Purists will only consider products as “the best” if they came from their respective origin, but when we think of tea, hardly ever does any local American tea brand come to mind… Tea traces its roots five thousand years ago in ancient China, then the British tea culture also popularized brands like Twinings Tea. Well, let us set aside our stereotypical notions and take a look at the ten best American tea brands that you should have in your pantry.
Table of Contents
1. YOGI TEA
In the early 1960s and 70s, Harbhajan Singh Khalsa also known as Yogi Bhajan, an Indian-born-American introduced Kundalini Yoga in America, he would then serve tea to his yoga students at the end of each class, over time, his students coined the term “Yogi Tea”, hence, his homegrown American tea brand. Inspired by the ancient philosophy of Ayurveda, it is believed to be one of the oldest traditional systems of medicine. Ayurveda recommends a holistic approach to wellness and emphasizes the importance of bringing one’s body, mind, and spirit into a state of balance. In keeping with this philosophy, Yogi Tea has crafted a unique selection of 140 exotic spices with monikers such as Stress Relief, Positive Energy, and Perfect Energy to help put you in a state of tranquility.
American Tea Brand: Yogi Tea
Place of Origin: Oregon
Founded: 1984
Owner: Harbhajan Singh Khalsa
Website：https://www.yogitea.com
2. CELESTIAL SEASONINGS
From the wilderness of the Rockies comes Celestial Seasonings. Touted as the original herbal American tea brand, the founder of the company hand-picked the wild herbs himself and initially offered his concoction of 36 and 24 Blend of wild herbal tea leaves to health food stores in 1969. The company has since grown and come a long way from picking herbs in the mountains to sourcing its ingredients from all across the globe. Churning more than a billion cups of hot goodness each year, the company’s product lineup includes all-time classics such as their Wellness Tea and Rooibos Tea, staples like Chai Tea and Green Tea, and their specially brewed iced tea.
3. BIGELOW TEA COMPANY
One of the oldest American tea brand, Bigelow was established in 1945 in the New York kitchen of Ruth Bigelow. She tried time and again to create the perfect cup of tea by mixing an assortment of spices and sweet oranges to black tea, eventually, she had her friends sample her special tea, they raved and had nothing but good comments about it. The name “Constant Comment” stuck and became its own brand and label of black tea, from that first cup it has since become Bigelow’s popular flavor to date. Currently, they have well over 150 blends of full-bodied or decaffeinated teas with some unique flavors such as Caramel, Cinnamon Stick, and Pumpkin Spice among others.
4. GOOD EARTH TEA
The tea masters over at Good Earth Tea have sourced out leaves and ingredients from all over the world to create new and exciting blends. Their extensive range of organic, hand-picked teas include the usual black, green, and herbal blends. But they also offer fresh new twists such as the best-selling Rosa de Jamaica, a lemony tart hibiscus with sweet hints of strawberry, Pineapple Oolong Quench and Coconut Crush for those who seek that tropical escape, and the very rare White Tea. Occurring only once a year, in the early spring, the leaves are delicately hand picked when they are still young at a point when the sugars are still present. These leaves have a silvery-white appearance, hence the name “White Tea”.
5. HARNEY & SONS
Specializing in high-quality loose teas, John Harney developed a passion for fine tea. He began his journey in mastering the art of tea blending in his basement and served his distinctive blends to his guests as he was a small hotel owner at the time.
Since then, the American tea brand Harney & Sons has come a long way from its humble beginnings in a hotel basement to offer over 300 varieties of the highest quality teas, sourced from the finest tea regions around the world. Their blends include classics like Earl Grey, signature flavors like Hot Cinnamon Spice and Paris, several varieties of Matcha, more adventurous teas like Bamboo and many others in between.
6. PEET’S COFFEE AND TEA
Initially, under the employ of the Twinings tea company in London, Alfred Peet was acutely aware of the rather substandard quality of tea offered in the market back in the late 1930s and early 40s. He then set his sights to bring forth and introduce his American tea brand that would produce an authentic tea experience for American consumers. Since then, his company has grown to include a wide selection of teas as well as its signature Mighty Leaf. Blended with organic turmeric, ginger, sweet cinnamon, and cardamom, this tea offers just the right balance of spicy and sweet which makes for a healthy and delicious cup of tea.
7. TAVALON TEA
“The Future of Tea”, the tagline for which Tavalon Tea operates on can be reflected on its product offerings. With a lot of people incorporating healthy choices into their lifestyle, This American tea brand seeks to cater to the ever-growing health-conscious nature of people these days. With names such as Anti-aging, Balancing, Calming, Energizing, Enlightening, and Slimming, the range of teas offered are clearly indicative of the healthy lifestyle approach they wish to imbue on their customers. Aside from the spa-themed nomenclature of their tea line, they also offer an extensive array of black, green, oolong, fruit, and herbal teas both in caffeinated and decaffeinated form.
8. ARGO TEA
Argo Tea was established by a trio of entrepreneurs who wanted to enter the American tea business and cater to a mass-market audience that would make them synonymous with how Starbucks was to coffee. With an initial lineup of basics such as black tea, chamomile tea, and green tea, they have since grown and innovated to include some unique twists. The current loose-leaf lineup, the Wellness Collection, features five premium blends designed to restore health so consumers feel their best. The collection includes the following teas such as Detox, Empower, Energized, Relax, and Renew, each having its distinct flavor made with real pieces of fruit, flowers, and other natural ingredients.
9. TALBOTT TEAS
Shane Talbott started off serving his homemade tea blends to clients at his hair salon and spa in downtown Chicago almost 20 years ago. With hard work and grit, he turned an unknown product into a luxury-oriented American tea brand that would garner the praise of even Oprah Winfrey. Today, the company has been integrated into the Jamba Juice group of companies and strives to still operate on the pillars it was built on. The current lineup is available in 23 blends made from an assortment of succulent in-season fruits, herbs, spices, and tea leaves to satiate even the most finicky tea snob out there.
10. RED DIAMOND TEA
Founded in 1906, the Alabama based Red Diamond is one of the oldest American tea companies. For 114 years, the family that established the company has handed it down with fervent care and guidance for each generation to manage. With their tagline being “We painstakingly craft our teas to be just so, never so-so”, it only goes to show that they only source the finest quality tea leaves from around the world to provide consumers with only the highest quality tea. Their selections include the original All Natural full-bodied Black Tea, All Natural Green Tea, and All Natural Decaffeinated Tea.
Tea is now the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, and it seems that it has become an indelible part of American culture. Steeped with such heritage, Americans have masterfully crafted and perfected its version of American tea brands, with most of these brands having earned their rightful place on the shelves of most American households.
What made these companies successful to have lasted a long time is because they have constantly adapted, innovated, and refined their products to the taste buds, dietary preferences, and effects on psychological wellbeing of their local consumers. So the next time somebody offers you something with you having some preconceived notions of it, just give it a chance, you might just end up liking it.
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