Tea was never the point. The pause was. Somewhere in the middle of a long day, we stopped and made a cup. It stuck. Not because we knew anything about tea — we didn't — but because it gave us a few minutes that belonged to no one else.
So we went looking. Not for prestige. Not for a price tag. Just tea that doesn't ask you to be careful. Boiling water, cold water, a long steep, a quick pour.
DRIFT is where we started: Menghai, Yunnan. Wild-picked Dian Hong from a single hillside. Honey-sweet, jammy, no bitterness. Seven bags in a box. When this batch is gone, we'll have found the next one.
We're on the road now — Fujian, Hunan, Zhejiang — meeting growers, tasting leaves, finding teas that deserve to travel further than they've ever been.
What's next
US Organic certification. Export compliance. Food safety documentation. Before we taste a single leaf, the paperwork narrows the field. Most teas never make it past this step. What's left is a short list of serious contenders.
We brew every sample the ways you'd brew at home — hot, iced, steeped, poured. If it only tastes right under one set of conditions, it's not the one. We need it to work every time, because when you make your cup, we won't be standing next to you.
One hillside. One harvest. One batch. DRIFT is tied to a specific time and place. When this batch runs out, the next might come from the same mountain — or somewhere entirely different. What doesn't change is how we choose.
Every batch is tested against 625 pesticide compounds by SGS — the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.
Where applicable, our tea is certified under the USDA National Organic Program. Every batch — organic or not — meets FDA standards for safety and quality.
Full safety and quality inspection completed. Physical, chemical, and microbiological testing — all within standard.
We break it down. No hidden math. Here's exactly what goes into the price of one box of DRIFT.
| Component | % |
|---|---|
| Tea leaves (7 × 2.7g) | |
| Drip bag + outer pouch (OEM) | |
| Box + carton | |
| Packaging labor | |
| Testing, certification & compliance | |
| International shipping (avg. US) | |
| Platform fees (Shopify + payment) | |
| Brand operations (R&D, marketing, ops) | |
| Total | 100% |
Based on our first production batch. Percentages will shift with scale — and we'll update this table when they do. International shipping varies by region; shown is US average.