I received a pamphlet in the mail from Upton Tea Imports, probably because I've bought tea from a variety of sources and one of them passed on my name and address. I looked through their tea offerings but what really caught my interest was the centerfold descriptions of how the range of teas from white to green to oolong to black to Pu-erh is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, each type of tea coming from a different number of variations in the process. That made me look more closely at their teas. I ordered some of their Richmond Park blend and some of their Mincing Lane. The latter's name was irresistible and descriptions of both sounded good. The package arrived earlier this week. I opened it to find they had included a sample of a loose leaf Christmas blend originating in Germany. I'm not fond of spiced teas, so I opened it and took a preliminary sniff, finding it not too heavily spiced, so I made a pot. It was subtle, less spiced than Constant Comment and less overwhelming than a tea Cost Plus used to sell which gave me a headache whenever I walked down the aisle where it was displayed. It was pleasant, though I wouldn't buy it. I made a pot of the Mincing Lane blend yesterday and it's very good. I've had two large cups and like it. It will fit in well w/ the teas in my rotation. I see that they sell a Ceylon Kenilworth tea. I bought some from Peet's in bulk and like it a lot. When I use it up I will buy more from Upton Imports, as Peet's no longer offers it. read more

I have been a long time customer of upton tea for almost 3 decades now. They're probably one of the best loos leaf tea companies that have kept their prices reasonably affordable. Even with shrinkflation making costs go up they have done well at not shrinking the volume of their product. Overall customer service is excellent to decent. My complaints are minimum: Shipping. This is out of their control but if they know the cheapest option is an issue with massive slow downs they should remove that option. I wish they didn't get rid of the Amazon check out option. It's safer and you don't have to worry about someone stealing your card. To this day they still deny stealing my number despite the cookie transaction saying it was on their end. I'm guessing Shope is the new store option for companies. I liked the old layout. I'm not a big fan of the new store layout u.i. design. Their reviews for products are too controlled. They will not let a single 1 star review tank a product. I've tried to leave a few but they won't let them through. I've bought some batches that were just straight up bad and others where it's clear the manufacture forgot to put it through the steps that make it that tea. I usually enjoy the sencha green tea japanese version. My only complaint is that it varies in strength each batch. I might try another version as lately it's been really weak. I bought some earlier this year and had to toss it all because it was past the return time frame. That batch didn't even go through the processing step to give the green tea that unique flavor. I may begin a new search for another tea company. Overall upton has served us well but I've been having issues with my favorite green tea being all over the place in strength and consistency. read more

I ordered 3 different teas. One was a Chai tea. I was quite disappointed with the flavor. There is an overpowering citrus taste, not like a traditional Chai with clove cinnamon, etc warm spices. I contacted the company by email. I was told I could send it back for a credit. I was going to return it, but postage was almost what I paid for the pack of tea. Then turn around and pay shipping on another tea. Ill just get the Chai tea from another company. read more

I worked in Philadelphia and lived in the Mainline area my whole career. I've tried every high end loose tea out there. Upton teas are a treasure trove of the best teas in the world. Very lucky to have them available. read more

Inconsistent quality from one order to another. Had one bag that was great until half way through, then terrible. It's really good tea.....sometimes. read more

