Teabox Review, October 2015 + $10 Discount!

"Exquisite" is not a term to be used lightly when it comes to subscription boxes. Words like "beautiful", "nice", "well made", "delicious", etc. are usually the superlatives I rely on to describe things I like. But "exquisite"....that just doesn't apply very often.  Until now. It is my very good fortune to have discovered Teabox, a monthly tea service that is shipped directly from India.  

To pinpoint the teas that are right for you, Teabox does some upfront profiling.  With questions like "How often do you drink tea", "What tastes do you prefer", "What kind of chocolate do you like?", "What smells the best" and "What kinds of teas would you like to try?", their "prediction engine" suggests several teas for you.  If you don't want those, you can always re-take the quiz and change your profile.

Teabox offers three monthly plans. Shipping is free and you can pause or cancel at any time. Also, your first box contains free gifts worth $4.99.

Tea Starter Plan (1 oz. tea, 12-15 cups) - $9.99
Tea Lover Plan (2.8 oz. tea, 30-40 cups) - $19.99
Tea Enthusiast Plan (10.5 oz. tea, 120-150 cups) - $39.99

Normally, the first box ships within 24 hours of placing an order.  In my case, there was a problem with their subscription system.  Because I was traveling, I didn't realize that I hadn't received a box at all until six weeks had passed.  When contacted, they responded immediately and sent out a box the same day. Six days later, I had a FedEx envelope from India on my doorstep. (I don't get a lot of mail from India!)

Unboxing this one was pure delight..."exquisite" applies to both packaging and product. Here's the outer box. I'll let the pictures show the unbelievable packaging.

A hand written note on top expressed profuse apology for the delay in shipping and let me know that they were including a special accessory as compensation. I'm already charmed! (If you're wondering, this was not a review box and they did not know I'm a subscription box blogger.)

A printed flyer tells about their tea procurement and quality control process on one side and gives perfect brewing instructions for four types of tea (white, green, oolong and black) on the other side.  

The inner box with its lime green matted appearance is absolutely gift quality.

Since I chose the Tea Lover plan, my box included a total of 80g of tea or eight .35 oz. bags. Each bag is marked with the name of the tea, its aroma, caffeine level, palate (which I think means flavor or taste), possible add-ins and the ingredients. This is an example of how the information is presented on one bag of tea:

Here's what I received:

3 packages of Chamomile Ray - Pineapple & chamomile, medium caffeine, contains black tea and chamomile

2 packages of Lavender Spell - Lavender, Sweet Greens, Menthol, medium caffeine, contains black tea, lavender and cornflower

3 packages of Kopi Chia Iced Tea - Clove, Coffee & Cinnamon, high caffeine, contains black tea, cinnamon, coffee bean and clove 

They also included a really nice brushed silver teaspoon for perfect tea measurements.

I've been drinking the Kopi Chia tea for the past few days and really like it.  The dominant flavor is definitely cinnamon with just a hint of clove.  I don't taste the coffee bean at all.  

These selections pretty well reflect the choices I made in the initial profile.  I may tweak that a little to broaden my horizons with the next box.

Although I have several devices for dealing with loose tea, a lot of people don't.  So, this box of eight handcrafted muslin teabags is a very welcome addition to the box.

  
This box contains the special accessory they sent to compensate for the very late shipment. It was individually wrapped and there is another gift quality box.

This is an Expert Tea Timer with Thermometer.  Of all the tea accessories I own, how did I never acquire one of these?  It's the coolest little gadget.  There is a probe that goes in the hot water. You can set the timer for the number of brewing minutes you want and there is a gauge to tell you when your cup reaches the proper temperature. Combined with the specific brewing instructions given on the information flyer, this should produce perfect results!

I found my first box to be an exquisite experience not only in discovering great tea but also one of luxury and relaxation. Everything about this box appeals to me.  The customization, the education included about brewing, the accessories and the sophisticated packaging all combine to make this one of the best subscription boxes I've ever received.  This company clearly goes out of its way to provide a quality product through spectacular presentation and amazing customer service. If I had a box rating system, this one would get my highest score!

If you're ready to try Teabox (and why wouldn't you be?), click here to get $10 off your purchase.  The site has an incredible array of single teas and various tea collections as well as the subscription box.  It would be a great place to spend some time indulging yourself or shopping for tea lovers on your holiday gift list.  And, hey...it's just cool to get a FedEx package from India!

Thanks for reading,

Cheryl

Disclosure:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was purchased by Lone Star Shopper. Post may contain referral or affiliate links.