Your guide to finding the best tea for non tea drinkers:
Compared to coffee, tea is … Well, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But even a lot of non tea drinkers know that there are many health benefits of tea—and they want to get on board. Sound like you? Or maybe you’re a coffee drinker looking for a coffee alternative with less caffeine.
Since my teenage days, I’ve almost always started the day with a cup of tea. From herbal blends to rarer white teas to everything in between, I’ve come pretty damn close to tasting them all. So I think I’ve narrowed down the best tasting tea for non tea drinkers.
Here’s your guide to finding the best tea for non tea drinkers:
Understanding the Tea Spectrum
Tea is tea is tea. Not! The spectrum of tea is wide and diverse—and colorful! You can pour yourself a cup of some of the classics, like black or green tea. Or you can get into more fanciful territory with red tea, white tea, or tea blends in shades of pink or even blue.
But first, let’s start with the basics for tea for beginners:
Black tea basics
Probably the most common tea out there, black tea is usually first on the list for a beginner tea drinker. Here’s how black tea compares to some of the other most popular types of tea:
- Flavor Profile: Robust and bold
- Caffeine Content: Moderate (although you can shop decaf versions)
- Fermentation: Fully fermented
- Oxidation: Fully oxidized
- Reported Health Benefits: A source of theaflavins, antioxidants that can offer protection from chronic diseases [Source: UCLA Health]
Green tea basics
A close tie for the most popular tea family, green tea is another staple you’ll easily find in restaurants and most grocery stores. Here’s how green tea compares to some of the other most popular types of tea:
- Flavor Profile: Fresh and vegetable
- Caffeine Content: Light
- Fermentation: Not fermented
- Oxidation: Minimally oxidized
- Reported Health Benefits: Rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that may reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, like coronary heart disease and stroke [Source: National Library of Medicine]
White tea basics
Less talked about than popular black and green tea, white tea deserves a lot more attention, especially if you’re looking for the best tea for new tea drinkers. Here’s how white tea compares to some of the other most popular types of tea:
- Flavor Profile: Delicate and floral
- Caffeine Content: Light
- Fermentation: Not fermented
- Oxidation: Very minimally oxidized
- Reported Health Benefits: High levels of catechin (higher than in other tea species), which are antioxidants that can help protect against disease [Source: Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 82 vis ScienceDirect]
Oolong tea basics
When it comes to teas, consider oolong tea the wild card in the group. While green tea is only minimally oxidized (and white tea even less than that), oolong tea is partially oxidized, falling closer to the fully oxidized black tea.
Huh? Yeah. Basically, this means oolong tea can have very distinct flavors, ranging from lighter, floral flavors to richer, fruitier, and nuttier notes.
- Flavor Profile: Varied, from fruity to floral, bitter, nutty, and more
- Caffeine Content: Moderate
- Fermentation: Semi-fermented
- Oxidation: Partially oxidized
- Reported Health Benefits: Contains I-theanine, an amino acid link to prevention of cognitive diseases [Source: Penn Medicine]
Herbal tea basics
Got ya! Herbal “teas” are not actually tea, but most people call them that, anyway. (Guilty.) You may also hear them called “infusions” or “tisanes.” Really, herbal teas are made from steeping herbs, spices, or other plant materials in hot water.
- Flavor Profile: Varied, including mint, floral, vegetal, and more
- Caffeine Content: None
- Fermentation: None
- Oxidation: None
- Reported Health Benefits: Depends on which specific herbs it contains; see health benefits of three herbal teas from Harvard Health Publishing
10 Best Teas for Non Tea Drinkers
Understanding the basics of the different tea species is the best place to start if you want to learn how to start liking tea. But if you’re not interested in the nitty-gritty details and just want to make tea drinking a daily habit and find the best tea for new drinkers, I’ll cut right to the chase.
Here’s a list of the best tea for beginners:
1. Chamomile
The first tea for non tea drinkers I’d like to recommend isn’t really a tea at all: It’s an herbal tea. Meet chamomile tea, an herbal infusion of dried chamomile flowers, usually combined with other herbs like lavender, lemon balm, and rose.
PSA: One of my absolute favorite teas of all time is Sweet Dreams Herbal Tea from Bigelow. This is a unique blend of chamomile, hibiscus, peppermint, rose blossoms, spearmint, spice, and orange blossom. When steeped, it also turns a delightful, light peachy-pink color. What makes this so special to me is the inclusion of hibiscus, a rare partner for chamomile. I also love the addition of peppermint and spearmint, which adds a refreshing zing to the otherwise calming and comforting blend. They nailed the name on this one; I do love to drink it with a book before bed.
But be warned! Because it’s an herbal tea, you won’t want to turn to chamomile in the morning for an energy boost. Instead, chamomile is actually considered a mild tranquilizer and sleep-inducer, likely due to the flavonoid, apigenin. [Source: National Library of Medicine]
For a calming afternoon or a good night’s sleep, this is a good tea for beginners.
