Daniela Titiun

Loose leaf tea has been a favored drink for centuries. While tea bags are convenient and quick, they're often more toned down in flavor than loose leaf teas due to the grinding and crushing process used to create them. Loose leaf tea is more flavorful and less bitter. It also retains more health benefits due to the lack of pounding done over its leaves. We scoured the internet researching what makes for great loose leaf tea and rounded up our 10 best picks. Our favorite is the Solstice Tea Traders's Favorites Tea Sampler, due to the wide varieties of oolong, green, black, and pu-erh tea in eco-friendly, reusable tins. Read on for our other choices, as well as a buying guide that's been reviewed by a professional tea sommelier. 

Need to slow down and relax? Try drinking some calming tea! The stresses of modern living mean that people are turning their backs on caffeine and are instead looking for something more relaxing, both for the body and mind. As calming teas are usually caffeine-free, organic, and made from healthy herbs with no additives or chemicals, they are a perfect choice to add some calmness to your day.The correct blend of tea can calm nerves or anxiety, aid digestion, or help you get that all-important rejuvenating night's sleep. With so many calming teas on the market, it can be difficult to know which tea to choose and that's why we've searched the internet to find the best calming teas. Our number one pick is the Organic Chamomile Herbal Tea from Taylors of Harrogate. Reviewers love the gentle flavor in this healthy, mellow tea! Keep reading for our other favorites and a useful buying guide. 

Looking for a convenient and quick pick-me-up? Try Masala chai tea bags! Masala chai has a warming, sophisticated flavor derived from a scrumptious blend of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. And in a teabag form, this chai is that much easier to consume anywhere. Plus, it's packed with antioxidants and can reduce your blood sugar level, reduce inflammation, and bring you many other health benefits.After combing through various reviews on Amazon, Stash's Chai Green is our favorite. It's crafted with green tea instead of the classic black tea to bring you a refreshing twist. There are many other delicious chais in our list of favorites, so keep reading to see if anything else sounds good to you! Plus, read through our buying guide for tips on choosing delicious Masala chai tea bags. 

Matcha has long been appreciated for its multiple health benefits, including promoting brain activity, weight loss, and improving alertness. Making the beverage can be difficult, though, when the powder is so fine and doesn't dissolve well in water. A matcha tea set with specially designed tools for making the perfect drink comes in handy here.Maybe you're just looking to make your daily cup of green tea nice and smooth, or maybe you're curious about the Japanese Tea Ceremony - we've got you covered with all the information you need when choosing your set. Our top pick was the Matcha Whisk Set by BambooMN for its simplicity, reliability, and its attention to detail used to craft its tea ladle. Read on for more information about what else made the cut! 

Tea is more than just hot leaf juice. It's a beverage that soothes the soul, clears the mind, and gives a pretty decent hit of caffeine when needed. As all tea drinkers know, it's not limited to the two colors of green and black. Tea comes in a wonderful variety of flavors and textures that change from region to region and can be blended to create delightful new concoctions. The pleasure of tea is something that everyone can enjoy.The charmingly named Whistling Kettle is a great subscription for tea novices and addicts alike. Their expert curations introduce you to a wide variety of flavors from the top tea producers from around the world. Below you'll find some of our top picks of tea subscription boxes that will surely introduce you to some exotic flavors. And check out our buying guide on tips for deciding which tea subscriptions are worth your time!

Looking for something unique to add to your tea time? You might want to try out blooming tea! Blooming tea is a bundle of tea leaves meticulously wrapped around dried flowers such as jasmine, marigold, and amaranth. As it brews, the tea will slowly blossom into a floral bouquet. Blooming tea also has a light, fragrant flavor and can offer you a lot of health benefits like a healthy dose of antioxidants.If you're new to blooming tea, consider our top choice, Numi's Flowering Tea Set. This product offers six different kinds of blooming tea made from a combination of white tea, black tea, jasmine blossoms, and many other flowers. It comes with a glass teapot that is perfect for watching the tea bloom. There are many other lovely teas on our top 10 list of favorites, so check them out! There is also a buying guide at the end with various tips for choosing a blooming tea. 

Did you know that Assam tea is the base for English Breakfast blend tea and masala chai? Tea connoisseurs love savoring this tea without anything added since it has a rich, full-bodied flavor with a malty note. Besides, this tea packs a punch of caffeine. So on days that you don't feel like coffee, try Assam tea! We searched the internet to find the best Assam teas available. Our number one pick is VAHDAM's Assam Second Flush Black Tea. This aromatic loose leaf tea is crafted with the finest tea leaves and doesn't contain any fillers. There are many other products in our list of favorites, so give them a look! And if you want to know more information about Assam tea's flavors and health benefits, check out our buying guide at the end. 

Matcha has recently become wildly popular in the health and food and drink industries. It is a green tea extract traditionally processed and consumed in Japan; however, it is now an international favorite that can be used in tea, coffee, and a variety of desserts. It also provides an array of benefits including antioxidants and helping with concentration. We've rounded up our 10 favorite matcha powders to help you find the one you need! Our favorite choice is Matcha Konomi's Akira Organic Matcha powder for its mild, sweet flavor and aroma, fine texture, and size options. Our buying reviewed by a certified tea sommelier will also walk you through several factors to consider when choosing matcha powder, such as matcha's side effects, growing location, grade, and color. Check out our buying guide below for other top picks!

Are you looking to drink some of the delicious blends of tea that are only available in loose-leaf varieties? If so, you will need a way to brew the tea without all of the leaves escaping into your drink and this is where infusers are invaluable. They will allow the full flavor of any tea to infuse while preventing the leaves from entering your cup.We've done the research to find the best tea infusers available and chose the Extra Fine Tea Infuser by Yoassi as our favorite. The fine mesh keeps the leaves inside and the wide handles ensure the basket can be used with even the largest cups. We have nine more infusers for you to peruse and also a buying guide reviewed by a certified tea sommelier to help you make your choice.