

In all of my talk about tea on here, I have rarely discussed the tea companies that I really love. You know — the ones who create great teas consistently. The ones whom I buy from repeatedly because I know their tea is good, rather than companies that I make one-off purchases from in order to write about here.
There are a few true-blue companies that I stay faithful to like that. But only a few. And Teavivre is one of them.
I have written about Teavivre on Books and Tea, but not often. And that’s a shame, because this summer they’re celebrating their fifth year in business with a series of contests and giveaways. So today I want to talk a little bit about them and tell you why they should be on your radar.
First, their stuff is very high quality. Their jasmine teas are well balanced, with a strong floral flavour that isn’t artificial. Their black teas are generally rich and dark, and their Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu black tea, is, bar none, my favourite tea ever. It smells like dark chocolate when you brew it! Their Bi Luo Chun is soft and sweet, and their oolongs are also worth a long look.
One thing I really appreciate about them is that their labels have extremely detailed information, including the date the tea was harvested. They pack their teas in sturdy zip-lock pouches so they last for a long time on the shelf.
Second, Teavivre is amazing when it comes to samples. Every time you make an order, you’ll get free samples — and the bigger the order, the the more samples you can choose. Besides that, though, their sample sizes are generous, and you can make orders entirely of samples if you want.
They also offer a pretty standard rewards program, with points for every purchase that you can redeem for teas in the future. Over time, it’s entirely possible to get a sizable order for free if you have enough points.
Providing generous samples and a rewards program may not sound that revolutionary to you, but this is where the third reason behind Teavivre’s awesomeness comes in: amazing customer service. When I was starting out on Steepster and wrote a review saying that I didn’t enjoy one of their teas, they got in touch with me and asked if they could send me a variety of samples for free so I could find out what I liked.
I said yes, of course. And then they did it again a few months later, with a different set of teas entirely! Both times, they sent me 20 grams’ worth of 3-4 different tea varieties — a treasure trove, considering the quality of their teas in general.
On top of that, there have been several instances where, a few weeks after making an order, a Teavivre representative has emailed me personally to ask if my package arrived on time. I normally choose the free shipping option — which usually takes 3-4 weeks to arrive from China — so this extra touch is particularly appreciated.
What’s more, the one time I made an order and wasn’t satisfied with what I ordered, I contacted them about it and they responded quickly, telling me that I could get a refund if I shipped the items back to them. However, they noted that the shipping cost would probably be high, so they recommended that I keep the items or give them to someone else. I appreciated their forethought so I decided to give the items away. They then gave me some reward points in recognition of the inconvenience.
I joined Steepster in January 2014 and made my very first Teavivre order a few weeks after that. I’ve been buying from them for half the company’s lifespan. That’s a pretty good relationship!
So, yes, I love Teavivre. I am so happy that they’ve been in business for 5 years. And they’re going to do a pretty sweet series of giveaways and sales until August 8th. If you want to try some high-quality Chinese tea but are worried about spending a lot of money or buying a big pile of something you may not like, their upcoming anniversary sale, plus their policy regarding samples, makes now the perfect time to get started.
Seriously. What are you still doing here? Check their stuff out!