I've been ordering from them for over 2 decades now! My entire family is a bunch of tea snobs. A part of it due to the fact that we are from Taiwan where you can find pretty high quality tea for a few bucks. (Taiwan was a dutch colony and was at the center of the exports of teas and spices out of Asia for centuries.) So when we moved to the states where coffee is the king-it was pretty hard to find good quality tea. Even now you can go to gourmet groceries stores and pay $15 bucks for a dozen ounce of so called "green tea" or black tea from some exotic locale. (But to me 80% of what you are paying for is the fancy packaging.) Well what saved us many years ago was we found Upton Tea and have been hooked ever since. Here is what you need to know about them 1. They are incredibly non- snobby about tea. There is nothing pretentious about the folks Upton. You can ask them anything and no matter what your level of tea experience is these guys can help. 2. They can send out samples of everything they offer starting as low as $1.00 3. Shipping is a flat rate of $4.60 4. Like green tea? they got green teas from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Nepal, Indonesia and Vietnam 5. They are one of the few places that sells Tie guan yin oolong tea out of Taiwan. It use to be the only place to get them was in Taiwan. I remember my aunts use to stuff half of dozen canisters of these puppies in their suit cases. Now there are becoming more widely available but the problem is its freshness and authenticity. If you have never had a cup of true tie guan yin tea then you wouldn't know it from a bag of Lipton-sorry if this sounds snobby-but there are a lot of fakes and tie guan yin mixed with other leaves and still sold as tie guan yin...This is why I trust Upton because these guys have been in the business since the 1980's and have really great reputation and fair pricing. 6. They sell rooibo teas in the bulk! I love me a cup of rooibo and I can get a big bag (500g.) for about $25 (including tax and shipping) and that bag will last me for a whole year even with me drinking it every single day..... 7. If you want a cup of bold and hearty breakfast tea-try their Bond St. Breakfast blend. It's a mix of ceylon and assam. Add a dash of milk and you feel like you can take on the entire world! So there you have it. 7 reasons why I keep coming back to these guys. If you'd not try them. Give them a shot. You will love it! read more

I have a special relationship with tea. That is because I have never liked drinking milk. To me, the smell of a warm/cold cup of milk is repulsive and nauseous. When I was a kid, my parents would feed me milk by putting it in a bottle, mixing it with a ton of sugar, and sticking the bottle in my mouth while I was still sleeping in my bed, in pajamas. I would unconsciously suck on the nipple and dry out the bottle. Awake, that would never happen. That eventually came to an abrupt stop. One day the maid forgot to stir the sugar in the bottle, and the taste of unsweetened milk in my mouth woke me up. Needless to say, I flung the bottle over her head, and that marked the end to that period of "sleepfeeding" (similar to sleepwalking) in my life. And as a result, I grew up drinking tea. What are my thoughts on Upton Tea Imports? First off, if you are looking for the best tea in a bag, let me put it straight, you are wasting your time. The best way to drink tea is from the leaf. The whole spectrum of flavors of the tea leaf, and the fragrances, are present, plus all the beneficial aspects of tea (antioxidants). It is true that you need a trinket to brew your tea, or a tea pot, but the improvements are tremendous and exponential. Don't get me wrong, I won't decline tea from a tea bag, but I much rather have the loose leaf variety. I was introduced to Upton Tea Imports by my sister-in-law, when she mailed me a tea sampler. She knows I am a tea drinker and she had this spectacular gesture towards me. Before that, I was drinking subpar loose leaf tea that I would find here and there, and most of the time flavored, because most retailers believe loose leaf tea is synonymous with fruity herbal tea. If you drink black tea, you are basically ignored, I even think that somewhere there is a T-shirt that reads "Real People Don't Drink Black Tea", or something like that. After that sampler, I became a regular customer. And it's been many years already. If it's your first time ordering, I suggest ordering some breakfast blend samplers. Some teas require time to get the taste acquired, but as you learn about the types, regions, countries and grades, you will develop a preference. With that said, I also advocate trying new teas, herbs and blends. And that is why I almost took my business somewhere else. Yes, after many years, I was about to change purveyors. The thing is, the world of tea has evolved, not only following the organic trend, but widening the spectrum and importing from different countries, even continents. Simply, I needed a tea makeover. Luckily, I visited Upton Tea Imports before I said my goodbye and found a lot of new offerings. In other words, they are keeping up with the trends, something I find relieving and comforting because I know that Upton Tea Imports is synonymous with the best quality. My experience with Upton Tea Imports could be summarized as follows: Never a complain in many years of service. Truly, a top notch dealer. read more

Upton Tea Imports - Rote Grutze - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Holliston, Massachusetts