2. Fruit-infused teas
If you normally don’t like the taste of tea, then try looking for fruit-infused tea. Of course, you can easily find plenty of fruity herbal tea blends, like:
But remember, these fruit-infused herbal teas are caffeine-free … and they’re not technically tea. If you want to learn how to start liking tea, look for black or green teas that are infused with different fruits, like:
- Black Tea, Blackcurrant Breeze
- Apricot-Flavored Black Tea
- Black Teas with Lemon and Grapefruit
- Green Tea, Pomegranate, Raspberry & Strawberry
- Blueberry Green Tea
3. Ceylon
Now, onto the true teas! Ceylon is one of the more popular black teas you’ll find in the grocery aisle, and it’s a great place to start for newbies looking for the best tasting tea for non drinkers.
Sometimes called Sri Lankan tea, Ceylon tea is a type of black tea that’s only grown in Sri Lanka. One of the reasons Ceylon tea is perhaps the best tea to start with is because it’s a little milder than traditional black tea with notes of citrus, honey, and even some spice.
You can drink Ceylon tea straight up on its own, with a splash of milk, or with a lemon for a little extra zing. Or if you still want a bit of citrus but can’t be bothered to slice up a lemon, you can keep things a little simpler with this Ceylon Orange Pekoe tea.
4. Darjeeling
Darjeeling is another good black tea for beginners. Particularly, what makes this maybe the best tea for new tea drinkers is its delicate flavor. Compared to other black teas you’ll find in the store, Darjeeling is a lot less bitter and even tastes naturally a little sweet.
It’ll make you feel fancy, too. Darjeeling is sometimes called “the champagne of teas.” Just as wine can’t be called champagne unless it’s produced in the Champagne region of France, Darjeeling tea can’t be called Darjeeling unless it’s grown and produced in the Darjeeling district, a region in West Bengal, India.
Here are a few good choices for Darjeeling tea:
- Darjeeling tea bags in bulk
- Organic loose leaf Darjeeling tea
- Organic Darjeeling tea bags
- Darjeeling tea bags with decorative tin
5. Lady Grey black tea
This is one of my personal favorites. But even though I’m a long-time tea drinker, I still think Lady Grey black tea is a contender for the best tea for non tea drinkers.
First, you likely know the famous Earl Grey tea, which blends black tea with bergamot. While I love this tea and consider it a staple in my kitchen cabinet, I know quite a few friends who like tea but find Early Grey’s flavor profile too strong. So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Earl Grey as the best tea for beginners.
Instead, enter Lady Grey black tea. Created in the ‘90s by tea company Twinings, this modern take on Earl Grey adds lemon peel and orange peel to the mix. But instead of complicating the flavor profile, these citrusy additions actually make Lady Grey a bit more subdued and a bit softer.
It’s one of my favorite teas for the morning when I want something mild but caffeinated to get me going!
If you prefer floral over citrus, here’s another alternative to the classic Earl Grey tea (which may be a bit too bold for new tea drinkers!). Earl Grey Lavender black tea.
6. Jasmine green tea
For a lot of people who want to learn how to like tea, they’re often turned off by the bitter flavors in black or green tea. (Particularly, if prepared incorrectly, green tea can easily turn too bitter. But that’s a whole other story!)
To add a bit of lightness and sweetness to traditional green tea, consider opting for a jasmine green tea blend. The jasmine adds a bit of fresh fragrance and sweetness to the vegetal flavor of green tea. This is even a good pick if you don’t call yourself a fan of florals. Jasmine green tea is usually quite delicate and subtle, so you won’t feel like you’re drinking a cup of perfumed flower water.
Here are a few good choices for jasmine green tea:
7. Chai tea
Chai tea is a long-loved favorite among tea enthusiasts. And for cozy fall and winter days, it’s easy to consider it the best hot tea for beginners.
Masala chai is an Indian beverage made with black tea, milk, water, and aromatic herbs and spices, like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and even black pepper. It has a rich, robust, spicy flavor that’s definitely best enjoyed while wearing a sweater and staring dreamily out the window.
Today, you can find many chai tea blends available in tea bags for easy drinking at home. Adding milk, then, becomes optional. Personally, I prefer to do without milk in my tea, but you do you. If you have a milk frother at home, you can also turn your basic tea bag into a frothy, creamy chai tea latte in just a few minutes.
Here are a few good choice for chai tea bags:
- Organic Chai Black Tea
- Decaf Black Tea Vanilla Chai
- Chai Black Tea Pumpkin Spice
- Organic Rooibos Chai Herbal Tea
8. White tea
In my opinion, white tea is seriously underrated. Or at least, it gets a lot less screen time than the famous black teas, green teas, and caffeine-free herbal teas.
