Tea Sparrow — Local services in Nunavut

Despite the teas in their monthly box not being for me, I have to give them a five star rating. It seems I used their service for 15 months, according to my PayPal history.

To the point, it was simply a matter of personal taste that meant I parted ways with them as I prefer traditional teas and Tea Sparrow is more exploratory, even with their greens and blacks. Just so you know, one of each is included in their subscription box, as well as one herbal tea and another more specialized type such as oolong or rooibos, if I remember correctly. These tend towards floral, fruity, and herbal notes. I did find a a few teas I liked nevertheless. :)

Taste aside, I must admire them for their dedication to and passion for teas. Even after terminating subscription to the monthly box, I remain subscribed to their newsletter. Their service is easy to use and though I never communicated with them directly (i.e. through email or speaking at one of their tea fests) they seem like some of the friendliest merchants I've seen on the web just through the copy writing on their website. I love that it's also a family business!

Tea boxes were received quite promptly; though I should note I am in the same city. Nevertheless, it shows they are prompt and regular with when they send them out. I loved the packaging and included little note on the month's theme/reasons for choice and tea packet labels, which indicate their impressions and tips on brewing. I was happy with sample portion sizes, and it's a very affordable service well worth what you pay.

I fully encourage giving Tea Sparrow a shot whether you're new to loose leaf teas, any tea at all (!), or an old hand.

EDIT: I was contacted by a member of the family/company and can now confirm they are indeed very pleasant and friendly...

I discovered Tea Sparrow through their annual Tea Off, and their involvement with other tea-related events around Vancouver. I always go to the Tea Off - it is such a fun event with a relaxed, exploratory atmosphere and cheap ticket pricing (they always release a groupon!). The people in charge are super friendly and, of course, passionate about tea! Definitely an even I encourage everyone to attend.

As for the monthly subscription box, I got a couple boxes about a year ago and only stopped my subscription because my tea cupboard was getting too full. I love the range of tea samples that I received from them, and in every box there were a variety of different teas, so something for everyone. Pricing on the box is, in my opinion, fairly cheap.

I still subscribe to their newsletters because I love the fun and creative tea recipes they include, as well as a cooking recipe every now and then. The newsletter has a very friendly, intimate atmosphere that I love, and it helps me stay connected to the brand. I know they do free tea parties as well, and I'm dying to attend one if my work would let me off...

I really, really wanted to like this tea subscription I received for my birthday. Such a cool idea! But I'm not sure how they have so many positive reviews. 4 months in and I haven't had one, single tea that's enjoyable. Their fruity teas (blueberry white, cherry rose green, raspberry vanilla rooibos, strawberry champagne) smell amazing while steeping but have incredibly disappointing and bitter flavors. Their cacao teas are weak, vaguely chocolate-scented-water flavored. Their black teas (Venice, organic lavender cream, organic blueberry black) are undrinkable. The blend of ingredients they've added to a weak base tea make it worse. I've unfortunately thrown most of the samples out as none of my friends want to take them off my hands either.

The only plus for the company is how professional and customer-oriented they are. Teas were late in January due to a hold-up at customs and they threw in an extra tea the next month + a discount at their store. Shame that their teas aren't very good, otherwise I'd be subscribed...