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Upton tea has an outstanding variety of tea Can't go wrong if you are a tea lover. Have ordered from them on multiple occasions and never been disappointed. read more

I've been a customer since the early 2000s when a coworker suggested I try them instead of my then current tea source. Living across the country from them, I've used mail order every time and found their website easy to navigate. I admit to having a preference of their old website over the new one, but oh well. I order a variety of teas every few months. While I drink primarily pu-erh and selected styles of black tea (usually Ceylon or Yunan styles), others in my family prefer green and oolong teas. Recently (past few years), they have added a wider selection of tisanes for an evening cup for those of us who can no longer tolerate caffeine in the evenings. Yes, there is a need to know what you are ordering when you purchase tea. Some of the teas I order have not been my preference, but I've learned the types of tea I like less. For example, I am not fond of most assam or early gray teas. The ability to select single estate teas I find nice as I've found even in say Ceylon teas, one estate I very much enjoy while another single estate Ceylon tea I can only tolerate with far more sweetener than I usually enjoy. What this means is try sample sizes. Every so often, I'll purchase 3-5 samples and take notes on what I like or not like. The cost of samples has been consistently low enough that I don't mind if I end up really disliking that tea. The new option to select one's sample for mail orders means that I don't get an earl gray sample and wonder when I'll next see a tea drinking friend to give it to. The mail order service has been consistently excellent, sending notifications each step of the way, and far faster than I would expect for what I can only presume to be a small operation. Given that a typical order for me contains three or four decent sized bags (usually 200-250g each), the cost of shipping to me is quite reasonable. read more

I am disappointed that the tea store only sells its products by mail and doesn't have a physical shop. I drove there, stopped by and realized it operates solely through mail orders. Sighing. read more

The cinnamon spice chai is a great pick me up and a great morning t e a I bought the 4 oz about a couple of months ago went through that now I'm ordering the 500 G will be buying more awesome tea read more

I agree with everything Shanna K. said in her review. We have ordered regularly from them for years. They do everything perfect. Get registered, place your order and enjoy. Let me suggest Formosa oolong. Order the sampler SO17 for $14.50 with four 35g tins. I think the best is TT86, Formosa jade oolong, but you may want to try the TT87 supreme for a slightly higher cost. Look at the AI42 unbleached filter bags and AI33 clips, one of their best sellers. You can not go wrong with Uptons (http://www.uptontea.com). read more

Upton Tea Imports - a picture of a mug - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Holliston, Massachusetts

Several months ago I got a wild hair and decided that I should explore loose tea. I've never been a huge fan of tea (I'm a coffee drinker) but from a foodie standpoint it seemed like something I should do ... and serious tea drinkers seem obsessed with it so I felt I should see what all the fuss is about. I jumped online, searched around and found uptontea.com ... they sell over 420 different kinds of loose tea, have a ton of information their site about the difference between various teas, interesting articles on the history of tea, plus reviews of their teas by customers. I was able to read up and eventually I decided that, as a first timer, their sampler sets were the way to go. I ended up purchasing almost every sampler... cause that's how I am. Heh. I purchased the Green, Oolong, Iced, British Blend, Assam, Ceylon, and Darjeeling. Checkout and shipping was super easy and the sampler sets are great. Each one contains 4 different reusable metal tins of tea which are easily stackable and protect the teas from moisture and light. Each of the 4 tins has enough tea to make 12-16 cups so you really get to try each one enough times to compare and form an opinion. They also offer smaller sample packets of every tea they sell, which is nice.. and these come in a three layer packet to protect the tea, as well. Good for those who go a little nuts and order a bunch... like me. In the packets I think I ordered Earl Grey, Jasmine with flowers and something else... I've yet to get through all the tea I've ordered from them but I would not hesitate to order again. I've also sent really nice gift packs to friends and family so if you have a tea lover in your life, there you go. It's perfect. read more

One of the great American companies. Quality, reasonably priced products and seamless customer service and delivery. Other firms should copy their website. read more

