12 Popular Tea Brands With Compostable Bags

For a cup of good cheer, tea is just the ticket. With flavors from floral to fruity, varying levels of caffeine, and benefits from stress relief to consistent energy, there's a brew for any palate. If a mid-afternoon tea break is already a frequent occurrence in your home, you may find yourself with a growing mound of used teabags in your trashcan — and a growing guilty conscience. 

Reducing your waste means you're part of the solution and not part of the problem. Going zero-waste is obviously the ideal option, but for most people, making small changes is more feasible; and anything helps. 

Composting is an extremely easy way to get rid of food scraps instead of tossing them in your trash can, allowing natural products to return to their source. And luckily for tea lovers, some teabags are manufactured to break down in the compost and consequently go easy on the earth. 

If you're a composter or thinking of becoming one, choosing brands that make an effort to do their part is likely important to you. This list provides you with a dozen delicious options to reach for on your next grocery run.

Art of Tea is making a splash and, like Bigelow, makes good use of the puns with a wonderful "CommuniTEA."

The Art of Tea knows that looseleaf is probably the simplest way to be eco-conscious, but practically speaking, consumers often prefer the convenience of an individual teabag. With that in mind, but also mindful of its sustainability goals, Art of Tea crafted a sachet that contains no microplastics and is completely compostable. The site also encourages customers to look into composting if they haven't already implemented this important routine, offering insights on how best to begin.

(And even without all the positive sustainability practices, we have to admire the company's stunning products. With clean, streamlined packaging, an elegant logo, and trendy color palettes, this is a tea to display on your counter.)

Recommended Picks: Matcha Cocoa, a creamy and energizing mix; Blue Pineapple, a bright and sea-breezy blend that will whisk you away to a warmer locale; Sencha Clementine, a zesty pick-me-up.

This classy and classic British brand is the only way to go for many diehard tea lovers. PG Tips was born in 1869 (making it one of the oldest on our list) when Arthur Brooke opened his shop in Manchester and began offering high-quality teas. As the company developed and expanded, it kept the customer's interests always in mind. Now, naturally, more and more tea drinkers are tuned in to the environment, so PG Tips was happy to oblige.

The brand makes its groundbreaking pyramid-shaped teabags suitable for food waste bins or compost bins (though the latter will take a little longer to break down). PG Tips merrily assure you that the cycle is a homecoming; since the leaves were harvested from nature, when composted, they are able to go right back to where they came from. Just check out this handy guide to disposing of its teabags to learn everything you need to know.

Recommended Picks: Extra Strong, a stolid, solidly British choice if you're looking to kick your coffee habit and choose tea instead; Gold, the self-proclaimed best-quality blend of African, Ceylon, and Assam; Original, because sometimes all you really want is the tea you know and love.

Subscription boxes are becoming very popular, and it's easy to see why. People need fewer and fewer reasons to avoid the grocery store these days. Plus, there is the set-it-and-forget-it logic; you save valuable mental space when a package magically appears at your doorstep at a regularly scheduled time without any effort on your part. Lastly, you have access to more options online than whatever happens to be available on the shelves.

With David's Tea, subscription boxes can also the perfect solution for the environment. Single-origin teas sourced by experts and harvested from around the world arrive not only with compostable teabags but a compostable mailer with the Garden-to-Cup subscription. Feel extra good about your convenient choice knowing that it's also the right choice for the planet. Lastly, the tea is, of course, delicious.

Recommend Picks: Forever Nuts, featuring almond, apple, cinnamon, and a gorgeous pink hue when brewed; Hot Chocolate, because a crossover this decadent is impossibly irresistible; Cardamom French Toast, which marvelously captures all the elements of a brunch favorite and will create a most tantalizing aroma before you even take your first sip.

Big Heart Tea is relatively youthful compared to other brands on our list, having begun in 2012 when Lisa Govro, "fell in love with the healing power of turmeric." Govro became the founder of some "Seriously, Happy Matcha," and committed to "making really good tasting tea that's really, really good for you." Big Heart Tea also happens to be really, really good for the earth. 

The single-origin tea is sourced directly from farms worldwide, and the teabags contain no plastics, making them suitable for your compost bins. The company does not shy away from proudly displaying its mission, values, and humane practices. With blends named "Cup of Sunshine," "Fake Coffee" and "Blue Lullaby," among others, every facet of the brand stays true to its merry moniker.

Recommend Picks: Rosy & Bright, a delightfully pink-toned combination of rose and hibiscus; Cup of Love, a heartwarming, nurturing brew; Royal Treatment, with notes of lavender, chamomile, and other soothing aromatics.

No unpleasant chemicals or microplastics are stashed (pun intended) in these teabags. The filter paper used by Stash is made from 100% cellulose fibers, folded over itself in an ingenious way that renders glue, staples, or any other materials unnecessary to hold the precious contents within. And it's not just the teabags you can feel confident in; every element that steeps in your cup is Non-GMO Project Verified and compostable.

With over 150 flavorings, there's something here for everyone. Additionally, the teas are free from any allergens including soy, wheat, and even tree nuts, and all ingredients are carefully grown without any pesticides. So know that when you're admiring the lovely logo and myriad of options, you are also admiring one of the best brands for the environment.

Recommend Picks: Christmas in Paris, an absolutely delightful herbal blend that somehow incorporates just about every favorite festive sensation imaginable, from fresh mint to rich chocolate to smooth vanilla to floral lavender; Blueberry Superfruit Herbal, for a zesty and flavorful boost; Double Spice Chai, a spiced blend to really wake you up.

If you're looking to really do your research, The Republic of Tea has a whole page full of educational resources on how to compost tea leaves. The learning doesn't stop there, though; you can check out its Tea Recipes, Tea News, and everything you need to know about the philanthropy that The Republic of Tea commits to without compromise. It lets you know that composting, or even adding the tea leaves directly to your garden outside, is not only a green way to dispose of your "waste" but also a way to improve the health of your plants.

(Fun fact: you're also creating a better environment for your neighborhood earthworms when giving them the used contents of your cup. You likely hadn't thought much about how your tea habit impacts the habitats of the earth's creatures.)

Recommend Picks: Watermelon Mint Black Iced Tea, about as refreshing as a tea can be; Banana Chocolate, reminiscent of childhood dessert and sweet as a classic cream pie; Decaf Mango Ceylon Black Tea, a blend that manages to somehow do it all while holding back any unwanted jitters, filling you taste buds with tropical fruit and providing a robust drinking experience that will steel for you whatever comes next.