The tea drop: The best loose leaf, blends & tisanes

Editor’s note: We asked for your fave teas—from loose leaf to tea blends and tisanes—along with any brewing tips. The splainer fam came through and how! Here’s the result: A fantastic list of teas for both beginners and tea connoisseurs. The list features plenty of homegrown brands—nope, no Tata Tea or Taj Mahal included. 

Fave tea brands 

• Girnar Detox Kahwa Tea: Srishti drinks this tea every morning because: “It helps to clean my system, my throat feels comforted, and my gut is happy.” It has strong pepper and black salt flavours. (Price: Rs 330)
• Tea box: This tea brand is pretty popular among our subscribers. Anita loves their Chai lovers trial pack which has six blends inspired by Assam, Kolkata, Bombay, Kashmir, Punjab, and Wayanad. Her fave out of the lot: the Wayanad Cardamom Masala Chai. For Monica, it’s their Jaipur Masala Chai that hits the spot. And Shernavaz likes their green tea selection. Prachi always has some Jasmine Green Tea and their Mountain Rose black tea blend stocked up for a post-meal indulgence. (Price of the trial packs: Rs 1,099; Chai: Rs 499; Green tea: Rs 232 to 700; Mountain Rose: Rs 560)
• Chado's pu-erh: If you’re interested in trying out tea from Yunnan, Monica suggests this one. Bonus recommends: Infinitea's Lapsang Souchong and Satori Tea Citrus and Spice breakfast tea (Price for Chado: Rs 1,499; Infinitea: Rs 800; Satori Tea: 450)
• Nima Goos Goos: If you’re looking for non-caffeine teas, check out this brand. Anushi loves their Ladakhi Apricot and Barley which has healing properties. She suggests “brew it traditionally with the orthodox long leaf tea and avoid the teabag nonsense.” (Rs 370)
• Temi Tea from Sikkim: Sourabh says: “I was a Darjeeling orthodox tea snob. Till the time I got this amazing tea gifted to me in Gangtok. And I have been a fan ever since. The aroma, fragrance and flavour have become a favourite now. (I still get Darjeeling teas, but Temi has to be there in my tea drawer.)” Now that’s saying something! For Darjeeling teas, he suggests Jayshree Tea. (Price for Temi Tea: Rs 499; Jayshree Tea: Rs 200 to Rs 4000) 
• Dorje Teas: Joyjayanti, who considers herself a tea snob, believes “no other tea can beat a perfectly brewed cup of Darjeeling.” Dorje Teas, she says, has the best Darjeeling blends available online. Her tip: “Boil the water—switch off the stove, add tea and cover and steep for 3 minutes and voila!” (Rs 250 onwards)
• Wah Tea: Upasana loves this lesser-known brand of teas. “It’s farm to cup, by fourth-generation family members who live on the estate”. She also reveals that it is on the path to turning fully organic! (Rs 250)
• David's Tea: Ranjani recommends this North American brand because “they have so many different blends covering a large spectrum of flavours — fruity, nutty and flowery”. She especially enjoys their cold brew blends in the summer. Aarthi is a big fan of their Peach Matcha and urges all the matcha girlies to check it out! (Price: $9 onwards; Peach Matcha: $15.58)
• Srishti finds San-cha Tea Boutique good for people who want to try fruity or flowery flavours. She also recommends Organic India for “no-nonsense herbal teas”. She mentions that they are mild. (San-cha Tea Boutique: Rs 350 onwards; Organic India: Rs 195 to Rs 480)
• Makaibari: The luxury tea brand with its estates in Darjeeling produces some wonderful tea blends. Prachi loves the Makaibari Summer Solsctice Muscatel. It has subtle fruity notes, but is bold and makes for a great afternoon tea. (Rs 775)
• Pukka Herbal Teas: This brand of caffeine-free tisanes is great for anyone looking to sip healthier. Prachi enjoys the Night Time blend, which has chamomile and lavender in tea bags. She swears it can give her restful sleep on the most chaotic days. (Rs 1,249)
• Isvaari Tea: Prachi loves a “balanced, everyday Oolong”, and her search came to an end with these beautiful caddies from Isvaari Tea. She recommends the Darjeeling Oolong, an orthodox whole leaf tea, which is medium strength and brews to perfection. (Rs 460)
• Tea Trunk: The brand has a great range of black teas, green teas, and tisanes. Prachi’s favourite here is the Marigold Green Tea, which has a hint of flowery spice and great quality whole leaf green tea. Though it’s a bit pricier than she’d like. Aarthi’s faves are Apple Spice Black Tea and Chocolate Earl Grey as they use real dehydrated apples and chocobis, respectively, in the blends! Bonus: For the matcha girlies, check out their Berry Matcha and Mint Matcha. These flavours are also super beginner friendly. (Price for Marigold Green Tea: Rs 948; Apple Spice Black Tea: Rs 999; Chocolate Earl Grey: Rs 1,298; Berry Matcha: Rs 1,698; Mint Matcha: Rs 1,698)

Tea paraphernalia

• Ikea teapot: Sourabh swears by this teapot and tea infuser which can be dipped straight into the mug. He also suggests this one from Amazon—InstaCuppa Stainless Steel Tea Pot—which “keeps the tea warm for some time as it is insulated. And stainless steel means you don’t worry about breakage or chipping during cleaning everyday.” (Price for Ikea teapot: Rs 899; InstaCuppa: Rs 2,999)
• David’s Tea silver infuser: Ranjani got her infuser from this brand. It is “just the regular steel silver infuser which fits a cup.” (Price: $9)

Best of the gyaan from tea connoisseurs

• Srishti says: “Never brew for too long. 😅 More is not better.” 
• Sourabh’s list of tea advice: “Never put boiling water on the orthodox long leaf tea. Trust your taste on how long to brew the tea—experiment a bit to get it right for your preference. Don’t worry too much about the three or six minute rules. Invest in good quality glass cups. The colours of the various teas are a joy to see and add to the whole experience (we drink our teas without milk.)”
• Shernavaz’s tea party for one: “Since I'm just making a cuppa for myself, i take a shortcut and just add a bit of room temp water over the scoop of tea (only boiling water could make the tea bitter) and then pour in the boiling water from the electric kettle into my cup. Let the colour come out a bit and add the milk and honey.”
• Kopal also suggests mixing it up and experimenting: “Make your own custom mix of different tea leaves according to your taste—it makes the experience a little more fun and playful while still feeling like a ritual that is a big hug. Also, tea bag/tea leaves go in BEFORE the hot water, ALWAYS. And stirred in honey is not the same as just adding honey to a tea. Makes a worldddd of a difference!” 
• Upasana’s encouraging words: “Test it out. The amount of leaf, temperature of water, length of brewing time—it all matters and it should be done the way YOU like it. There’s no right or wrong.”
• Ranjani’s tip for making the best green teas: "Temperature of the water and brewing time are really important for brewing green tea to avoid over brewing and bitterness. Keep your cup of tea covered while it brews to retain the flavours."