As I covered above in the tea basics, white tea undergoes very little oxidation. Importantly, white tea is also made from either unopened buds or very young tea leaves. Basically, this makes white tea some of the most delicate, subtle, and light teas you can drink—which I think puts it in the running for the best tea for new drinkers.
Plus, white tea has a low caffeine content, so you won’t be overwhelmed by the jitters if you’re not accustomed to drinking caffeine during the day.
For newbies to the tea world who want to enjoy a cup with just a little flavor and just a little caffeine, white tea is the way to go. I might even go as far to say it’s a contender for the best hot tea for beginners.
Here are a few good choice for white tea:
Whoa! I like to think of myself as pretty in the know when it comes to tea, but I’ve never seen this before! For an interesting twist on the classic Earl Grey black tea, try this: White Tea Earl Grey. All the bergamot-y goodness of the traditional but made with white tea for a lighter flavor profile.
9. Rooibos
Another one of my personal favorites! Also known as red tea, rooibos is … well, not actually a tea. Rooibos means “red bush” and comes from South Africa’s fynbos biome. [Source: Wikipedia] This means rooibos is another caffeine-free “tea,” which is another reason why it’s a staple beverage for me to sip before bed.
Rooibos has an earthy, almost nutty taste. It truly tastes like no other tea I’ve had before. Some people even say they detect some natural vanilla and honey notes in their cups of rooibos tea. So, some tea companies will bring out these sweeter notes in special rooibos tea blends, like this Chai Rooibos Tea or this Rooibos Tea with Madagascar Vanilla.
My personal favorite is just pure, organic rooibos herbal tea. I also love that, when steeped, rooibos tea is a vibrant red color.
| Pro tip: Make your own iced rooibos tea! |
|---|
| 1. Steep an extra-strong cup of rooibos tea. (I like to use two tea bags instead of one when making iced tea.) |
| 2. After steeping, remove the tea bags and let cool until the tea reaches room temperature. |
| 3. Serve with ice cubes. Or put it in the fridge overnight. |
10. Oolong
Remember when I said oolong tea is like the wild card in the group? Actually, it’s that wild-card quality that puts it among the best-tasting tea for beginners.
Because oolong is partially oxidized, it won’t taste as full-bodied as a traditional black tea, but it’ll likely be more robust than your basic green tea. But of course, that depends on what kind of oolong tea you try, since some are more oxidized than others. For example, some oolong teas can look and taste more like green tea, while others that are more oxidized will be more similar to black teas.
If you’re more interested in green tea, you can try this oolong tea with green coloring and low oxidation.
If you’re more interested in black tea, you can try this more full-bodied oolong tea.
Best Teas for Coffee Drinkers
Don’t get me wrong—I’m as much of a coffee lover as I am a tea lover. But sometimes, it’s worth it to cut down on the coffee and up your tea intake. Depending on how addicted you are to coffee how much you love coffee, though, this can be easier said than done.
If you want to learn how to start drinking tea but just can’t get yourself to put down the coffee mug, it helps to investigate the best tea for coffee drinkers.
Transitioning from coffee to tea
First, if you love coffee and it’s serving its purpose, why even consider adding tea into the mix?
For one, (and I know the coffee connoisseurs may come for me with this one), there are a lot more different flavors of tea than there are of coffee. So if you love your regular cup of Joe but need something with a little variety during your after-lunch break, opting for tea instead of coffee may just offer the routine-change your body is craving.
Tea is also a lot less acidic than coffee. This makes tea a great way to still get the caffeine fix you want without being so harsh on your teeth and stomach.
On the other hand, maybe you love the flavor of coffee but can’t quite handle multiple cups a day without getting a serious case of the jitters. (And decaf coffee—gross.) Once again, tea is the coffee-alternative hero. While some tea blends can still pack a powerful punch of caffeine, most have weaker caffeine levels than a standard cup of coffee. Moreover, tea usually gives you a much smoother and more balanced caffeine experience so you don’t experience the typical spike-and-crash energy swings that can come with strong coffee.
Teas with robust flavors
If you’re a sucker for a strong and bold cup of coffee but are intrigued by the flavor diversity, lower acidity, and smoother caffeine experience that come with a cup of tea, know that you have options! And you don’t have to sacrifice flavor.
Here are some options for tea that tastes like coffee:
1. Irish Breakfast
Do you take milk and sugar with your coffee? Then you just might love Irish Breakfast tea. It’s a strong and robust black tea with a hearty flavor profile that isn’t too far off from a basic cup of coffee, which is why I think it deserves the #1 spot in this abbreviated list of the best hot tea for non tea drinkers.
2. Masala Chai
If you’re the latte queen, then masala chai may soon become your new favorite drink of choice. A blend of black tea, aromatic spices, and milk (if you so choose), this is a rich, warming tea blend that gets pretty damn close to a frothy, cinnamon-topped cappuccino.
