Sips by is a monthly box of tea selected just for you. Rather than everyone receiving the same box each month, you fill out a profile to get customized selections.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Sips by
The Subscription Box: Sips by
The Cost: $15/ month + free US shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 50% off your first box!
CODE: SUBSCRIPTIONADDICTION
The Products: 15+ servings of tea distributed among four different varieties selected according to your profile.
Ships to: the US for free, Canada for $9.50, and Western Europe for $13.50-$17
Sips by December 2020 Review
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The box came with this information card. There was also a card advertising gift subscriptions. My teas were selected based on a pretty extensive profile I filled out. This isn't an exhaustive list but here are some of the choices I made:
- Caffeinated or herbal OK
- Black, green, white, and oolong OK
- No licorice (this is often used to sweeten teas but I don't care for the flavor)
- Loose or bagged OK
- No coffee flavors (I do not like the taste or smell of coffee)
- Guarana and yerba mate OK
- No guayusa (this is in Runa Tea and it makes my throat tingle until I take Benadryl...)
- Chocolate OK (encouraged, really)
- Flavored and unflavored OK
- No stevia (I'm not a fan of stevia in drinks)
- You had the option of picking vegan, which I did not choose, as some teas may have honey or dairy ingredients and I am OK with those, but then I selected not to receive anything meat/shellfish/etc. derived (might be easier for them to offer "vegetarian" as a selection as well)
- No mushrooms (there are mushroom teas and I have tried a few in other subscription boxes and I do not like them)
I thought the profile covered most things well. I'd add "vegetarian" as an option and would also add "no lemongrass" as an option because I really don't care for lemongrass. But overall the profile survey was pretty comprehensive. (There was also a specific allergy section where you could pick items from a list not to get.)
Let's see what I received this month:
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Darjeeling by Ahmad Tea (4 bags) – Buy 20 Bags for $4.50
I was familiar with this brand but I have mostly had their flavored teas. Darjeeling is a (plain) black tea. I’m going to be honest, I love trying new flavored teas, but sometimes I just want something basic, and for me, black tea fits the bill. It’s starting to get pretty cold where I live and this was just lovely during a morning work-from-home session. This was not too strong and had a complex flavor profile that worked (for me) without milk or sugar.
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Tea Fiori White Rose – Buy 2 oz for $16.00
This was a new brand for me. It has white tea but also rose petals and rosebuds, as you can see. The rose flavor is strong and the white tea is pretty light. I like this one for late morning, I’ve had my high dose of caffeine for the day by that point but I’m not quite ready to move on to herbals.
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Earl Grey No. 69 by TeaGschwendner - Buy 100 g for $12.95
This was also a new brand for me. I get an Earl Grey nearly every month in Sips By but that’s OK. I never think to buy Earl Grey but I have liked all the ones I’ve been sent with this subscription so far. If you think you don’t like Earl Grey I would definitely try at least one or two more brands because they are not all the same. (I went for a long time without drinking it but it turns out I just don’t like the Bigelow kind from the supermarket.) This is a good early morning tea as the base is black tea. I found that it did not get bitter despite the fact that I did not remove the tea bag (I get busy with some task or other and just forget). The bergamot is at a nice level in this one.
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Fire Roasted Yaupon by Yaupon Brothers (4 bags) – Buy 16 Bags for $8.50
I think I have had yaupon before but not this brand. It is not from the tea plant but rather from a holly plant. But it has a little in common with some smoked Asian-style teas (although it lacks the bitterness those can have and is maybe less of an acquired taste). This is a native North American plant and since it was prepared by a process long used by indigenous folks in Florida, the company donates a portion of the proceeds to NATIFS, an organization dedicated to Native American foods and health. Yaupon is related to yerba mate, which I like, and guayusa, which I think I am allergic to, although I did not have any negative reactions to this product.
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Disposable Filter Bags – Buy 100 for $12.00
If you get any loose teas in your box, you’ll receive a few disposable filter bags. I am a fan; they’re biodegradable and you don’t have to clean them.
Verdict: I didn’t calculate a total value for Sips by this month since the items aren’t sold online in the provided quantities and/or configurations. You receive at least 16 servings of tea, assuming no re-steeping, so it works out to less than $1 per serving. This was a great month for me. Once again, everything really seems like it was chosen for me and there wasn’t anything I didn’t like – they pay attention to the profile questionnaire, for sure. There was a lot of variety, with a flavored black tea, an unflavored black tea, a flavored white tea, and a “non-tea” tea. Some of the brands were new to me, as well.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your subscription would start in January, and at any rate, depending on your profile quiz answers, your selections may be different from mine. From Sips by:
Renews Automatically. Allow up to 3 weeks for your first box to arrive. Subsequent boxes will arrive within 2 weeks of your original order anniversary date on a monthly basis until you cancel your subscription.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 50% off your first box!
CODE: SUBSCRIPTIONADDICTION
Value Breakdown: This box is $15 per month, so you are paying less than $1 per serving of tea, or about half that if you like to steep each serving twice.
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