How tea is supposed to bee.
We started with one stubborn idea: that a cup of tea should not need a spoon, a jar and a second trip to the kitchen to taste like something. Thirteen years later, we are still a family business in Virginia, still blending real dried honey into every bag.
An engineer, a Keurig, and a very limited tea aisle.
Real dried honey
Granules blended into the leaf — never honey flavoring.
2× the ingredients
Twice what a standard tea bag holds.
No additives
No pesticides, additives or artificial flavorings.
Straight from the farm
Botanicals and leaves sourced direct from growers.
It began with a gift and a disappointing cup of tea.
In February 2013, Chris Savage — an electrical engineer working outside Washington, D.C. — was given a single-serve brewer by his mom for Valentine's Day. He went looking for tea to put in it and found almost nothing worth drinking. The selection was thin, the flavor was thinner, and making tea the old way meant a kettle, a bag, a spoon and a sticky jar of honey.
So he did what engineers do. He started prototyping in his kitchen.
- February 2013 — a Valentine's Day gift from his mom
- A Kickstarter that beat its goal by more than double
- Left the engineering job that fall to go all in
I didn't really have a way to manufacture all of these K-Cups, and I knew I couldn't do it all by hand myself.
Chris Savage, founder
Honey behaves strangely when you dry it. That turned out to matter.
After months of testing, Chris found that honey's physical properties let it be dried into granules and combined with tea leaves in a single serve — something that had not been done. True Honey Teas launched that year, and the campaign that funded it beat its target by more than double.
Four years later came the product the company is known for now: a honey tea bag holding twice the ingredients of a standard bag, with real dried honey sealed inside alongside the leaf.
- Honey granules blended in, so it sweetens as it steeps
- Twice the tea and botanicals of a standard bag
- No syrups, no sweeteners, no “natural flavors”
We would rather know the farm than trust the label.
Every bag carries botanicals, herbs, spices and tea leaves bought directly from the people who grow them — which is the only reliable way to keep pesticides, additives and flavorings out of a blend. It is slower and it costs more. It is also the entire point.
- Bought direct from farmers, not through brokers
- Whole botanicals, herbs, spices and leaves — not dust
- Blended and packed in small batches in Virginia
Growing the tea-drinking community, one convert at a time.
Our mission is to grow the tea-drinking community by breaking away from bland brews and introducing a better way to sip. Flavors that are richer, smoother and naturally sweetened — bold enough to win over tea skeptics, and surprising enough for people who have been drinking tea their whole lives.
You will find us doing it in person, too: at festivals and craft shows up and down the East Coast, pouring cups and talking to people one at a time. That is still how we learn what to blend next.
The people behind the blends
Chris Savage — Founder & CEO
An electrical engineer who reverse-engineered a better cup of tea. Chris founded True Honey Teas in 2013 and still sets the direction: bolder flavors, real ingredients, and blends nobody else is making.
Michael Savage — COO
Forty years of executive leadership across airlines, telecommunications and healthcare testing, as both COO and CFO. Involved since the founding and full-time since 2019, Michael runs production, supply chain, shipping and fulfilment. He is also Chris's father.
Annie — VP, Brand & Business Development
Annie started at the festival booth, selling tea a cup at a time, as the company's fourth hire. She now leads new product development, partnerships and expansion into new markets — with the rare advantage of having learned the business from the ground up.
Colin — Comptroller
Formerly a manager at one of the Big Four accounting firms. Colin handles forecasting, resource planning and the financial discipline that keeps growth from outrunning the business.
Evelyn — Production Manager
Evelyn runs the floor where ingredients become tea. With a background in food production and operations, she owns quality, consistency and safety from sourcing through packing.
Taste the difference honey makes.
Forty-six blends, every one with real dried honey in the bag. Free shipping over $50.