I love everything about Upton Tea: the expertise, selection, and quality. The Quarterly is about the only catalogue I look forward to receiving thanks to the engaging and fascinating articles on the history and politics of tea! I feel moved to finally write an overdue review due to the exceptional customer service I received today. Yesterday my lovely Chatsford teapot took a tumble and the lid slid off and smashed to pieces. I searched all over the Internet seeing how to get a replacement and came up empty. What a waste to buy a new one and throw out a perfectly good lidless pot! I emailed Upton Tea, not even certain I purchased the teapot from them, hoping to be able to purchase a replacement lid. Instead, a fabulous member of their team immediately offered to send me a replacement lid free of charge. Unbelievable! You guys are the absolutely best and thank you for taking such fine care of your customers! read more

I started out as a customer in 1989 and the tea and customer service was top notch. I stayed with Upton until this year. I ordered an expensive breakfast tea that had gotten rave reviews. I brewed it up and found it flavorless and blah. Lest you think I was suffering from Wu-Flu taste deprivation, I assure you I could taste everything else that day. I emailed customer service and I was told that other people enjoyed it, so tough luck, Lady. I again emailed customer service, slightly miffed that my palate was getting dissed, and I received a gift certificate. Recently I tried ordering tea using the credit and the tea never arrived. When I contacted one of the Tea Consultants I was told that there was a balance owed. I'm pretty sure the credit covered everything, so I've decided to just kiss the loss goodbye and order tea from Tea Gschwender. read more

The tea is excellent and the selection huge. Their catalog gives lots of good information about tea from all over the world. The problem is the shipping. For years they got it to you within a few days. Now it could be a couple weeks or longer. Did they realize they were losing money on shipping? When I called recently to ask about my order the person in customer service had a bad attitude, like they really didn't want to be doing that job. I hate to say it, but I will have to be looking around for my tea elsewhere. read more

I have only tried the chai from Upton Tea. Both the Nuxalbari Estate Masala Chai Organic and the Organic Chai Namaste were very disappointing. No flavor, no joy. I would recommend the chai from Far Leaves Tea in Berkeley. CA. I am not affiliated with that company . . . just a very delighted customer. read more

As a tea lover, when I was given an Upton tea catalog, I was in "hog-heaven". So many teas to choose from. Over the years I have been pleased with the tea and I like the way they personalize the packages and tins you purchase. They make nice gifts. Recently, I had a negative experience and was surprised that the lady who I spoke to in "customer service" would not help me. Here's what happened: I was sent an email that said if you spend $60.00, you would get a free electric kettle. I was excited although it would take me many months to drink $60.00 worth of tea. I managed to order $63.00 worth and was very excited to get my electric kettle as I don't have one. I am also a teacher and thought I could use it at school. A few weeks later my tea arrived but not the kettle. I thought it might be coming in a separate shipment but called to make sure. I was told that although my order was over the required amount, the tea itself did not add up to $60.00, as I was $3.63 short. I told the lady that the coupon code was accepted when I ordered online and that if was a matter of $3.63, then I would send in that amount. I was told that the offer was very popular and that they were sold out and that she could not help me. I wrote a letter to the president/ceo and never received a response. I thought that if I did something wrong, the website should not have accepted my coupon code given to me in the original offer. Now I will switch to Adagio. Adagio also has a large selection, a great customer reward system and great customer service. I like the Yunan Noir black tea but they have hundreds. read more

