that we source from China. Keemun black, Lapsang Souchong and Yunnan Golden Tips.

Shop our collection of Black Teas

Pu Erh Tea

We source our Pu Erh teas from Menghai, a county in the Yunnan province of China. It’s tucked into the southernmost corner of the country and shares a border with Myanmar. Menghai’s mild sub-tropical climate and remoteness encourage rich biodiversity and foster the growth of high quality teas. Tea leaves are grown and harvested in counties along the Lancang river here – including ‘wild arbor’, the highly sought after large, soft, silver leaves found on plants that grow wild on the hillside. It’s believed that some of these trees are over 1000 years old.

Shop our collection of Pu Erh Teas

Herbal & Fruit Tea

We source our fresh herbs, flowers, and real fruit pieces from around the world. USA, Sri Lanka & Germany are to name a few. These chosen ingredients use a combination of skill, patience and experience in our picking and sorting methods providing a balanced experience for customers taste buds. Each of these ingredients are focused on promoting wellness in different ways through each tea’s unique combination.

Shop our collection of Herbal teas & Fruit teas.

Rooibos Tea

Indigenous to South Africa’s mountainous region of Cederberg, Rooibos is actually a herb that’s harvested, dried, and brewed into a fragrant herbal infusion. It grows amidst an incredibly bio-diverse World Heritage protected wildlife area, with dramatic 500-million-year-old sandstone formations and 6000-year-old rock art. An appropriately spectacular natural setting for this rich, flavourful and nourishing ‘bush tea’ to hail from.  Smoky, sweet, woody, grassy, vanilla, floral, geranium, honey, herbal and caramel are just a handful of the words that can describe the flavor spectrum of sipping a rooibos tea.

Shop our collection of Rooibos Teas

 

 

 

Discover the perfect ways to enjoy our Artisanal Drinking Choc This Easter.  Explore how to make a decadent Cadbury Crème Egg Hot Chocolate, a scrumptious carrot cake Hot Chocolate or even a classic Marshmallow Hot Chocolate. 

Cadbury Crème Egg Hot Chocolate

What you need: 

• 2 cups of milk of your choice
• 40gs of Tea Drop Artisan Drinking Chocolate
• 2 Cadbury Creme Eggs
• Whipped cream (optional)

How to make: 

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it starts to steam.
2. Add the chocolate and Cadbury Creme Eggs and stir until they're melted and combined with the milk.
3. Remove from heat and pour into mugs.
4. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

 

Carrot Cake Hot Chocolate

What you need:

• 2 cups of milk of your choice
• 40g Tea Drop Artisan Drinking Chocolate
• 1/2 cup of carrot juice ,
• 2 tbs of Tea Drop chai concentrate
• Whipped cream (optional)

How to make: 

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it starts to steam.
2. Add the chocolate, carrot juice, and chai concentrate and stir and combine with the milk.
3. Remove from heat and pour into mugs. 
4. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy!

 

 

Marshmallow Hot Chocolate

What you need:

• 2 cups of milk of your choice
• 40g of Tea Drop Artisan Drinking chocolate
• 4 marshmallow squares
• Whipped cream (optional)

How to make: 

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it starts to steam.  Add the chocolate and marshmallow and stir until they're melted and combined with the milk.
• Remove from heat and pour into mugs.
• Top with whipped cream and more marshmallows and enjoy!

Try out one of the above drinking chocolate recipes and let us know which one is your favourite!

There's nothing more comforting than a cosy cuppa on a chilly winter's night. With your body being more vulnerable during the cooler seasons, a daily tea schedule will benefit you throughout winter and beyond.

We at Tea Drop have the perfect range of wellness blend teas with our moringa and turmeric teas. Crafted by tea specialists, and packed full of the freshest & most nutritious ingredients, these aromatic blends will help promote winter wellness and improve your overall health & wellbeing in the colder seasons.

All About Moringa

As winter is the time to give your immune system a little boost and moringa, aka the miracle tree, will give it exactly the type of boost it needs. Traditionally used to help combat malnutrition, this protein and mineral-rich plant is gaining in popularity in the wellness circles and we’re letting you in on the secret now. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, and detoxifying properties to help you feel your best. The best part? It tastes amazing! Learn more about our moringa teas below.

