Tea Forte Reviewing: Wonderful Tea Samplers for Gifts/Hospitality

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Is Tea Forte worth it? Yes, when presentation matters. If you're giving a gift, hosting guests, or setting out tea for a meeting or a conference, nothing in the tea aisle looks or feels like it.

If you just want a cheap cup every morning, it's not the best value. That's what loose leaf and a good infuser are for.

I've been really impressed with Tea Forte's samplers. The design, the boxes, the quality of the pyramid infusers, and that little leaf on top. It's classy and fun at the same time, and I haven't seen another brand pull it off. Here's what makes it special, why it costs what it does, and which box to buy for gifts, events and display.

What Makes Tea Forte Special?

The pyramid is the whole idea. A flat tea bag crushes the leaves. A pyramid gives them room to open up, so Tea Forte can use whole-leaf teas, herbs, fruit and flowers instead of tea dust.

Then there's the leaf on top. It's a little green leaf on a stem that stands up out of your cup. It works as a handle, so there's no string, no tag, and no fishing a soggy bag out with a spoon. It's a small detail, and it's the detail everyone notices.

The packaging finishes the job. Every pyramid is wrapped on its own, and the boxes open like a jewelry case, with the pyramids lined up in a row and a tasting guide inside the lid. That's why you see Tea Forte in hotels, restaurants and resorts in more than 35 countries. It's built for the moment someone is handed a cup.

Why Is Tea Forte So Expensive?

You're paying for three things: whole-leaf blends, handcrafted infusers, and presentation. A supermarket box puts tea dust in a paper bag and ships 100 of them in a cardboard sleeve. Tea Forte individually wraps each pyramid and puts them in a box you'd keep.

Per cup, it lands well above supermarket tea bags and well below a cup of tea at a cafe. For a gift or a guest, that's a fair trade. For your daily pot, buy their loose leaf or another brand and save the pyramids for company.

One honest note from the tea crowd: a lot of the blends are flavored teas, like Blueberry Merlot or White Ginger Pear. If you only drink straight, single-origin tea, start with a black tea box or a loose leaf sampler instead.

Which Tea Forte Gift Set Should You Buy?

Tea Forte's gift boxes come in three sizes: the Petite Presentation Box (10 pyramids), the Presentation Box (20), and the Tea Chest (40). Here's how I'd choose.

1. Herbal Retreat Presentation Box: best all-around gift

Twenty pyramids, four each of five caffeine-free herbal blends: Apricot Amaretto, Blueberry Merlot, Cherry Cosmo, Kiwi Lime Ginger and Mojito Marmalade. No caffeine means anyone can drink it any time of day, which makes it the safest gift when you don't know someone's tea habits. It's also Tea Forte's most reviewed gift box on Amazon. Check price on Amazon.

2. Black Tea Presentation Box: for the classic tea drinker

Black Currant, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Estate Darjeeling and Orchid Vanilla. This is the one for a boss, a client, or a dad who takes his tea with milk and doesn't want anything too fruity. The Black Tea Presentation Box comes in a handsome gray box that suits an office desk.

3. Petite Presentation Box: the thank-you gift

Ten pyramids, one each of black, green, white and herbal blends. It's the right size for a host gift, a teacher, or a team thank-you, and it's a great way to taste the range before you commit to a bigger box. You can find it here.

4. Warming Joy Tea Chest: the showpiece

Forty pyramids across 20 holiday blends, from Caramel Nougat and Ginger Snap to Honey Hojicha and White Ginger Pear, in a red chest made for a holiday table. Open it on a sideboard and it becomes the tea station. It's the one I'd pick for a family gift or a lobby display in December. Check price on Amazon.

Shopping early for the holidays? The Warming Joy Advent Calendar hides 24 different pyramids behind numbered doors in a tree-shaped box. More ideas in Blog: Christmas Gifts for Tea Lovers and Blog: Tea Stocking Stuffers.

