OUR STORY

types-of-tea

THE BEGINNING...

Out of a genuine passion for premium, loose-leaf tea, Octavia Tea was founded in 2002 after our founder spent 2 years traveling around the world (through Europe, Asia, India and Africa) and fell in love with the different types of tea along each stop in her journey.

From thick, mint tea in Northern Africa … steamy, rich, spiced tea in India … bright, grassy green tea in Japan … fragrant jasmine tea in China … sweet apple tea in Turkey … comforting red tea in South Africa … exotic yerba maté in Argentina … fruit and vanilla flavored teas in Europe … our founder was amazed by the quality, variety and the importance tea has on different cultures around the world.

Unable to purchase her favorite teas once back at home in Chicago (in a country that focuses on coffee where mass-produced tea bags are the standard), she began a small tea-importing hobby … that soon evolved into a full-time business.

Today, Octavia Tea imports and blends over 100 different teas, and the list is constantly evolving. Our main business is wholesale; we sell primarily to gourmet grocery stores, gift shops, spas, restaurants, tea shops and coffee shops around the country.


OUR MISSION:


From traditional favorites to whimsical, imaginative blends, our mission is to bring you the freshest, purest, healthiest, best-tasting teas on earth and delight every palate from the first-time tea-drinker to the discerning connoisseur. We take pride in using only the finest natural and organic ingredients and are a socially and environmentally conscious company.

GOURMET QUALITY

Octavia Tea has set the standard for quality. In order to bring you the freshest, best-tasting teas on earth, we sample hundreds of different teas and ingredients, choosing only the best from the world’s top gardens. Each tea, spice, herb, flower, essential oil and flavor essence is hand-selected based on our rigorous demands for health benefits, freshness, flavor, quality and purity. Each blend is handcrafted in small batches to ensure that you get the freshest product possible.

Not all teas are created equal. There is an enormous disparity in flavor between different grades of tea. Even teas that share the same name have drastically different appearances and flavor profiles when produced at different gardens and sold by different tea purveyors. Our biggest compliment is when customers tell us they can’t go back to their old brand after trying the teas we offer. We work hard to bring you the absolute best of the best.



Even teas that share the same name have drastically different appearances and flavor profiles when produced at different gardens and sold by different tea purveyors. In order to bring you the freshest, best-tasting teas on earth, we sample hundreds of different teas and ingredients, choosing only the best from the world’s top gardens.

NATURAL & ORGANIC

We carefully source our ingredients and offer only natural and certified organic teas. This means that we do not use any artificial ingredients and carefully monitor our products to ensure they are grown in pristine environments free from toxic chemicals, such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Organic teas follow intensive quality and safety regulations and may contain more nutrients and antioxidants because of biologically active, fertile and healthier soil.

Focusing on natural and certified organic ingredients is especially important when it comes to tea because we steep the leaves themselves directly in hot water. We don’t want a pesticide-ridden, toxin-filled cocktail!

Also, because most teas are cultivated in 3rd world countries where pesticides are poorly regulated, buying natural and organic is not only better for our health, it also ensures the safety and well-being of people living and working on the gardens.

Although artificial flavors are much cheaper to use and widespread in the tea industry, we are one of the few tea companies that use only use natural flavor essences and pure essential oils to enhance our blends.

We believe that our commitment to natural and certified organic products has an enormous impact on taste, quality, our well-being and the health of the environment.

Our teas are made using only high-quality natural and certified organic ingredients. Our blended and aromatized teas are made with fruits, flowers, herbs, spices, pure essential oils and natural flavor essences. We do not use any artificial ingredients or flavors.

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Octavia Tea is a socially and environmentally responsible company. We are proud to support gardens that encourage the conservation of the environment through sustainable natural and organic farming methods. Nearly all of our teas are either Certified Organic or made with organic ingredients. We also offer a selection of Fair Trade Certified teas.



OUR TEAS

At Octavia Tea, we like to think of tea as an escape from the ordinary - where you can find peace, restore energy, awaken the senses, enjoy conversation among friends or simply take time for yourself. Every tea has a unique flavor and style that reflects its origin, varietal, vintage and artisanal method of manufacture. We urge customers to appreciate loose-leaf tea as though it were a fine wine.

We offer traditional, world-famous, single-estate teas that have been harvested using 1,000-year-old techniques, as well as imaginative blends enhanced with fruits, flowers, spices, natural flavor essences and pure essential oils. We even have a tea that tastes like a chocolate mint dessert!

Because everyone has different taste preferences, we offer a wide selection of teas to suit every palette and mood. All of our teas are available in 3 sizes: samples (so you can try it first), signature tins (our most popular size) and bulk by-the-pound (so you can save money on your favorite teas).



Every tea has a unique flavor and style that reflects its origin, varietal, vintage and artisanal method of manufacture. We urge customers to appreciate loose-leaf tea as though it were a fine wine.

AFFORDABILITY

Fortunately, premium, gourmet tea is one of those rare, affordable luxuries. With an average of 150 tablespoons-per-pound*, even some of our highest quality teas cost less than $0.50 for a strong, generous cup. High-quality tea can be re-steeped multiple times to offer even more savings. Click here to view our Price-Per-Serving Calculator.

We delight in offering our customers the only highest quality and most flavorful teas, and this means we do not compete on price with other merchants who focus on price over quality (we are sure you agree that not every “Earl Grey” is created equal). However, we work hard to deliver a premium product at a non-premium price, and we have built our business in a way that helps to create value for you.

Because we are primarily wholesalers and sell our teas to businesses and other tea companies, we bring in large quantities of tea and maintain very competitive pricing. We source teas direct from origin and create our own custom blends. Our long-term relationship with our suppliers and growers ensures that we get exceptional prices for the quality of our products. Due to our unique position in the industry, we are proud to offer some of the highest-quality, best-tasting, natural and organic teas in the world at affordable prices.

*The number of servings/tablespoons-per-pound varies depending on the density of each specific tea.  For example, a dense tea with tightly-rolled leaves will yield around 80 tablespoons-per-pound while a light, large-leaf tea will have up to 300 tablespoons-per-pound.  The calculation above is based on the average of 150 tablespoons-per-pound.

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