Issue 01 · Editorial Guide

The most exciting new category
in fine drinking
isn’t wine.

Sparkling tea is what Champagne would be if it grew up on a hillside in Yunnan and trained at a three-star kitchen. We tasted the field — Saicho, Copenhagen, Chalu, Susurrus, REAL, and beyond — and built the only guide you need.

11
Brands compared
6
Countries of origin
7
Bottles & cans tasted
The Case

A drink with the structure of wine and the soul of tea.

Sparkling tea is not iced tea with bubbles. The serious producers — Saicho in London, the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company, Chalu in Yunnan — cold-brew single-origin leaves for hours, then carbonate with the precision of a Champagne house. The result is a drink with tannins, terroir, and a finish that lingers.

The category sits in the gap that wine left when the no-and-low movement arrived. It pairs. It ages. It comes in a bottle that earns its place on the table. And unlike most non-alcoholic adult drinks, it doesn’t taste like the absence of something — it tastes like its own thing.

“These spectacularly good sparkling teas are some of the best no- or low-alcohol drinks, including wines, that I have ever tasted.”— Jancis Robinson MW, on Copenhagen Sparkling Tea

The Field

Eleven brands worth knowing

From £55 single-origin cuvées to $3 cans you can grab at Whole Foods — the producers defining sparkling tea right now.

11 of 11

Copenhagen Sparkling Tea

Denmark · est. 2017

Luxury

Five bottles colour-coded like a wine list: LYSEGRØN drinks like a Sancerre, BLÅ like Champagne, RØD a structured Pinot. Jancis Robinson called them 'some of the best no- or low-alcohol drinks I have ever tasted.'

Tea base
White · Oolong · Black · Green · Pu-erh
Format
Bottle
Flagship
LYSEGRØN, BLÅ, LYSERØD
Price
$30–$60 / 750ml bottle
ABV
Both
Organic
Yes

Five colour-coded cuvées spanning sparkling-white to red-wine analogues; the wine world's reference brand for tea pairings.

Saicho

United Kingdom · est. 2019

Luxury

London's answer to grand cru fizz: a husband-and-wife team cold-brewing single-origin leaves and tuning each bottle like a vintage champagne. Hojicha drinks like aged tawny; Jasmine sits between Riesling and Krug.

Tea base
White · Black · Roasted Green · Scented
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Jasmine, Darjeeling, Hojicha
Price
$45–$55 / 750ml bottle
ABV
0%
Organic

Cold-brewed single-origin teas, sommelier-grade pours, on the list at 100+ Michelin-starred restaurants.

Chalu

China · est. 2022

Luxury

The Chinese answer the category was waiting for. Volcanic-slope oolongs from Yunnan, packaging that wouldn't look out of place at Maison Margiela — and the only brand sourcing from the original tea biome.

Tea base
Oolong · White · Black · Yancha
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Cuvée, Volcanic Oolong, Hibiscus Noir
Price
$28–$48 / 750ml bottle
ABV
0%
Organic

Yunnan-grown teas blended in homage to the Tea Horse Road — China's first design-led, export-grade sparkling tea house.

Where to buy

Susurrus

United States

Luxury

Whisper-soft sparkling tea from the US West Coast. Magnolia Oolong is the breakout pour: floral, peachy, structured. The most under-the-radar pick on this list.

Tea base
Oolong · White · Green
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Magnolia Oolong, Jasmine Silver Needle, Smoked Pu-erh
Price
$32–$42 / 750ml bottle
ABV
0%
Organic

Pacific Northwest cold-brewed sparkling teas, single-origin, deeply aromatic — America's craft answer to Saicho.

The Sparkling T

Denmark · est. 2022

Premium

Copenhagen's second-wave sparkling tea, launched in 2022. Cleaner profile, sleeker packaging, more accessible price point.

Tea base
White · Green · Oolong
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Original, Reserve, Rosé
Price
$22–$35 / 750ml bottle
ABV
Both
Organic
Yes

Cold-brewed, lightly fizzy, modern Scandinavian bottle design — built for fine dining without the price tag of its older sibling.

Mindful Sparks

Singapore

Premium

Singapore's bid in the category. Osmanthus Golden Oolong is delicate, peachy, and built for tasting-menu pacing.

Tea base
Oolong · Jasmine · Green
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Osmanthus Golden Oolong, Dragon Jasmine, Pu-erh Rose
Price
$20–$32 / 750ml bottle
ABV
0%
Organic

Singapore-designed, single-origin Asian leaves with a modern minimal aesthetic.