3. Pu-erh
(FYI, it’s pronounced “poo-are.”) Fans of all things light and floral be warned! This fermented tea has an earthy, almost smoky flavor that definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. (Pun intended.) But if you’re a fan of dark roast coffee, pu-erh may just be the right alternative for you.
4. Lapsang Souchong
Another tea for coffee drinkers with a bold, smoky flavor—and I do mean smoky! Lapsang Souchong is often made smoke-dried over a pinewood fire. If you take your coffee bold, dark, and without a drop of sweetener in it, give this black tea the next time you need a caffeine fix.
5. Yunnan Black Tea
There’s a lot to savor in a cup of Yunnan black tea! While this tea does indeed have a strong flavor, it’s usually tempered by notes of honey, chocolate, and malt. A little bit sweeter than most full-bodied black teas but still deep and complex, Yunnan black tea may be the very best tea for coffee drinkers.
Teas with High Caffeine Content
Some people drink coffee because they love the flavor—and others are just addicted to the caffeine. (You know who you are.) If you’re open to exploring different flavor profiles but are not willing to give up a high-caffeine beverage to get you through the day, don’t despair. There are still plenty of high-caffeine teas out there for you to try!
Here are some options for teas with a mega-dose of caffeine:
Note: For reference, keep in mind that the average 8-oz cup of coffee contains about 80–100 mg of caffeine. [Source: Medical News Today]
1. Matcha
Matcha is special in the world of tea because it’s made from powdered green tea leaves. This means that rather than simply steeping the leaves in hot water, you consume the entire tea leaf. The result? A higher caffeine content than most teas. A typical cup of matcha has about 70 mg of caffeine. [Source: Women’s Health]
2. Yerba Mate
Like herbal “teas,” yerba mate isn’t exactly a tea—but it is a plant that can be steeped in hot water to make a beverage. And it is caffeinated. Like that first sip of coffee you had as a teenager, you may not love yerba mate at first; it’s strong, bitter, and highly vegetal-tasting. It also has twice as much caffeine as green tea; a cup of yerba mate contains about 80 mg of caffeine. [Source: National Library of Medicine]
3. Black Tea
If you’re not looking for anything fancy and just want to transition from your basic cup of black coffee to a basic cup of black tea, good news! An average cup of black tea has 47 mg of caffeine. While this is definitely less than the typical cup of coffee will give you, there are perks. (Again, pun intended.) Because there are so many different flavors of black available, you can get your caffeine fix AND experiment with new flavors—without having to add sugary additives to your cup of coffee. [Source: Mayo Clinic]
4. Pu-erh
Remember the robust, earthy flavor of pu-erh? This fermented tea also packs a powerful punch in the caffeine department. A cup of pu-erh tea can contain 30–100 mg of caffeine. That’s quite a big difference! It all depends on the brewing method. In general, the longer you steep a cup of tea, the more caffeinated (and bitter it becomes). [Source: Healthline]
Best Teas for Non-Coffee-Drinkers
If you’re not a coffee drinker and not a tea drinker but you’d like to learn how to start drinking tea … (First of all, what are you drinking, then, to get you through the work day?!) There’s still a way for you to get into drinking tea. You just have to narrow down your choice(s) of the best hot tea for non tea drinkers.
Of course, you can opt for decaf teas. But like decaf coffee, even decaf teas still contain a little bit of caffeine. In fact, the average cup of black, green, or white decaf tea has about 14–61 mg of caffeine. (Remember that the caffeine concentration also depends on how long you let the tea bag steep in the water.) [Source: National Library of Medicine] This is why you’ll see these teas marketed as “decaffeinated” and not caffeine-free.
So how do you get truly caffeine-free tea? The answer is herbal tea!
Best herbal teas for newbies
Even though I’m not trying to avoid caffeine, I still love a cup of herbal tea. (When I’m not feeling lazy, I even like to make a big batch ahead of time so I can enjoy iced herbal tea throughout the week.) But if you do want to avoid caffeine altogether, then the best tea for non tea drinkers like you will likely be something herbal.
Iced or hot, here are some of the best herbal teas for beginners:
1. Chamomile
Since chamomile can be a sleep inducer, you may not want to sip chamomile tea while you’re working at your desk. But for a calming cup at the end of the day before bed, it’s pretty hard to beat chamomile.
2. Peppermint
Peppermint tea is probably one of the teas I drink the most often. Winter or summer, I find it refreshing—and there’s something about that peppermint taste that I find both uplifting and calming. I also like to drink peppermint tea to help soothe a stomach ache. It’s worth noting that some animal studies show that peppermint has a relaxing effect on GI tissue, but there are limited related human studies. [Source: National Library of Medicine]
3. Rooibos
Another one of my all-time favorite teas! (How many times have I said that so far?) Rooibos tea is a fantastic choice for the best hot tea for non tea drinkers. It has a unique earthy taste; it’s completely caffeine-free; and it’s a cool red color. That’s a pretty damn cool herbal tea, if you ask me.
