Best Methods of Tea Packaging

Tea packaging can be as creative as the blends your brand develops. Engaging tea packaging design helps set your products apart, telling customers they can expect to experience something special when they purchase your tea. In this post, we’ll showcase different tea packaging materials and discuss the best way to package and label tea. We’ll wrap up with a dose of inspiration as we highlight five top tea brands with tea packaging design ideas that check off all of the right boxes.

Types of Packaging for Tea

Tea lends itself well to custom packaging. It’s dry, lightweight, and can easily conform to different shapes and types of containers. Here are three of the most popular options for packaging teas.

Custom Folding Cartons

This is one of the most versatile tea packaging materials. Custom folding cartons are an especially ideal tea packaging solution if your tea is in bags or sachets. But they can also be used for loose leaf teas, provided the tea is presealed in a plastic or foil bag. Paperboard folding cartons are easy to print on, making them a perfect canvas for creative branding. Tea-inspired artwork, logos, and custom fonts look great when printed on cartons. As a bonus, folding cartons come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations, perfect for creating custom tea boxes that stand out.

Stand Up Pouches

Another type of popular custom tea packaging is the stand-up pouch. Stand-up pouches have a lot going for them. They’re cheap, easy to use, and provide lots of real estate for custom labels printed with your tea’s logo, design, and brand message. Since they’re resealable and can stand up on their own, this type of tea packaging is ideal for both loose leaf teas and sachets.

Cannisters

There are two main types of tea canisters: metal and cardboard. Canisters come in many shapes and sizes, making it easy to pick one that matches the character of your teas to a tee. From cardboard tubes to metal tins, this type of custom tea packaging can be found in a wide variety of colors and textures and lends itself well to custom labeling. The right custom label can turn an ordinary tea container into something truly special.

Special Considerations When Packaging Tea

You work hard to craft high-quality teas, so you want to ensure your customers are able to enjoy them the way you intend. Here are three important considerations for packaging your teas. 

Keep it fresh

Exposure to air, sunlight, and moisture can quickly affect both the quality and freshness of tea, so it’s essential to choose tea packaging that protects your tea from the elements. Many tea bags and sachets are individually wrapped, but loose leaf teas should be sealed in a resealable plastic bag or a metalized foil pouch. Vacuum sealing is another great option for keeping loose leaf tea fresh.

Make it convenient

Make your teas as easy to access as possible. Some custom folding cartons separate in the middle to serve as a holder for individually wrapped tea bags or sachets. Resealable, stand-up pouches make it quick and simple to pour out just the right amount of tea.

Consider eco-friendly 

Increasingly, consumers are looking for eco-conscious options and want to purchase from brands with products that go light on the planet’s resources. Offering biodegradable tea sachets, recyclable tea containers, or resealable pouches made from natural materials are all ways you can connect with this growing trend.

How To Package and Label Tea

Product packaging doesn’t just keep your tea fresh and protect it during storage and shipping; it’s also the primary way you communicate the value of your brand to the consumer. Custom tea packaging should send a compelling message about why your tea is the best choice. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you design your tea packaging and labels.

Align Your Tea Packaging to Your Brand

When designing custom tea packaging, make sure your packaging choices align with the look and feel of your brand. Your tea packaging is the first encounter potential customers have with your company. Whether you sell primarily online or in-person, make sure there’s consistency between your product packaging and brand. 

Less Is More

The most effective custom tea packaging conveys the branding message in a clear, concise way. Essentials generally include the logo, product name, a brief description about the type of experience the customer can expect, and custom graphics. Beyond that, adding more text or images tends to muddy the message.

Use DIY Cautiously

It can be tempting to design your product packaging and labels on your own — design is fun! But professionals can be a valuable source of real-world advice on what works well and what design and material choices to avoid. In addition, a company with deep industry experience can help you connect with options for packaging and label materials you may not be aware of that would really make your tea packaging a standout. Check out these 10 great places to design labels online.

5 Top Custom Tea Box Examples

The best tea packaging effortlessly blends creativity and practicality. Here are five custom tea packaging designs that showcase what’s possible when these two elements combine. 

Numi

Numi Tea is the largest tea company to make our list. The design of their folding cartons is a masterclass in how simple graphics, font choices, and an uncluttered layout can create an outstanding tea package. The product packaging follows the same format for each flavor, but with varying images and colors to highlight the type of tea it contains.

Rishi

Rishi Tea produces a wide range of teas, including loose leaf, botanical blends, and matchas. We especially want to highlight their matcha tins. Each one is a plain, white metal tin made special by its custom label featuring a modern, minimalist design that keeps the focus on the tea, not the packaging.

Teatulia

One of Hive’s house brands, Teatulia highlights what’s possible with the use of creative materials. Their cardboard tea canisters are printed with a bamboo-like finish and wrapped with a custom label. Each canister is recyclable and houses sixteen tea sachets, each one compostable after use.

Art of Tea

Art of Tea nails two elements of great design with their custom tea boxes. First, their tea bag wrappers and boxes match perfectly, creating a cohesive and frankly beautiful effect. As a bonus, the bottom half of each box doubles as a holder, keeping the individually wrapped tea bags organized and easy to get to.

Little Prayer Tea

Little Prayer Tea uses both folding cartons and canisters for their tea, but we especially love their tea cartons. We’re inspired by the bold use of color and creative typefaces used across the entire product line. While each carton is a different color, the feel of the brand remains consistent between cartons and canisters.

Ready To Take Your Tea Packaging Further? We Can Help.

Custom tea packaging begins with partnering with the right product labeling and packaging company. At Sttark, we print high-quality product labels and manufacture custom cartons ideal for many types of custom tea products. With years of industry experience, our team has the expertise and equipment to turn your inspiration into finished goods.  If you’re unsure what materials to choose or what features you need, get in touch — we’re happy to share our expertise and advice to ensure your custom tea packaging turns out just right.