I've been strung out on Camelia Sinensis for over half my life, now. And until I move back to China, Upton Tea will be my dealer of choice. Where to even begin? The service? Phenomenal. The product? Excellent. The customer experience? Everything you wanted and more. Upton operates entirely online, to my understanding (I'm pretty sure they haven't got a storefront in their current Holliston location; I know they didn't have one in Hopkinton,) which really makes it extremely impressive that they can give you the feeling of great service without you actually meeting them in person. Their website allows you to browse through various varieties of teas. Each tea has a profile page which shows a photograph of the un-steeped leaves, gives some information about the tea itself, and (the kicker,) allows you to read customer reviews. Is the tea nerd in you grinning uncontrollably yet? If not, keep reading. Of course, you can order online, but orders can also be placed through phone, fax, or email. Once you've ordered from them, a quarterly newsletter/catalog goes out. They don't send out any advertising material aside from that, and if you plan on ordering again, the paper catalog lays things out very nicely. Teas can be ordered in various volumes. Another selling point of Upton is that they offer inexpensive "sample" sizes of all of their products. Good for a couple of pots of tea, these samples are great for getting a feel for what you want to order in greater volume. After that, the sky's the limit: you can order as much as one kilogram of your favorite tea at a time. I've only gone as big as the 250g size, personally. The selection is amazing, as well. And it's serious. Generally speaking, there are no cutesy names, goofy flavored tea gimmicks (though there are some flavored teas,) or blends promising to deliver anything but Camelia Sinensis in all its many-flavored glory. There's also a decently wide selection of tisanes, including a bit of a curiosity: heirloom tea flowers, which are the flowers of the tea plant. It's a unique and pleasant experience. Each packet has brewing instructions right on the front, which takes some of the guesswork out of it. Orders ship unbelievably fast. I faxed in an order on the Friday before Independence Day, and received it on the Tuesday after. How did they do that? So, what's my tea of choice from them? China pu-erh Celestial Tribute. It starts every day at work for me. If I could give this place six stars, I would. If you want good tea at all, check out their website now. read more

I just can't anymore. The tea is okay but there are other vendors so service must become their edge and they can't pull it off. They have Boston attitude. FTGOP=far too good for ordinary people, is their motto. I consistently have a problem with their ordering app and the rewards system. I am not unfamiliar with online ordering and the steps one goes through to use rewards. UTI's simply doesn't work. I have shared my concerns before. Nothing changed. I had the problem again and shared it with customer service again. I received detailed instructions on how to make it work (which do not appear on the website) and it was completely unsatisfactory. If you click on rewards and select $25, that's what should automatically come off your balance. Not difficult. Online vendors do this all the time with their software. I should not have to negotiate this in any way. I responded to her explanation that I looked forward to the reduction in my balance without further action on my part and she simply cancelled my coupon and my order without regret. Stop ripping people off! So long UTI! Update: Okay. I must update this review because there was a serious miscommunication and misunderstanding. The UTI rep emailed me saying, 'We have deactivated the coupon and refunded your pay transaction' which to me meant that they weren't going to honor the reward coupon and they were giving me back my money and cancelling my order. What they meant apparently was that they were redeeming my coupon and giving me back $25 of my payment. My order will ship tomorrow. This leaves the poor clarity in communication and the abysmal website. I'll say this - website developers in the US are about 70% white male with an average age of 36 years who have little knowledge or interest in the diversity of their business clientele and their customers. I can sympathize with UTI on that one. The communication bit they're just going to have to work on. read more

Obviously you can tell with all these five star reviews that Upton Tea is amazing. I just placed my third order with them the weekend of Hurricane Sandy. They closed Monday, but they had a packing email to me at 7:30am on Tuesday! That's dedication to getting tea to your customers, I'm also very glad they fared well in the storm. Their catalog is actually very overwhelming, but thankfully there is a wish list function on the website. This makes it a lot easier, but if you're not familiar with all sorts of teas yet, then just hanging out in one category is amazing. I started in the Darjeeling category. I knew there were flushes of Darjeelings when I started out, but I had no idea that different estates could make teas that taste so different! They have Darjeelings for every price range, and honestly one of the best I've had is a Margaret's Hope BOP that I believe is less than $5 for 125g. Best of all, there are sample sizes, from $1 and up. I think the most expensive I've encountered was $9 for 6g but that was one expensive tea. There are plenty that run $1 - $3.50, with 15g being the largest amount of tea. Half an ounce of tea for a dollar? Don't mind if I do. It's a genius way to get to try a lot of their teas, though I have yet to reach the point where I have bought more than samples because I want to try EVERYTHING. You really can't go wrong with Upton. There's something for everyone. The flavored teas are the only thing I'd avoid in the future, as they are subpar, but the pure tea selection makes up for it. The blends of pure tea are awesome though, so don't disregard them! read more

