Buying tea on Amazon might not be so straightforward as you might expect. Just a single search for “tea” will give you about 100 000 results – and not all of them will be related to a loose leaf tea. Or tea at all. Being a huge marketplace for all possible items, you will have to narrow down your search if you want to find the best leaves in the world of teas.
Why choosing Amazon in the first place?
Amazon may be a good place to buy tea from if you want to combine teas from different vendors into one purchase and get a free postage, if you want your tea as soon as possible with Prime shipping, or if you are worried about the safety of online shipping. Next, you may have a gift card that you can use specifically on Amazon, and that includes tea too. Some shops may not offer shipping to your country for purchases through their own websites, but may offer their tea on Amazon – with a world-wide shipping option.
How to buy loose leaf tea on Amazon
When buying tea online, you should first decide which tea or a tea blend you want to buy. There are thousands of different tea types, all of different quality, shapes, sizes and flavors. As you won’t be able to smell them or try them first, review and recommendations might help. Learning about different flavors and benefits is always helpful too.
Buying any tea on Amazon if you want a specific type from any shop
1. Browsing categories
When buying tea on Amazon, you may want to search in a specific department. The best department for tea is Grocery and Gourmet Foods. Type the name of the tea type or a more specific term into the search field and then narrow your search to a specific department -> Beverages -> Coffee, Tea & Cocoa -> and finally Tea department. You will be able to see all tea sold by different shops and even narrow it down more to a specific tea type – rooibos tea, oolong tea, green tea, herbal tea, or iced tea. While this is only a basic search, you will be seeing a lot of sponsored items, not necessarily related to tea, together with the actual search results. You can then sort your results or apply different filters.
2. Don’t narrow down your search too much
Although it may be tempting to narrow it down as much as possible, try to stick to main filters only. For example, if you choose a filter “less than 0.5 grams of sugar” you will get fewer results because that information needs to be entered for each product. If a product is sugar free, but that information was not entered into a listing, you won’t see it in search results. All teas should have very little or zero sugar, so it’s better to check the product description instead and avoid applying this filter.
3. Check the ingredients list and descriptions
When buying tea online, it’s important to check the ingredients list to avoid any possible allergies or unwanted flavors. For example, if you don’t like licorice, check if the tea doesn’t contain licorice. Make sure you are buying the right quantity too.
4. Check who the vendor is
Try to buy loose leaf tea from the actual tea shop. You can see more details about the vendor by clicking the link with vendor’s name right below the product name. Once you click on the link, you will see more recommendations for other similar tea shops.
5. Check the reviews
If there are very few or zero reviews, it doesn’t mean the specific tea is not good. Search for more reviews by tea lovers outside of Amazon. Reviews on Amazon can be posted by anyone that has spent $50 or more in the last 12 months and may be posted for products that are not necessarily bought. Furthermore, some popular teas like Earl Grey can have different flavors. Be aware of the differences when reading reviews.
6. Choose the right shipping option
While most of the items on Amazon will be shipped from the US, some may be shipped from other countries, which will significantly prolong delivery time. Make sure to check all delivery dates options before making a purchase.
Buying your favorite tea from tea companies on Amazon
Finding a specific shop on Amazon is not easy, as there is no registry with all tea shops selling on Amazon. You can still find their products by doing a search with the shop name entered into the search field or by clicking on the direct link provided in newsletters or on social media. Some results may be from other shops though. To see the store, click on any product from the shop you searched for, and under the product name click on the link with the vendor’s name. For example, “by: Simple Loose Leaf Tea Company”. You will get to the storefront of our shop with all tea categories.
Now it’s time to choose your tea
When buying tea on Amazon, pay attention to the following:
- Product images
Product images should show how the actual tea leaves look like. Color may differ slightly due to monitor settings or camera options, but you should always get the tea you see on the photos.
- Product details
Product details need to include all ingredients, any important information about the tea, quantity, ect.
- New or Used
Always buy new tea. Although quite rare, you may be able to find used tea on Amazon. - Any questions you want to ask about the product?
Amazon offers a very easy way for buyers to communicate with vendors or other buyers and ask questions related to the product. If you are unsure – ask.
- Product reviews– are the genuine?
While reviews are always welcomed, be aware that sometimes not all of them are genuine. There is rarely a tea with only either 5* or 1* ratings. How much someone likes it is a matter of personal preferences too.
- Shipping options
When buying tea from Amazon, orders are either fulfilled by the vendor or by Amazon. This means your seller might not have an influence on when you will get your order, and in what condition you will get it. All problems for those orders should be reported to Amazon directly.
Best Green Tea on Amazon
To find the best green tea on Amazon, first you will need to decide which tea you want. Narrow down your search by typing the name of specific tea and tea type. For example, mao feng can be a black tea too, so searching for mao feng green tea will give a better result. To get the most options, find both the original and English name. For example, Dragon well or Long jing.
- if you want to find a specific tea, type the whole name
- if you want to find a specific tea from one company, type in the full name and the name of the company
- Amazon choice category helps you find those teas that are well-liked by many people
- Most reliable tea vendors have a shop front on Amazon, rather than just random listings
- Most reliable tea vendors have a separate web shop too
- You will only see teas that can be shipped to your country, so choose the right location