4. Lemon Ginger
Of course, you can make a lemon and ginger hot “tea” without having to go out and purchase tea bags. After all, when it comes to that lemony flavor, there’s nothing better than freshly squeezed lemon juice. Adding fresh ginger, however, can sometimes be a bit of a hassle, which is why you may want to opt for one of these lemon ginger teas. Personally, I like both the DIY and the bagged version—it all depends on how lazy I am that day and what I have on hand in the kitchen.
5. Hibiscus
I recently discovered hibiscus tea after stumbling upon it in the sale aisle in Lidl … And I was quickly hooked. It should go without saying that I love how this herbal tea turns a pale pink color or a vibrant magenta hue, depending on how strong you make it and how long you steep it for. Interestingly, hibiscus tea doesn’t taste like flowers to me but has more of a tangy, almost fruity taste. Highly recommend! My favorite way to imbibe is with hibiscus loose leaf tea so I can feel like an old-timey herbalist while I pour out the flower buds.
Best teas with low caffeine content
On the other hand, maybe you’re not a caffeine teetotaler, but you just want to watch your daily caffeine intake. If that sounds like you, you’d be advised to steer clear of black tea, which is the most caffeinated tea out there (definitely not the best tea for non tea drinkers who are avoiding high levels of caffeine).
Instead, try out one of these low-caffeine teas:
1. White Tea
White tea is the least processed type of tea and thus has the lowest caffeine content. On average, a cup of white tea has 6–55 mg of caffeine. [Source: Healthline] Try out white if you want a delicate flavor profile with just a little bit of sweetness.
2. Green Tea
Green tea has more caffeine than white tea, but it’ll give you less of a kick than black tea. In general, a basic cup of green tea will have 30–50 mg of caffeine. [Source: Healthline] Besides being low in caffeine, green tea is loaded with different health benefits—far too much for me to even try to summarize here.
If you’d like to find more references about green tea’s health benefits, I’d recommend heading to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
How to find out what kind of tea you like
As you can see, there is a big, wide world of tea out there! While it may seem like I shared a lot of information, all of this is really just the tip of the iceberg. So if you’re a total newbie when it comes to the humble tea leaf, I get that it can be hard to figure out how to start drinking tea.
To help, here a few tips on how to figure out what kind of tea you like:
1. Look for flavors you’re already familiar with
Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for experimenting and expanding your horizons. But when you’re trying to figure out how to start liking tea, it’s a good idea to stick with what you know. At least in the beginning.
So here’s the #1 tip to find the best tasting tea for beginners: Look for teas that taste like something you already like.
If you like fruit …
Maybe don’t make your first cup the smoky Lapsang Souchong. Instead, look for fruit-infused teas, like:
If you like cinnamon …
Chai could be your best friend. It’s also a good idea to look for other spicy tea blends, like:
- Black Tea, Hot Cinnamon Spice
- Orange and Cinnamon Spice Caffeine-Free Tea
- Cinnamon Apple Spice Herbal Tea
- Cinnamon Rose Infusion
If you like bitter flavors …
Stay away from the florals! To turn up the bitterness on any tea, remember that you can always simply steep your tea for a little bit longer. Here are some good choices for tea with a bitter flavor profile:
If you’re picky and have no idea where to start
I see you, and I hear you. Sometimes, we just don’t know what we want. If you’re just dipping your toe into the world of teas, I recommend starting with mint tea. After all, most of us already know what mint tastes like, right?
To better control the dosage and how strong your tea will be, try starting with a loose leaf mint tea. I like this one. Or if you want something less fussy, just get the tea bag, instead.
Pro tip: Once you’ve gotten accustomed to herbal mint tea (and if you like it!), you can take a baby step towards the “real” teas. Try this green tea with mint to help you cross the bridge from mint tea to green tea. (It’s also just darn good-tasting, too.)
2. Get a tea-sampling kit
Another way to learn how to start drinking tea is by getting a tea-sampling kit. This gives you the chance to try out a bunch of different kinds of tea without having to commit to an entire box of one flavor.
Here are a few options of tea-sampling kits:
- If you want to try a bunch of different black teas: Twinings, Black Tea Variety Pack
- If you want to try a bunch of different herbal teas: Pukka Organic Herbal Tea Collection
- If you want to try a little bit of everything: Numi Tea, Organic Teas & Herbal Teas
3. Visit a tea shop or tearoom
If you think you won’t like tea and don’t want to buy a box that may potentially go to waste, you definitely don’t have to. Instead, you can visit a local tea shop or tearoom before making any purchase.
