About Us
Big Changes Are Brewing at Clipper Ship Tea Co!
We’re thrilled to share that we’ve purchased a 6,000-square-foot building at 1 Brooksite Dr, Smithtown, NY 11787! This exciting step lets us grow our online, wholesale, and retail tea channels in ways we’ve dreamed about for years.
Right now, our retail space is closed to the public as we dive into renovations. We’re creating something truly special and can’t wait to welcome you in Spring 2025. Until then, you can still shop our 300 teas online – we’re shipping straight to your door!
To our Huntington Village community – you will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our six years in Huntingtonwere filled with incredible memories, and we are endlessly grateful for every conversation, cup of tea, and moment we shared. Your support, curiosity, and love for tea shaped us, and we loved every minute of being there. Our last day in Huntington was March 30th, 2024, but this isn’t goodbye – it’s just the next step in our journey.
Owning our own building has been a long-time dream, and we can’t wait to bring that dream to life in Smithtown. We hope you’ll visit us when we reopen.
Please note: Store pickup is paused during renovations – but we’ll be back and better than ever.
Thank you for your unwavering support – we couldn’t do this without you. Here’s to new beginnings and many more cups of tea!
Who are we? We are a small business with a big heart that loves to source incredible tea.
Established in 2010, the Clipper Ship Tea Company is a purveyor of 300 premium loose leaf teas that are sourced from our travels to tea countries of origin. We have navigated the world curating a selection of the finest teas available. Our tea collection consists of traditional teas and innovative blends. We offer loose tea, pyramid sachet teabags, and sampler boxes.
Melissa, the founder and operator of the Clipper Ship Tea Company, spent over a decade sailing around the world on sailboats and commercial ships in the Merchant Marines. During her travels around the world, she visited tea countries of origin such as India, Taiwan, Japan, Sri Lanka, and more. She made connections with tea growers and suppliers during her travels.
During her time off ships, Melissa studied at the Specialty Tea Institute (STI) to become a Certified Tea Specialist, also referred to as a tea sommelier. The STI is the educational arm of the Tea Association of the USA. In 2010, she decided to retire from sailing and anchor herself in her hometown by opening a retail tea shop in Northport on Long Island.
In November 2010, our first tea shop was opened on Main Street in Northport Village. In 2017, a fire in a neighboring bar destroyed the Northport tea shop. As much as we loved being located in Northport, we felt a fresh start was necessary after the fire.
In 2018, the Clipper Ship Tea Co. opened a new tea shop on Main Street in Huntington Village, a few miles from our original location. We operated out of that location in Huntington for six years from March 2018 until March 2024. In 2024 we learned that our landlord was not renewing our lease. So we decided to become our own landlords with the purchase of a building! We purchased 1 Brooksite Dr Smithtown, NY on May 30th, 2024. This is a large 6,000 square foot building that we look forward to growing our online, wholesale, and retail channels of our tea business.
We are proud that we ship online orders all over the USA. Each day our online business grows and we're honored to be shipping our tea to so many people. We have now shipped to 47 states in the USA - we're just missing West Virginia, Mississippi, and Hawaii.
Thank you for shopping small and supporting a big dream! Though we might not be the only tea you drink, we strive to be the best. We’re honored when Clipper Ship Tea Co. becomes part of your daily life. We hope our tea comforts you, makes you happy, wakes you up, helps you sleep, inspires you, motivates you, and restores you.