What we're doing on the tea side of LocoYoko
Coffee is where we started, but a lot of our customers asked us for a tea shelf they could trust just as much, and that's what this page is. We've built a small, considered lineup of tea Canada households actually reach for on a regular Tuesday, not an overwhelming wall of three hundred SKUs you'll never work through. If you're browsing tea in Canada options and feeling a bit lost in the noise of big-box supermarket aisles, this collection is meant to simplify that decision, not add to the clutter.
We currently carry Bigelow's core lineup, a brand with a long track record for consistency, alongside our own house picks, and we're expanding this shelf carefully rather than quickly. Every tea here earns its spot because it's something we'd actually keep in our own kitchen.
The everyday classics: English Breakfast and Earl Grey
If you only ever buy one tea, it's probably a black tea, and for good reason. Black tea is the most forgiving, most versatile category out there: milk or no milk, sugar or plain, morning or afternoon, it works. Our robust black tea blend built for a strong morning cup is the one we'd point you to first if you want something bold enough to wake you up but smooth enough not to need much doctoring.
If you love the ritual of Earl Grey's bergamot citrus but you're trying to cut caffeine, especially later in the day, our decaffeinated citrus-bergamot black tea solves that without asking you to give up the flavor you actually like. It's a small thing, but it's the difference between skipping your afternoon tea altogether and actually enjoying a second cup guilt-free.
Something lighter: jasmine green
Green tea is a different animal from black tea entirely, lighter in body, more vegetal, generally lower in caffeine, and it rewards a gentler brewing approach (cooler water, shorter steep) than black tea does. Our green tea scented naturally with jasmine blossoms is the easiest entry point if you've mostly had black tea and want to branch out. The floral jasmine note softens green tea's naturally grassier edge, which makes it a forgiving first green tea for people who tried plain green tea once and found it too austere.
Something warming: spiced chai
When the temperature drops, or honestly any time you want something that feels more like a treat than a beverage, our black tea blended with warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and clove is the one to reach for. It's built to take milk well, so if you're a latte drinker looking for a home version that doesn't require a trip out, this is where to start. Chai is also one of the easier teas to dress up: a spoonful of honey, a dash of vanilla, whatever you'd add to a coffee latte generally works here too.
What makes loose leaf different from bagged tea
We get asked a lot whether it's worth the switch to loose leaf tea Canada drinkers are increasingly curious about, versus sticking with bagged tea. The honest answer: it depends on what you value. Bagged tea, like the Bigelow lineup we carry, is convenient, consistent, and easy to brew correctly without thinking about it, pop it in a mug, pour water, done. Loose leaf tea generally uses larger, less broken leaf pieces, which can mean a more nuanced flavor and the ability to steep multiple infusions from the same leaves, but it asks more of you in terms of equipment (an infuser or strainer) and attention to steep time.
If you're just getting into tea or you want something that fits into a busy weekday morning without extra gear, bagged tea is the practical choice, and it's exactly why we've built this collection around dependable, well-made bagged options first. If you're the kind of person who already has opinions about steep temperature and infusion count, keep an eye on this page, because we're actively sourcing loose tea leaves Canada drinkers with more advanced habits have been asking us for, and we'll be expanding here as those partnerships come together.
What we look for in a tea company
Being a tea company Canada shoppers can trust isn't just about stocking recognizable names. We think about sourcing transparency, ingredient quality (no artificial flavoring dressed up as "natural"), and whether a tea is something we'd actually recommend to a friend rather than just something with margin. As a tea brand Canada customers are getting to know through us, we'd rather carry four teas we fully stand behind than forty we're indifferent about.
That philosophy extends to how we're growing this shelf. We're actively evaluating organic loose leaf tea Canada suppliers and considering what would genuinely earn a spot as one of the best loose leaf tea Canada options, rather than just adding inventory for the sake of a bigger catalog. If organic certification matters to you, that's a filter we're actively building toward, and it's worth checking back on this page as the lineup grows.
How to brew each of these well
- Black tea (English Breakfast, Earl Grey): use water just off the boil (around 95-100°C) and steep for 3-5 minutes. Longer steeps intensify both flavor and any natural bitterness, so adjust to taste.
- Green tea (Jasmine Green): let boiled water cool for a minute or two before pouring, roughly 80°C, and steep for just 2-3 minutes. Full-boil water tends to scald green tea and pull out unwanted bitterness.