Of course, you can also just go to a basic coffee shop and order a cup of tea there. But why not make tea-tasting a fun experience?
Going out for afternoon tea is a fun way to treat yourself—and it’s something a little different than just heading to the bar or a restaurant. Plus, rather than just ordering one cup of tea at coffee shop, most tearooms usually have some kind of tea sampler on the menu so you can try out a bunch of different flavors.
Going to a tearoom is also fun because:
- It’s an excuse to dress up in the daytime;
- You can drink your tea with your pinky up with no shame;
- Scones;
- It is an opportunity to wear a fabulous hat indoors.
4. Experiment with additives
Personally, I like my tea like I like my coffee: straight up. Sometimes, I’ll add in a little bit of lemon or honey, depending on the blend. Although, I won’t lie. I’m usually too lazy to do that.
But if you’re a beginner learning how to like tea, playing around with additives may help you get used to the taste. For example, you can add:
- Milk (Take your pic from the ever-growing list of varieties and alternatives.)
- Cream
- Sugar (Although please do yourself a favor and avoid artificial sweeteners and their many health concerns. It’s too much to get into now, but this article from the Cleveland Clinic is a good starting point for reading about how bad artificial sweeteners are for our bodies.)
- Honey (A much healthier choice than plain sugar!)
- Lemon
- Orange peel
- Cinnamon (sticks or ground)
- Fresh ginger
- Mint leaves
- Berries
Tips for shopping for tea for beginners
We’re so inundated by choices anytime we go to buy anything nowadays—and this is certainly true of tea. So if you don’t know a thing about tea (Although, hopefully you do after reading this blog post), trying to find the best tea for non tea drinkers can be quite daunting.
But don’t sweat it. (After all, this is tea, we’re talking about.)
Still, these shopping tips can help you find the best tasting tea for beginners:
1. Shop for high quality
I’m not saying you need to spend a lot of money on tea. Definitely not. But if this is your first time tasting tea, you don’t want to be turned off by a cheap, low-quality taste.
Note: This is not even mentioning the environmental and ethical consequences of supporting nefarious tea companies. Again, that’s way too large of a topic to discuss here, but you can head to the Ethical Tea Partnership if you want to learn more about the tea industry.) In this post, we’re keeping things simple and just focusing on things like flavor and the tea-drinking experience.
So when shopping for the best tea to start with, look for reputable tea brands, ideally organic, if you can. These are some of the tea brands I like:
- Traditional Medicinals
- Equal Exchange
- Yogi Tea
- Stash Tea
- Pukka
- Mountain Rose Herbs
2. Look for teas with fewer tannins
First, what the heck are tannins? Derived from phenolic acids, tannins are phenolic compounds that are found in many kinds of plants. Besides tea, you may consume tannins in coffee, red wine, and beer. [Source: United States Department of Agriculture]
There’s some conflicting research out there on whether or not tannins are beneficial or harmful for your health. But again, I’m focusing strictly on flavor right now.
Essentially, tannins are responsible for giving tea its dark color and bitter flavor. If bitterness isn’t your thing, then begin your journey to liking tea by looking for teas with fewer tannins, like white and green teas.
Here’s a little cheat sheet on which teas have the most tannins:
| Type of Tea | Tannin Concentration |
|---|---|
| Black tea | 11.76–15.14% |
| Oolong tea | 8.66% |
| Green tea | 2.65–3.11% |
[Source: Livestrong]
This report, unfortunately, did not include the average tannin concentration in white tea. In my research, I found many publications that state white tea has the lowest tannin count (and this very well may be true); however, all publications (that I’ve read) fail to cite any research studies supporting this information. If you find this information, please let me know! I would be happy to read it and update this post.
3. Look for less bitter teas
If all this tannin talk has got you a little freaked out, let me say it another way: If you are searching for a good tea for beginners, stay away from smokey, earthy teas. (I’m looking at you, Pu-erh and Lapsang Souchong!)
Here’s another cheat sheet to help you find less-bitter tea for beginners:
| Very Bitter Teas | Moderately Bitter Teas | Not Bitter Teas |
|---|---|---|
| Early Grey | English Breakfast | White Tea |
| Lapsang Souchong | Oolong | Chamomile |
| Green Gunpowder Tea | Ceylon Black Tea | Peppermint Tea |
How to acquire a taste for tea
I remember my first sip of red wine. I don’t remember how old I was exactly, but I was probably a young teenager. My mom gave me a sip from her glass at the dinner table, and I promptly made a face and ran into the kitchen to spit it out into the sink.
Today, red wine isn’t my favorite drink to imbibe, but I do like it. The same thing might happen to you with tea.