This company is among my favorite sources of loose tea. Its diversity is staggering, especially among their Darjeeling, Assam, and Chinese teas. There are some real gems in here. My favorite aspect of Upton is that their prices are so reasonable--even among organic teas. It's hard to find teas of comparable quality for the prices offered by Upton. I do think Upton is better for some things than others--I'm less a fan of their flavored teas, some of which are artificially flavored, and their Ceylon teas contain a few ones I haven't been pleased with, although there are also some great ones in there too. However, they absolutely excel in their Indian and Chinese teas, and they have a moderate selection of teas from unusual / atypical regions as well, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Kenya, and Vietnam. --- Anyone interested in rating and reviewing teas might want to check out Upton's listing on this site, like a yelp for teas: http://ratetea.net/brand/upton/1/ You can review individual teas; the teas are also classified by style. read more

There are several things that make this company my primary source of loose tea, which is most of what I drink. First, they have a very wide variety of teas. For beginners their sampler packs provide an inexpensive and convenient way of helping to learn what you like and what's available. No, they don't offer 15 grades of a specific oolong or green tea variant (probably only two or three) but that's not an issue for most people and certainly not for me. Their variety is wide and deep and capable of satisfying all but the most obsessed tea geeks. And probably most of them most of the time. Their website is pretty well organized for finding teas that meet your specifications. They also carry a variety of accessories. Their prices are reasonable. They offer small samples of pretty much anything, which isn't a policy unique to Upton but i don't deal with companies who don't offer samples, particularly of more expensive teas. They're fast (which is nice) and they'll ship by USPS Priority Mail which in an important option for those of us who work and who live in a city where UPS requires someone to be home for delivery. The availability of USPS and particularly Priority Mail always gains a company many points with me. read more

I've been ordering from this company since I was a teenager living far out in the sticks. This was before the internet and the only tea I could find was in dusty-dry tea bags. I was a voracious reader and kept coming across rapturous descriptions of this, that or the other tea in books of many genres. Then I came across an ad in one of my magazines and sent off for a catalog... Even now, when I live in a city with many options and have the whole world available on the internet, I still return to Upton for their variety and quality. read more

I adore this company! I am from Canada and definitely from a town and family where tea has been an important part of life. Having moved to San Francisco I had a hard time finding a extensive black tea merchant of the British tea loving variety in the city. I found Upton Tea online and they have kept me from feeling homesick in the tea realm. The Upton people also provide a place where I can buy tea from way beyond the black tea sort as well - they have such a wide variety of teas from all over the world. Beyond the write up about each tea on the site, there are also customer comments which help in tea decision making. Upton is prompt and professional with their deliveries. The tea packaging is well done and includes a sticker on the resealable package that has your name and order date as well as the tea's info, including suggested steeping time and temp which varies according to tea. Really well organized. I highly recommend Upton. read more

Wow, new favorite tea site! A co-worker told me about this site when I saw he got a tea delivery here at work. He let me smell his Noel Melange/Christmas tea blend, and it was TO DIE FOR. I placed my own order the same day. I couldn't decide what to get, so I ended up getting 8 sample packets for only $11.60 (including shipping). That's a great deal since their sample packets are actually pretty big--enough for 3-4 cups! I ordered on a Wednesday around lunch and had my order in my hands by Friday. Super fast shipping considering they're in Massachusetts and I'm in Oklahoma, and for only $4.60 shipping! read more

I can't say enough good things about Upton Tea. I'm a long-time customer (+10 yrs?), and during that time they have maintained their high standards and superlative service. Their teas are unparalleled. Their prices are entirely reasonable. Their shipping is lightning fast and cheap. More than that, they live and breathe tea, and delight in sharing that love with customers through helpful advice and suggestions and in-depth education on the history and sources of tea. I have dallied with other vendors, but I always RUN back to Upton. The best. (PS I'm also a fan of Formosa Oolongs--give them a try!) read more

