More custom-blended tea

Last year we wrote about Blends for Friends, a British company that sells bespoke custom-blended teas, and recently one of our spotters came across Design a Tea, a similar—but more affordable—option. Founded last year, New York-based Design a Tea bills itself as the place “where tea leaves dream,” and users of the site get to choose each element of the teas they create. The process begins when they select a base tea to start with—black tea, oolong, green tea or rooibos. From there, they can choose one or two flavours to add, selecting from a list of more than 40 that includes such options as cassis, mango and zabaglione. Users then choose whether they want their tea loose or bagged, and they give the tea a name or personalized message to include on its packaging. Pricing is USD 4.75 for 10 bags or 22g of loose tea, and 8.50 for 20 bags or 60g of loose tea; an assortment of signature pre-designed blends are also available. As we’ve said before, there appears to be no end in sight to the opportunities for customizing everyday goods, whether it’s chocolate, lingerie or duvets. Design a Tea ships only within the United States and Canada; how about bringing affordable custom teas to the rest of the thirsty world? Spotted by: Bill McMahon