Acala

Lithuania

Premium

Lithuania's contribution to the category. Bright, dry, refined — the brand most likely to be served at a Baltic Michelin star alongside a herring tasting menu.

Tea base
White · Green · Black
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Spritz Style, Brut, Rosé
Price
$18–$28 / 750ml bottle
ABV
0%
Organic
Yes

Baltic-grown sparkling tea taking shelf space across Europe — focused on aperitif occasions and dry profiles.

Where to buy

REAL Sparkling Tea

United Kingdom · est. 2014

Premium

Britain's longest-running serious sparkling tea brand. Royal Flush — Darjeeling, hibiscus, fig leaf — is the gateway pour. Their secret: traditional-method secondary fermentation, like Champagne.

Tea base
Black · Green · Botanicals
Format
Bottle
Flagship
Royal Flush, Dry Dragon, Peony
Price
$18–$26 / 750ml bottle
ABV
0%
Organic

Method-traditionnelle-fermented teas — naturally fizzy, bone-dry, and engineered to pair like wine.

Owl's Brew

United States · est. 2013

Premium

The category's only serious low-ABV pour. Real-brewed tea, real fruit, 4.8% — Darjeeling Hibiscus is the sleeper hit for picnics where you don't want to commit to wine.

Tea base
Black · White · Darjeeling
Format
Can
Flagship
Darjeeling Hibiscus, White Tea Watermelon, Pink & Black
Price
$12–$18 / 6-pack cans
ABV
Low-ABV
Organic
Yes

Hard sparkling tea — 4.8% ABV, real-brewed leaves, the only category-mover playing in the spiked aisle.

Rishi Sparkling Botanicals

United States · est. 1997

Everyday

Milwaukee's veteran tea importer turned its sourcing know-how into a can. Black Lemon is the cult flavor — preserved lime, oud, citric snap. The grab-and-go option that doesn't taste like a compromise.

Tea base
Black · Green · White · Herbal
Format
Can
Flagship
Black Lemon, Schisandra Berry, Hibiscus Berry
Price
$3–$4 / 12oz can
ABV
0%
Organic
Yes

Functional botanicals, zero sugar, widely distributed — sparkling tea you can actually buy at lunch.

Sound

United States · est. 2015

Everyday

Less tea, more sparkling water — but the tea is real, and so is the dryness. The everyday weekday option when LaCroix has finally lost its appeal.

Tea base
Green · Black · Herbal
Format
Can
Flagship
Rose Lime Hibiscus, Blueberry Cinnamon Hibiscus, Cucumber Mint Green
Price
$2–$3 / 12oz can
ABV
0%
Organic
Yes

Zero-calorie sparkling water cut with brewed tea — the cleanest, lowest-impact pour in the category.

How We Pick

What separates a sip from a sommelier’s shortlist

01

The leaf

Single-origin, named cultivars, identifiable seasons. We’re looking for brands that treat tea like grapes — not as a flavour but as a story.

02

The brew

Cold extraction over hot. Long brews over short. Real fermentation over forced fizz. The method determines the mouthfeel.

03

The bottle

Pairs with food, holds a temperature, looks at home on a starched white tablecloth. Sparkling tea earns its glass.

04

The pour

Dryness over sugar. Tannin over juice. A finish that asks for the next sip and never insults the dish on the plate.

Disclosure

Where we’re coming from

This site is independently operated by someone with a financial interest in a sparkling tea business. That investment may influence which brands appear here, how we describe them, and which we omit. We disclose this upfront because we think a reader has the right to know who is curating the list.

Editorial decisions are made by the site operator. We do not currently accept payment from any brand featured on this guide, and we do not run affiliate links that compensate us on click-throughs. “Where to buy” links go directly to brand sites or major retailers; they are provided as a convenience to readers.

We strive for accuracy on prices, formats, tea bases, and provenance. Prices are indicative US retail and can move with importers, vintages, and seasons. If you spot an error — or you run one of these brands and want to flag something — please reach out through any of the listed brand websites and they’ll know how to get a message to us.

We do not name the specific brand the operator is invested in, because we do not want the disclosure to become an advertisement. Treat the whole list as potentially influenced and read accordingly.

The best way to read a guide like this: as one informed perspective among many. The bottles are real. The opinions are ours.