This mail order retailer has been in business for nearly twenty years and offers a dizzying selection of loose teas. The catalogue is non-pretentious and easy to browse, and has an ongoing series of articles about the history of the tea trade that's rather interesting. Of course, they offer online ordering too -- but there's just something about curling up with the catalogue and fantasizing about your next order (or that could just be me, dork that I am). They offer sample sizes of nearly every variety they carry, as well as Chatham teapots and other tea-brewing accessories. I've been ordering from Upton for several years now and can't say enough good things -- shipping is nearly instant, too! I'm currently loving TA98, a white Assam -- expensive but oh, so very yummy. read more

So happy to see so many 5 start ratings. Upton Tea is AMAZING. The only negative experience I have had was when I ordered the wrong thing. Even then, they tried to give the original item to me with free shipping. The tea is fresh, the selection is endless, and the shipping seems to take all of about 5 minutes. Even after I moved out of the Boston area, I still order from them and now I don't have to pay taxes! 5 stars for Upton Tea - Hip-hip-hooray! Hippity-Hip-Hurrah! read more

Oh Upton. I've been buying Upton tea for many years, and I only moved to Boston recently. Man I wish they had a storefront so I could go kiss it. Upton has a fantastic variety of Serious Teas. If you want to get educated about different varieties of classic black and green teas, their samplers are a really great starting point. If you are already serious into tea, Upton can cater to specific and diverse interests, and has some really top-shelf stuff. The thing that I didn't expect and which really put me over about Upton though was that they also have incredible herbals. They have some of the weirdest tastiest stuff you'll ever soak in hot water. I recommend the Lapacho and the Chamillo blend. read more

There is a reason why Upton gets so many 5 star reviews - its a wonderful service with great products. Even if you are new to tea, the descriptive information about each tea is very helpful, and you can order sample sizes to try different flavors. Upton also offers pre-made sample selection packs, which is great if you don't know exactly what you want. There is no hard sales tactics like with Teavana, and the personalisation of the tea packets is a nice touch, and the standard $5 shipping on any size order is great. My favorites include: Lavender Early Gray Assam FBOP Lapsang Souchong - a little of this mixed with the Assam is great, otherwise the "smokey-ness" might be too much. read more

I've been ordering tea from these people for ten years, and they have never let me down (I'm drinking it right now). Their selection is outstanding and the tea is the best anywhere. They describe the tea, provide reviews, and show pictures. After you order it, they send it out within a few hours and it can be on your doorstep in a day or two, depending on where you are. And if you're like me and don't like the bother of making whole pots of loose tea, you can order large tea filters with which you can make a cup at a time. This is a no-brainer...if you like tea, find these people online at Uptontea.com. read more

Lots of good reviews here, but I found their teas to be really poor quality. The ones I received were very weak. Different teas that should have a very different and distinct flavors (Russian caravan, English breakfast, Irish breakfast and Assam) have exactly the same weak flavorless taste. It's almost like they'd been on the shelf for too many years and all the flavor had dissipated. Very disappointing. What a total wasted my money. read more

Great selection, never had a bad tea from there. Also, they educate you in their catalog and the website. They are truly passionate about getting the best quality, variety, and prices. I'd go on and on, but if you are into tea then all you need to do is look at their online catalog and you will be like a kid in a candy store. read more

I am a tea lover and a friend recommended Upton as a good tea supplier. I am very impressed! They sent me an email when the tea I wanted was back in stock (I think it's a good sign that they don't have unlimited teas in every variety just sitting around). The tea shipped so quickly! I love that there are different sized pouches you can order for each tea variety and I love that you can put your name on the label- I couldn't be happier! read more