• Citrus Cleanse - With a cleansing combination of moringa, lemon balm leaves and green tea, this tea has a minty and spicy aroma that also includes rosehip, raspberry leaves, sage leaves, nettle leaves, cardamom, lemon peel, orange peel & acerola pieces.
• Strawberry Moringa - Lusciously fruity and fibrous in taste thanks to the strawberry pieces and moringa leaves, this tea is packed with vitamins, fibre and antioxidants. It also features apple pieces, raisins, carrot, beetroot & hibiscus.
• Feel Good - With rich red fruity elements from the papaya, red currants & pomegranate, the tea is complemented with an undertone of spice and citrus thanks to moringa leaves, lemongrass, strawberry leaves & rose blossom leaves.
• Revive - With tastes of sweet cinnamon and light bursts of citrus toasted almonds this festive combination of ingredients includes moringa leaves, apple pieces, lemongrass, cinnamon sticks, orange pieces, toasted almonds & rose blossom leaves.
• De Stress - With floral notes and hints of citrus, candied mango pieces, orange peels and fig slices. This zen tea also includes relaxing herbs like vervain, lemongrass, chamomile blossom and moringa.

Moringa Tea Benefits

• May help combat malnutrition.
• May Reduce Inflammation
• Lower Cholesterol & Blood Sugar Levels
• Can Protect Against Arsenic Toxicity
• Caffeine free wellness tea
• Contains the most nutritional value compared to other plants.
• Vegan friendly

 Shop our collection of Moringa teas

All About Turmeric

Turmeric (pronounced “TUR-muhr-ihk”), the Golden Spice, is revered in India and many Asian cultures as a nourishing culinary ingredient as well as a plant medicine. Human beings have used traditional forms of turmeric for nearly four millennia. Learn more about our turmeric teas below.

• Turmeric Ginger - Herbs like turmeric and ginger are a match made in immune-supporting heaven. This pair of teas combine to help soothe symptoms related to common colds and flus. Ginger can help the body’s natural defenses fight off a virus. It’s also great for curbing nausea and an upset stomach that can come along with the flu.
• Turmeric Zest - Made with portions of turmeric infused with rooibos and citric florals like hibiscus, orange peel, rosehip, cornflower, lemon peel & stevia leaves. This is an elegant herbal infusion.
• Turmeric Tonic - A supercharged drink that can be enjoyed day or night. This tea promotes a sense of calm. The herbal infusion gets its therapeutic properties from peppermint and the oh so potent roots of turmeric and ginger with a pinch of red pepper and a combination of other ingredients like liqourice, lemon peel, cinnamon, star anise & lemon flavour
• Turmeric Latte - Inspired by traditional recipes of finely ground spices we have paired Turmeric the golden girl herself with her favourite cousin, ginger. Together a few different spices, including cinnamon, cardamom with added black pepper. An awesome way to start your day.

 Turmeric Tea Benefits

• May support a healthy antioxidant status
• May support a healthy inflammation response
• May support healthy brain function & positive mood
• May support healthy cardiovascular function
• Caffeine free
• Vegan friendly

Shop our collection of Turmeric teas

How to make a wellness blend tea

Making a warm cup of one of our moringa or turmeric teas is easy.

First, choose your preferred winter wellness blend. Then, bring water almost to a boil at 99C. For optimum flavour, always use fresh, filtered, low mineral cold water. Do not re-boil water as it loses oxygen and becomes flat. Steep your tea for three to six minutes to develop the flavours and get the right colour. To finish, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice or honey to make it even more soothing to your throat.

Shop Wellness Teas

So, what are your waiting for? It’s time to brew up a steaming cuppa of one of our Moringa Teas or a sunny yellow drink of Turmeric tea to ensure you stay on top of your health this winter.  You never know - spiritual and mental well-being might just be a sip away.

As tea specialists, we aim to bring you high-quality tea from all over the globe. All our tea is handpicked, ethically sourced, and tasted by our master blender who brings decades of family traditions and knowledge. Buy our wellness blend tea online today.