6 Bookish Tea Companies to find the perfect literary tea
Updated: Feb 25
If you’ve poked around my blog or Instagram for more than a few minutes, you’ve realized now that I love books, literary travel, and tea, preferably all at the same time. It’s probably not surprising that one of my favorite things to shop for is a good bookish tea inspired by a literary favorite.
If you’ve never heard of bookish teas before, you may be surprised to know that there are actually a good number of companies making them. Tea makers all over the world have been inspired by works of literature to put a flavor to the feeling you get when you read a book. That means you can cozy up reading A Midsummer Night's Dream while drinking a Shakespeare tea, or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings while drinking a cup of Maya Angelou tea.
Bookish teas make a great gift for any book lover, whether for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or a “just because” present. Literary teas are a gift that keep on giving.
I’ve tried a good number of the teas on this list, although a couple of them are new to me. As usual, I’ll always be transparent with you about what I’ve liked and what I have and haven’t tried. I’ll never be here peddling a product; this list is purely to help those book lovers who are looking for some delicious bookish teas. If that’s you, welcome; you've found your people.
Let’s get started.
And don’t forget to pin this post to reference later.
As with any other blog post on this blog, a few of the links (honestly only one or two in this post) are affiliate links, which means at no additional cost for you, I may earn a small commission that helps me operate this blog.
Related: If you’re shopping for a book lover (or just yourself!) you’ll want to check out my ultimate gift idea list for tea and book lovers.
Simpson & Vail literary teas
Of all the bookish teas I’ve tried, Simpson and Vail literary teas get my top recommendation. Their loose leaf blends are the whole package: top quality, delicious, creatively literary, and affordable!
Simpson and Vail literary teas cover a great number of authors, and they add two new ones each year, so the options keep growing. Some of my favorites of their bookish teas are Emily Dickinson’s jasmine tea blend, Jane Austen’s black tea blend, and Maya Angelou’s black tea blend.
I recommend getting the Simpson & Vail literary tea sampler , to get samples of 10 different teas, then you can order larger literary tea tins once you’ve decided your favorites. I received this literary tea sampler as a thoughtful gift, and I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve been keeping track of my favorites so I can reorder when I’ve fully run out.
Simpson & Vail literary teas are available in loose leaf only, in pouches or pretty, cylindrical tins.
You can enter the coupon code awellreadwanderer at Simpson & Vail to get 10% off any literary tea!
Harney & Sons bookish teas
Harney & Sons is overall one of my favorite tea companies. They offer a great variety of quality teas at affordable prices, plus they run great sales and offer a military discount. Also, Harney & Sons tea tins are cute and stackable (you’d be surprised to find out how challenging it can be to find stackable tea tins).
Harney & Sons doesn’t offer a wide variety of bookish teas (although, come to think of it, Harney and Sons are you listening? We’d love some more literary teas!). Still, the options they do have are all solid.
They have a great Shakespeare tea inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream (And the tea tin looks like the Globe theater!) as well as bookish teas inspired by the novels Murder on the Orient Express, A Christmas Story, and Little Women. Harney & Sons also has a Jane Austen tea for Austen lovers.
Literary Tea Co.
“Tea for the literati”
The Literary Tea Company is a small bookish company based out of Australia. All of their bookish teas are certified organic, loose-leaf, and hand-blended and packaged.
Their bookish tea selection isn’t extensive – just 10 options at the time of writing, but quantity doesn’t always signify quality. At the Literary Tea Co. you can buy teas inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lewis Carroll, the Brontes, HG Wells, and more.
If you are looking for a book box subscription, the Literary Tea Co. also offers a monthly book and tea subscription to check out.
I really love the philosophy of this small company:
“Tea is more than a drink, it’s magic in a cup. Books are the life-blood of every deep thinker. Together they can help you conquer the world… or at the very least have a blissful afternoon.” (the Literary Tea Company)
I haven’t tried the Literary Tea Co. yet myself, but I’m eyeing the Mary Shelley blend (I’m all about Frankenstein right now, in case you didn’t know! It was one of my top reading recommendations from 2022).
Note that this smaller company only offers loose leaf teas, and only in pouches; no tea tins are available. It’s pricier than some of the other companies, too, offering only large sized tea pouches. Also, if you’re not in Australia, expect to pay substantial international shipping fees.
Related: Check out my pick for London’s best afternoon tea for book lovers. Spoiler alert: it's afternoon tea in a library with views of Big Ben out of every window.
NovelTeas – budget bookish teas
If you’re looking for bookish tea that's sold in tea bags, then there are actually some cheaper options. One of these options for a cheaper literary tea is NovelTea, which is available to order on Amazon.
These teas are offered only in tea bag form, in sets of 25 tea bags. While the tea flavors are not necessarily inspired by any particular literary work, the tag on each tea bag features a different literary quote.
This set of bookish tea, for example, features quotes from modern American classics like The Bell Jar, Fahrenheit 451, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Adagio bookish teas
Adagio Teas is a unique tea company that caters to a wide consumer base of tea lovers. They are a family company with a fun history.
Adagio Teas have an extensive selection of “fandom” teas, with over 170,000 tea blends inspired by everything from Teen Wolf to Hamilton to Sailor Moon.
Luckily for the book lovers out there, Adagio offers a good selection of bookish tea blends. That includes bookish teas inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, The Chronicles of Narnia, and even a Percy Jackson tea. There are also teas inspired by classic authors like Mary Shelley, Susan Hill, HP Lovecraft, and Edger Allen Poe.
One unique option at Adagio Teas is that you can create and name your own tea blend! That means you can create your own bookish tea, choosing the flavors and ingredients that most remind you of a certain author or literary work. You can even upload your own photo for the packaging. I think this would make a great gift idea for a book lover.
Related: If you’re into Sherlock Holmes, make sure to check out my guide to visiting the Sherlock Holmes museum in London, a fantastic literary travel destination.
NovelTea Tins
"Punny tea for book lovers"
Not to be confused with the NovelTeas mentioned previously (this is a very popular pun within the niche of literary teas), Noveltea Tins are an entirely separate company making bookish teas for your reading and sipping pleasure.
This is a company I haven’t yet tried, but they stand out to me with their excellent use of puns. NovelTea offers Shakespeare tea (dubbed “Matcha Do About Nothing”), Lewis Carroll tea (or “Anise in Wonderland”), and Oscar Wilde Tea (“The Picture of Earl Grey”), among many others. If you know me, you know I love a good pun, and when it ties in both literature AND tea??
Cleverly, this bookish tea company's tins are actually shaped like books!
This literary tea company offers their teas in an assortment of options, including loose leaf in pouches or in cute tins, or bundles of multiple teas, which would make a fun gift.
Related: Did you know I sometimes do tea and book pairings? Check out what tea I’d pair with Untamed, Glennon Doyle’s best-selling book (along with my honest opinions about this popular book).
If you’ll excuse me, all this talk about tea has got me craving a cuppa. I’m off to brew myself a cup of Shakespeare tea, but make sure to drop your bookish tea recommendations in the comments!
And don’t forget to pin this post for later:
