We believe two leaves and a bud has some of the best tea on the market. They use top quality, whole-leaf, traditionally grown and harvested single origin teas and then use pyramid shaped organdie sachets - these sachets allow the whole leaves to float freely throughout the bag so that the full tea flavor is easily extracted. Each sachet gives you a full mug instead of the usual cup. Relax and enjoy a cup of truly wonderful tea.

About Two Leaves and a Bud

Would you drink wine from a box? Then why drink cheap, fast processed tea?

We founded two leaves and a bud after years and years of traveling in Asia, accompanied everywhere by great tea. It was depressing to drink an insipid brew when we returned home. Black tea in the subcontinent, Green tea in Japan, Oolong tea in China... we love it all. It all has Taste! Tanginess, Body, and Finish as we describe it. So why is that not available outside of Asia?

The tea market can be divided into two major categories: Commodity and Quality. Unfortunately, the lion's share of the tea market in the U.S. is of the Commodity variety. At two leaves and a bud our mission is to make it easy to enjoy the best quality teas from around the world right here in the U.S.

At two leaves and a bud we start with the best quality, whole-leaf, traditionally grown and harvested single origin teas. We then package these wonderful teas in convenient pyramid shaped organdie sachets - these sachets allow the whole leaves to float freely throughout the bag so that the full tea flavor is easily extracted. Each sachet gives you a full mug instead of the usual cup. We use teas from selected estates that really care for the tea gardens. After all, tea is like wine - it varies by elevation, location, aspect and climate.

One can easily tell the difference between a great tea and a commodity tea: Is the flavor one dimensional? Does it just pass over your palate and not really have any finish? Great tea has three dimensional taste - a briskness at first touch, body when you fill your mouth, and finish as it passes over your palate. Great tea also has color and perfume. We abhor brackish, brown or weak colored tea.

Orthodox vs. CTC Manufacture

Almost all bagged teas in the market use so-called CTC teas. (Cut, twisted, curled.) This type of manufacture speeds the processing of tea and speeds the coloring in the cup. This results in a cup which we describe as insipid or as having linear taste.

two leaves and a bud uses NO CTC teas, only traditional, orthodox teas with sweet, rich flavor.

Why "two leaves and a bud?"

We chose our name because that is what is traditionally harvested - Expert tea pluckers hand-pick just the latest growth of the tea plant - two leaves and a bud. Their expertise lies in knowing which plants to pluck and when. They circulate around the gardens, returning to an area when the plants are ready again for harvest. Depending on region and other factors the time for this varies.

Organic?

We choose organic teas when we can do so without compromising flavor. Unfortunately, some of the worlds finest tea gardens can not grow entirely organically. (How much organic wine is there?) At the same time, these gardens are especially careful to use only the tiniest amounts of anything on their precious plants.

Please enjoy our quality teas. Life is too short for anything less.