How much tea do I need a month?

At 2–3 grams per cup, 80–100 grams a month is enough for about one cup a day. 30–50 grams suits an occasional cup, and 150 grams or more suits two cups a day or a household.

Do Nordic tea subscriptions deliver abroad?

Mostly not. Most Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Danish tea subscriptions deliver only within their own country, so start with shops in the country you live in.

Will I pay customs on a tea subscription from the UK or USA?

Possibly. Parcels from outside the EU, including the UK since Brexit, can bring VAT, customs duty and a handling fee on arrival. The same applies to deliveries between Norway and EU countries.

What is the best tea subscription to give as a gift?

A prepaid plan of three to twelve months is easiest, because it ends by itself and the recipient has nothing to cancel. Check that the shop delivers to the recipient's address.

Choosing a tea subscription

You can, of course, just buy tea when you run out. A subscription does three things a shop visit does not:

It introduces you to teas you would never have picked. Most people buy the same few teas for years. A curated subscription quietly widens your range.
It keeps your tea fresh. Small amounts arriving regularly beat a big bag going stale at the back of the cupboard.
It makes tea a small monthly event. Opening a parcel, reading about where the tea comes from and brewing something new is part of the pleasure.

The three kinds of tea subscription

Before comparing prices, work out which kind you want. The subscriptions list shows each one under “Terms”.

Curated discovery boxes. The seller picks the teas and you get a surprise each month, often within a style you choose, such as green, black, herbal or mixed. Best if you want to explore.
Prepaid fixed terms. Common in Sweden and Finland: you pay once for 3, 6 or 12 months and the deliveries stop on their own. There is nothing to cancel, and they make easy gifts.
Automatic reorders of teas you choose. Some shops, such as several Danish tea merchants, let you put your favourite teas on a regular delivery. Best once you know what you like.

How much tea do you need?

This is the question most people get wrong, in both directions. A useful rule of thumb for Western-style brewing is 2–3 grams of leaf per cup. That means:

Amount per month	Roughly	Suits
30–50 g	10–25 cups	An occasional cup, or sampling alongside other tea
80–100 g	30–50 cups	About one cup a day
150 g	50–75 cups	Two cups a day, or a household of two
200–300 g	70–150 cups	A family, a small office, or a serious tea drinker

Many teas, especially oolong and pu-erh, can also be steeped several times, which stretches a pouch further. And if you brew gongfu style, you use more leaf per session but get many cups from it.

Loose leaf or tea bags?

Almost every serious tea subscription sends loose leaf, and for good reason. Whole leaves have more room to unfold, give more complex flavour and can usually be re-steeped. Most tea bags contain small broken leaves or fannings that brew fast and strong but flat.

If loose tea feels like a hassle, it needn’t be. A mug infuser or a teapot with a large basket makes it as easy as a bag. See How to brew tea for the details.

Loose leaf tea on a metal spoon — Loose leaf tea is what most subscriptions send. A spoon and an infuser is all you need.

Where does it ship from?

This matters more than many people expect, especially in the Nordics.

Most Nordic tea subscriptions only deliver within their own country. A Swedish shop will usually deliver only to Sweden, a Norwegian one only to Norway. Start your search in your own country.
Within the EU, a few services, such as some German and French boxes, ship across borders. Check the delivery cost at checkout, since it can be a large part of the price.
From the UK, US or Asia, deliveries into the EU are imports. You may have to pay VAT, customs duty and a handling fee to the carrier when the parcel arrives, and delivery takes longer. Since Brexit this applies to parcels from the UK too.
Norway is outside the EU, so the same applies to deliveries between Norway and EU countries such as Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

Read the small print

Before you pay, check:

Is it prepaid or recurring? Recurring plans renew automatically until you cancel. Prepaid plans end by themselves.
How and when do you cancel? Many rolling plans have a cut-off date each month, after which the next box is already on its way.
Can you pause or skip? Handy for holidays.
What does the price include? Some prices include postage and some do not.
When does the first delivery arrive? Some ship straight away; others wait for the next monthly dispatch.
Can you choose a style? If you dislike smoky tea or flavoured tea, look for a plan that lets you steer away from it.

Loose green tea in a ceramic jar with a wooden scoop — Store what arrives in an airtight tin away from light, heat and strong smells.

Things that show a good seller

Information about each tea: where it comes from, when it was picked, and ideally who made it.
Brewing guidance for each tea, not just a generic line on the box.
Harvest dates for green and white teas, which are best fresh.
Honest descriptions. Be wary of big health claims.
Sourcing: many good sellers buy directly from gardens or through fair-trade and organic schemes, and will tell you so.

Tea subscriptions as gifts

A tea subscription is a lovely gift: it arrives again and again, and it suits someone who already has everything. Prepaid plans of three to twelve months are the easiest to give, since there is nothing for the recipient to cancel. Check that the shop can deliver to the recipient’s address and whether you can add a gift message. Not every subscription can be bought as a gift; some shops suggest a gift card instead.

Tea plantation hills in the mist at sunrise — Every subscription starts somewhere like this. A good seller will tell you where.

Ready to choose? Compare all the tea subscriptions we list, filtered by the country you live in.