- Chai: steep in hot water for 4-5 minutes, or simmer briefly with milk on the stove for a richer, more traditional cup.
Pairing tea with the rest of your kitchen
If coffee is more your household's morning ritual and tea is the afternoon wind-down, you don't have to choose one identity for your kitchen. Plenty of our customers keep both on hand, and if you haven't explored it yet, our full roasted coffee lineup is organized the same way this tea shelf is: by what you'll actually reach for, not by an exhausting wall of options.
Building a tea routine that actually sticks
A lot of people buy a box of tea with good intentions and then let it sit half-used in the back of a cupboard for a year. The households that actually stick with tea tend to do one simple thing: they keep it visible and ready to go, kettle nearby, mug already out, tea within arm's reach, rather than tucked away somewhere that requires effort to find. If mornings are rushed, keep your English Breakfast right next to the kettle. If afternoons are when you actually want a pause, keep the chai or the decaf Earl Grey somewhere you'll see it around 3pm, since that's usually when the craving for something warm and comforting (without a caffeine hit that ruins your sleep) shows up.
It's also worth thinking about tea the way you'd think about building a small wine rack: not one bottle for every occasion, but two or three reliable go-tos that cover most situations. For most of our customers that ends up looking like one dependable black tea for mornings, one decaf option for evenings, and one green or spiced tea for whenever they want something a little different. You don't need to buy every tea on this page to build a routine that works; you need two or three that you'll actually finish before they go stale.
What "quality" means when you're comparing teas
It's easy to assume all bagged tea is roughly the same and the only real differences are marketing and packaging. That's not quite right. Leaf quality, how the tea was processed, and how recently it was packaged all affect what ends up in your cup, the same way roast date affects coffee. Look for teas that specify what's actually in the blend (real bergamot oil versus vague "natural flavoring," actual cinnamon and cardamom in a chai rather than a single generic "spice" listing) as a decent proxy for how much care went into it. This is part of why we've been deliberate about which brand and blends we carry rather than just stocking whatever's cheapest to source; consistency in a tea bag matters just as much as it does in a bag of coffee, even if it gets talked about less.
Tea and health: a grounded take
We're not going to oversell tea as a cure-all, because it isn't one, but there's genuine substance behind a few of its reputed benefits. Green tea contains compounds called catechins that have been studied for their antioxidant properties, and it generally carries less caffeine than black tea, which makes it a reasonable afternoon choice if coffee that late in the day leaves you wired. Herbal infusions and decaffeinated blends are a sensible way to get a warm, comforting drink into your evening without disrupting sleep. None of this means tea replaces a balanced diet or medical advice, but as a daily habit that's both enjoyable and reasonably good for you, it's hard to find much to complain about.
Gifting tea
Tea also happens to make a genuinely good gift, more so than people give it credit for. It doesn't spoil quickly, it suits almost anyone regardless of dietary restrictions, and a small selection box covering a black tea, a green tea, and something spiced or decaffeinated shows more thought than a generic gift card. If you're shopping for someone whose taste you're not totally sure of, the classics, English Breakfast and Earl Grey, are close to universally appreciated, while chai works well as the "something a little more interesting" addition to round out a gift.
FAQ
What's the difference between your teas and what I'd find at a grocery store?
We carry the same trusted Bigelow lineup you might recognize, but we're building this collection with intention, adding house picks and, soon, loose leaf options based on what we'd genuinely recommend rather than simply what fills shelf space. Consider it a curated starting point rather than a full replacement for every tea aisle.
Do you sell loose leaf tea?
We're actively expanding into loose leaf, including organic options, based on strong customer demand. Right now our core lineup is bagged tea for consistency and ease of brewing, but keep an eye on this collection as we add more.
Which tea has the most caffeine?
Of what we carry, English Breakfast typically has the most caffeine, followed by jasmine green tea, then spiced chai. Earl Grey Decaf is the lowest-caffeine option and a good pick for later in the day.
How should I store my tea to keep it fresh?
Keep it sealed, away from light, heat, and moisture, ideally in an airtight container in a cool cupboard. Tea doesn't spoil the way food does, but it does lose aroma and flavor over time if left exposed to air.
Do you ship tea across Canada?
Yes, we ship the same way we do our coffee, from our Toronto base to addresses across the country, so you can order both in the same package if you'd like.
Can I brew chai with just water instead of milk?
Yes, though the flavor will be lighter and less creamy. For a fuller, more traditional cup, add milk (dairy or a plant-based alternative) either during or after steeping.