I’m not saying one sip of tea will send you running to the other room to make a return delivery, but you may not like it on your first try. Actually, this is quite a common phenomenon when trying new foods; one study, in particular, revealed that children need to try a new food six to 15 times before they start to like it and eat it more. [Source: PubMed Central]
So if you don’t like tea from your very first cup but you still want to get those health benefits, there’s hope for you yet!
Here are a few tips to learn how to acquire a taste for tea:
1. Start with teas with mild flavors and subtle aromas
This is the rule that I keep on repeating, but it works. If you’re a tea beginner, don’t go straight for the most robust, full-bodied earthy blends. (Unless you’re a coffee addict, in which case one of those may be the best tea for coffee drinkers.
But if you’re not attuned to the world of caffeine, start slow. Or, more accurately, start subtle. Look for teas with mild flavors, like herbal teas, white tea, green tea, and low-oxidized oolong tea.
2. Gradually explore stronger teas
Once you’ve gotten accustomed to the taste of milder teas, you can explore more full-bodied, robust teas.
For example, to help you transition from green tea to black tea, start with a high-oxidized oolong tea. Then, you can check out some of the stronger classics, like English Breakfast tea, Irish Breakfast tea, and Ceylon black tea.
Here’s one path you could take to learn how to acquire a taste for tea and find the best tea for non tea drinkers like you:
| Steps to Acquire a Taste for Tea | Tea Options |
|---|---|
| 1. Start with herbal tea. | – Peppermint tea – Chamomile tea – Rooibos tea – Cinnamon tea – Berry tea blend |
| 2. Then transition to a mild, subtle green or white tea. | – Jasmine green tea – Dragonwell tea – Pure white tea – White peony tea |
| 3. Try a more robust oolong tea. | – Low-oxidized oolong tea – High-oxidized oolong tea |
| 4. Graduate to a cup of full-bodied black tea. | – Assam black tea – Chai black tea – Earl Grey |
| 5. Sit at the big kids’ tea table with a smokey, earthy blend. | – Lapsang souchong – Pu-erh |
3. Explore flavored options
Now it’s time to spice things up! In the beginning, when you’re learning how to like tea, it’s best to stick to the basics and avoid overly-flavored teas so you can figure out how to identify what kind of tea leaves you like.
But once you’ve tried a couple of different cups, you’ll better understand your tea preferences and tastes. Do you like green tea? Black tea? Herbal? A little bit of everything?
Here are a few good options of different flavored teas to experiment with:
Flavored Green Teas
Flavored Black Teas
- Chocolate Hazelnut Black Tea
- Double Bergamot Earl Grey
- Rose Petal Black Tea
- Double Spice Chai Black Tea
Flavored Herbal Teas
- Raspberry Hibiscus Herbal Tea
- Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea
- Elderberry & Echinacea Herbal Tea
- Licorice Spice Herbal Tea
4. Try iced tea
Found a few teas you like? Try them iced, too!
Some companies sell tea bags that are specially made for brewing iced tea. Basically, each tea bag usually has more tea leaves inside so you can brew them in cold water. But in my opinion, these teas don’t taste as good—and they’re not worth the added expense.
Instead, you can easily turn your favorite hot tea into iced tea yourself.
| How to Turn Your Favorite Hot Tea Into Iced Tea |
|---|
| 1. Steep an extra-strong cup of your favorite tea. (I like to use two tea bags instead of one.) |
| 2. After steeping, remove the tea bags and let cool until the tea reaches room temperature. |
| 3. Serve immediately with ice cubes. Store any leftover tea in the fridge overnight. |
| 4. Get fancy with a lemon wedge, fresh mint leaves, fresh fruit or other iced tea additives. |
| 5. Incorporate tea into daily routines and rituals |
5. Incorporate tea into daily routines and rituals
Finally, if you’re working on learning how to like tea, the best way to acquire a taste for the drink is to incorporate it into your daily routine.
For example, instead of reaching for coffee first thing in the morning, how about brewing yourself a cup of delightful green tea? (That is, after you’ve had a glass of water, first thing, to get hydrated.)
Or, if you’re out the door too quickly in the morning, try adding tea into your evening wind-down routine. Brew a cup to read with a classic book in the evening (or during a binge-watching session). Or brew a cup of tea and enjoy doing absolutely nothing but sitting and staring out the window for a bit. (Seriously, when was the last time you really did nothing?)
How to level up your tea tasting
Welcome to the boss level (tea version).
If you’ve nailed down your favorite picks among the best teas for non tea drinkers, it’s time to direct your attention to the art of tea drinking.
Here a few creative ways to level up your tea tasting:
1. Try out loose leaf tea vs tea bags
In the beginning, when you’re just starting to explore the best teas for non tea drinkers, it’s easiest to buy tea bags. After all, they’re easy to use, you can take them with you on the go, and they’re ideal for brewing a single serving.
