Q2 2026 · SPRING WHITES
A 5-gram taste of the season — you pay only shipping
Tea.gratis is the sampling channel of the THETEA constellation. Once a quarter we send out a small, themed box curated by our tea experts — three to five grams of each leaf, brewed in your kitchen, no commitment. Free sample, paid shipping. One box per person, per quarter.
4
Themed boxes a year
3–5 g
Per sample portion
1
Box per person, per quarter
100%
Of farm-drop fees go to growers
38
Countries we ship to
What's on offer
Four calm ways to taste
We keep the catalogue small on purpose. Pick the path that fits — there is no upsell ladder underneath.
Seasonal sample box
A quarterly curation of four to six teas around a single theme — spring whites now, autumn oolongs next.
Pick-three discovery
Choose any three samples from the active catalogue. A running total tells you when you've reached three.
Farm drops
Awareness and charity samplings from a single farm. 100% of contributions go back to the growers.
Shipping & limits
Honest shipping costs by region, sustainable mailers, and one order per quarter so the leaf reaches more people.
Curated this quarter by
Two of our senior tea experts
Every box is built by people who handle the leaf year-round. Spring 2026 was assembled in Guangdong and signed off in Hunan.
Chen Hui Yi
Senior Tea Expert — White, Green & Yellow Varieties · Guangdong
"Spring whites are forgiving. A 5-gram sample is enough to learn the leaf's posture at three temperatures — and that is the entire point of this box."
Zhou Xiang
Senior Tea Expert — Green, Black & Yellow Varieties · Hunan
"We treat every sample like the first cup someone will ever pour. The brew guide on the back of the sachet matters as much as the leaf inside it."
Inside the spring whites box
Four leaves, one season
Each sachet carries a QR code linking to the full leaf page on thetea.app — origin, harvest date, and the farmer's name.
Bai Hao Yin Zhen
Bái Háo Yín Zhēn (白毫银针)
Fuding, Fujian · 4 g
Silver-needle buds picked in the first ten days of April.
Yue Guang Bai
Yuè Guāng Bái (月光白)
Jinggu, Yunnan · 5 g
Moonlight white from large-leaf assamica trees.
Shou Mei
Shòu Méi (寿眉)
Zhenghe, Fujian · 5 g
Open-leaf white, cake-pressed in 2024, drinking generously now.
Bai Mu Dan
Bái Mǔ Dān (白牡丹)
Fuding, Fujian · 4 g
Bud-and-leaf white — the bridge between yinzhen and shou mei.
Live from the constellation
What's moving today
- Spring whites box Shipping window opens 14 April
- Pick-three catalogue 21 active samples
- Farm drop Wuyi Co-operative — Da Hong Pao seedlings
- Encyclopedia link Every sample QRs to thetea.app
- Pu-erh sampling Autumn drop hosted on shop.puerh.app
Honest answers
Before you order a box
Is the tea actually free?
Yes — the leaf is on us. You pay only shipping, which is calculated by region and shown before checkout. No subscription, no card-on-file.
How much tea is in a sample?
Three to five grams per leaf. That is enough for one careful gongfu session or two western brews — a taste, not a daily supply.
Why only one box per quarter?
Because the goal is reach. A second box per person means one less person tries the season. If you want a daily supply, the leaf lives at shop.thetea.app and shop.puerh.app.
What is a farm drop?
A limited sampling from a single farm — sometimes for awareness after a harvest event, sometimes a charity drop. 100% of contributions go to the named growers.
Can I learn how to brew before the box arrives?
Yes — tea.school runs short brewing courses, and every sachet links to a brew guide on thetea.app.
One box per quarter