Many previous reviews come from long-time customers. Here's the perspective of a recent convert. I've been ordering tea online for over a decade. I sampled teas from half a dozen large online tea merchants over the years, but for some reason never tried Upton. At some point, I was ordering almost all of my big orders from SpecialTeas, a company that no longer exists as of a few months ago (having merged into Teavana). Since I am now running low on a few things, I finally had to bite the bullet and try sourcing some of my tea from another online merchant. I've read many good things about Upton, and it's nearby, so I thought I would give them a shot. I placed my first order in the evening less than 48 hours ago. This morning, the tea was on my porch. The packing slip even had a personalized note welcoming me as a new customer. The free sample they sent seemed to be chosen to fit well with the other teas I had ordered. I was rather excited, and I've tried six different teas today. All are of *truly* superior quality. Along with some regular size items, I ordered a couple sample size packets (often $1.50 or so) and will soon be placing a second order to get more of these samples. All the teas are packaged well, with the packing date on the label (so you know roughly how long you've had that tea -- useful if you have a lot of tea lying around). One of the things that kept me with SpecialTeas over the years was a relatively high quality standard and reasonable prices. Much of the exact same tea and blends that used to be sold by SpecialTeas are now available on Teavana (and sometimes on other sites) for 2-4 times what I used to pay. Also, Teavana and many other sites are moving increasingly away from traditional "fine teas" and focusing on fruity teas, herbal infusions, and blends that often mask the subtleties of traditional fine teas. These things certainly have their place, but aside from price, I'm not going to order from a place (like Teavana and others) that doesn't even carry lapsang souchang and only sells weirdly flavored pu-ehr as a "diet tea." Upton has quite a few (mostly traditional) options for those who want to explore flavored teas, other infusions, etc. But their real focus is on traditional good quality fine teas. Their selection of black teas (particularly Indian blacks) is especially amazing. But to add to the quality and selection, they have reasonable prices. While other tea merchants have mostly realized that they can charge ridiculous prices for crappy tea fannings in a bag, and they can probably make many hundreds of percent profit on "fine" loose-leaf tea that's advertised well, Upton holds fast to reasonable prices. Tea here may cost half or even a third of what it costs elsewhere, but from my initial experience, the quality is as good or superior to what you can find at most other places. On a final note, the website is admittedly antiquated in design. But it is informative and quite functional, and the customer reviews are helpful (and often clearly written by people who know a lot about tea). If you find the website annoying, request a free catalog or browse the current PDF of the catalog that you can download from the website -- it's only when you look at it that you realize the truly staggering selection of fine teas that Upton stocks. read more

I really appreciate the fact Upton Tea includes a free sample with almost every order. Because of this I get the opportunity to have at least 3-5 cups of tea, and that allows a good opportunity to enjoy and order new delicious teas in upcoming orders. Their postage rates are a bit high in my opinion, but if you order a large amount of different teas, rather than one bag, the shipping then becomes reasonable!! Upton Teas turn around time is excellent! Shipments are terrific!! read more

I have to join the parade of praise for Upton Tea. I have been drinking estate teas for several years, and have ordered from other shops in the past, but for the last few years, only Upton. They have the best selection, both in terms of variety and quality, of any tea shop in the USA, or that I have found on line. They get out orders fast, ship reliably, and only a few days wait to get your teas. Their History of Tea articles in each catalog are great, a fascinating look at world history through the eyes of a tea cup. And the range of teas is awesome; everything from very affordable, and very good, Assams, to very expensive Japanese teas, suitable for tea ceremony use. Don't be afraid to order the expensive teas, $100+ per pound may seem like a lot, but you get a lot of cups for your money, cheaper than a bad cup of coffee in your local diner. I definitely recommend Upton's to anyone who likes tea, or wants to explore and learn about good teas. read more

Upton is the best thing going. I have a tea blog, and it provides me with cheap, high-quality tea to review. I have tried many other vendors, and i find that this online retailer really provides a great selection and its sampler prices cannot be beat. The cost of shipping is only around four dollars, and living in Boston, I get my orders in two days or less. I highly recommend. read more