But loose leaf tea is fun, too. For one, it can be better for the environment because it seriously cuts down on unnecessary packaging. Also, if you’re brewing an entire pot of tea, it’s easier to work with loose leaf tea instead of having to use multiple tea bags.
However, if you want to play with loose leaf tea, you need the right accessories. And there are a lot. For example, you can buy:
- A designated loose leaf tea pot
- A single-serving tea infuser
- A travel mug with a tea infuser
And the list goes on. If you’ve entered the world of teas (First of all, welcome!), then learning to brew loose leaf tea can really amplify the tea-drinking experience.
2. Experiment with different brewing methods
Now, this is a very simplified list because there are lots of different ways to brew tea, many with important cultural significance. But I’m keeping it quick and to the point here, just to give an introduction to tea brewing for beginners.
Besides steeping simple tea bags, you can also experiment with different methods of brewing tea, like:
- Steeping in a teapot: Pour boiling water over full tea leaves into a teapot; then serve by straining into teacups.
- Steeping in a teacup: Pour boiling water over full leaves directly in a teacup; let the tea leaves settle to the bottom and drink, unstrained.
- Cold brew: Steep tea leaves in cold or room temperature water overnight.
- Temperature-controlled electric kettles: Use an electric kettle with different temperature settings to brew different types of tea at specific temperatures to get the ideal flavor. (Yes, this was on my Christmas list one year. And I loved it.)
3. Enhance the experience with tea accessories
For the gal who loves to accessorize, tea may soon become more than just a cozy beverage but a full-fledged hobby. (No judging, here.)
Like anything, you can make brewing tea as simple or as complicated as you want to. If you just want to buy a box of tea bags, boil water on the stove, pour, and be done with, then you will not only get to enjoy the taste and health benefits of tea … but you’ll end up saving yourself a lot of time, too!
On the other hand, you can also get a little extra and turn tea time into a delectable ritual that soothes, calms, and uplifts you. There are accessories for that.
Here are a few ways to enhance the tea-drinking experience with accessories:
- Tea serving sets: Go all in with a teapot and a set of matching teacups.
- Tea cozies: Use decorative, insulated covers to keep your teapot warm while you luxuriate.
- Tea trays: Feel extra fancy by transporting your teawares from the kitchen to the table with a dedicated serving tray.
- Tea tins: Keep your tea bags and loose leaf tea fresh and well organized in dedicated airtight tins.
- Tea towels: Wipe up spills and keep hands protected from the scalding teapot with special tea towels.
- Tea whisks: Prepare matcha the right way with a special matcha whisk to perfectly blend the green tea powder.
- Tea timers: Avoid over- or under-brewing with a special tea timer to get the best-tasting cup every time.
My love affair with tea
I didn’t start drinking black coffee until I was in college. Before then, I would sometimes treat myself to one of the overly fanciful lattes at my local Starbucks while doing my homework with high school friends. (I think my old favorites were the peppermint mocha latte and the gingerbread latte. (I mostly just liked the Christmas ones.))
But I did start every day of high school with a travel mug of tea that I carefully transported in the car and sipped through all of first period. As I wasn’t really into coffee yet, tea was my drink of choice for morning, afternoon break, and before bed. Even today, before I have a cup of coffee, I prefer my first beverage (after a glass of water, that is) to be either a cup of tea or simply hot water with lemon.
Have you tried any of these teas for non tea drinkers yet? Do you think you’ll get into drinking tea soon?
Before You Go …
As the British writer C.S. Lewis said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” And I can’t say I disagree.
Need a good book to enjoy with your cup of tea? Read my next article to pick out an easy-to-read classic book you’ll love.
Best Tea for Non Tea Drinkers : References
UCLA Health: 6 health benefits of drinking black tea
National Library of Medicine: Beneficial effects of green tea: A literature review
Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 82 vis ScienceDirect: A mini review of effects of white tea consumption on diseases
Penn Medicine: The Hidden Health Benefits of Tea
Harvard Health Publishing: The health benefits of 3 herbal teas
National Library of Medicine: Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future
Wikipedia: Rooibos
Medical News Today: Caffeine content of different types of coffee
Women’s Health: Does Matcha Have As Much Caffeine As Coffee? Here’s What To Know
National Library of Medicine: Yerba Mate—A Long but Current History
Mayo Clinic: Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more
Healthline: Pu-erh Tea: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects, and More
National Library of Medicine: Caffeine content of brewed teas
Healthline: How Much Caffeine Is in White Tea?
Healthline: How Much Caffeine Is in Green Tea?
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Green Tea
Cleveland Clinic: This Is Why Artificial Sweeteners Are Bad for You
United States Department of Agriculture: Tannins
National Library of Medicine: Tannins and human health: a review
Livestrong: Why Personalization Is Key to Weight Loss — and 4 Ways to Customize Your Approach
PubMed Central: Early Taste Experiences and Later Food Choices