Tea Forte for Conferences, Offices and Client Tables

This is where Tea Forte shines, and almost nobody writes about it. A coffee station is expected. A tea station with pyramids standing in a tray gets noticed. It tells guests someone thought about them.

For events, skip the gift boxes and buy Event Boxes. Each one holds 40 individually wrapped pyramids of a single blend, packed 10 to a tray, so you can set a tray out and refill from the box behind the table.

Start with the Earl Grey Event Box as your crowd-pleaser, and add the Chamomile Citron Event Box for anyone avoiding caffeine. Two blends is plenty. Ten choices just slows down the line.

How to set it up:

• Hot water on tap. A large hot water dispenser or urn beats a kettle that needs refilling. My picks are in Blog: The Best Water Boiler for Tea.
• One tray per blend, pyramids standing in rows with the leaves up. That row of leaves is your display.
• Plan on one to two per guest for a half-day meeting, more if it's cold out.
• Add a small dish for used pyramids, plus honey and lemon.
• Put a small card on each tray with the blend name and "caffeine-free" where it applies.

For a full office setup beyond events, see Blog: How to Stock an Office With Good Tea. At home, the same idea works on a bar cart: Blog: Tea Bar Setup at Home.

How to Brew a Tea Forte Pyramid

1. Unwrap the pyramid and set it in your cup with the leaf standing up.
2. Pour hot water over it. Just off the boil for black and herbal blends. Let it cool a few minutes for green and white tea, around 175 to 185°F.
3. Steep 3 to 5 minutes. Taste at 3. Longer gets stronger and, for black and green tea, more bitter.
4. Lift it out by the leaf and rest it on a saucer or the lid of your cup.

Whole leaves usually have a second, lighter cup in them, so don't toss the pyramid right away. If your tea keeps coming out harsh, Blog: Why Is My Tea Bitter? It's Time and Temperature walks through the fixes.

Does Tea Forte Have Microplastics?

This is the question I'd want answered straight, so here it is. Tea Forte says its pyramids are made from lab-tested, FDA-approved, food-safe mesh fibers, with no adhesives, colorants or chemical additives. What it doesn't say is which fiber. Most mesh pyramid bags on the market are made from nylon or PLA, a plant-based plastic, and I couldn't confirm which one Tea Forte uses.

If you'd rather skip mesh entirely, Tea Forte makes it easy. Their Single Steeps Sampler packs 15 different loose leaf teas in pre-measured pouches, one cup each. Brew them in a stainless steel infuser and you get the same blends with no bag at all.

Two infusers keep the Tea Forte look:

• The Icon Pyramid Infuser is the signature pyramid in fine stainless steel mesh, with a silicone leaf as the handle.
• The Kati Steeping Cup is a double-walled ceramic mug with a stainless basket and a lid you rest the basket on. It's Tea Forte's most reviewed product on Amazon, and it's a gift on its own.

Going plastic-free across your whole tea setup? Start with Blog: The Best Non-Toxic Tea Makers for Plastic-Free Tea and Blog: The Best Electric Kettle Without Plastic.

Quick Questions

Is Tea Forte a luxury brand?
Yes. It's built around design and presentation, and it's served in hotels, restaurants and resorts in more than 35 countries.

Is Tea Forte a good company to buy from?
Yes, it's an established brand you'll find on Amazon, at department stores and in hotels. Buying through Amazon gives you Amazon's return policy.

Does Tea Forte have caffeine?
The black, green, white and oolong blends do. The herbal blends, like the whole Herbal Retreat box and Chamomile Citron, are caffeine-free.

Tea Forte or a loose leaf sampler?
Tea Forte for gifts, guests and display. A loose leaf sampler for exploring tea on your own. My favorites are in Blog: Best Loose Leaf Tea Samplers.

The Verdict

Tea Forte is worth it for the moments when tea is part of the welcome. A gift on someone's desk. A tray of pyramids at a conference. A box open on the counter when friends come over.

For a first box, get the Herbal Retreat Presentation Box. For an event, two Event Boxes and a hot water urn. Then watch how many people stop to look at the little leaves.