Susurrus Sparkling Teas

Susurrus Sparkling Teas is a Napa, California-based producer of inherently non-alcoholic, single-origin sparkling teas. Founder Ellison Wofford is originally from South Carolina and moved to Napa in 2013 for a career in the wine industry. According to the producer, Wofford founded Susurrus after recognizing synergies between tea and wellness and analogies between the worlds of wine and tea. The company launched its first bottling in mid-December, roughly a month before a late-January 2026 forum post announcing the brand.^[1],[2]

The name. The name Susurrus is derived from the Latin word for "a soft whispering or murmuring."^[3]

Ellison Wofford — Founder. Susurrus Sparkling Teas was founded by Ellison Wofford. Before starting the company, Wofford worked as a commercial lender, then as General Manager of RAEN Winery, and most recently as Director of Business Development, Trade Sales at Bella Oaks.^[1]

Susurrus positions its bottlings as inherently non-alcoholic teas crafted to have terroir, purity, bubbles, and nuance. The teas derive their aromas and flavors entirely from the tea itself, without added juices or flavorings, which the producer contrasts with many competing sparkling teas. Per the producer, the sparkling teas contain no extracts, no added flavors, and no added aromas.^[4],[5]

Transparency. Susurrus back labels display the harvest date, region, elevation, cultivar, and harvest pick type of the tea leaves used in each bottling.^[2]

Susurrus Sparkling Teas produces inherently non-alcoholic, 0% ABV sparkling teas from organically grown, single-origin, single-cultivar, hand-crafted teas. As of June 2026 the lineup comprised two bottlings: Magnolia Oolong and Osmanthus Golden Tip. Per the producer, no fermentation is involved in production.^[3],[6]

Susurrus builds its bottlings from single-origin, single-cultivar, old-tree tea leaves alone, drawing aroma and flavor entirely from the tea rather than from added juices, aromas, or flavorings. The teas are organic and hand-crafted, with no fermentation in the process.^[2]

Flower scenting. Susurrus teas are made using the centuries-old Chinese art of flower scenting, which involves repeated layering of freshly harvested blooms within tea leaves to gently absorb floral fragrances. This aligns with the two bottlings named for their florals, Magnolia Oolong and Osmanthus Golden Tip.^[7]

Cold steeping. The teas are cold-steeped, a technique that lowers the total potential caffeine content while preserving the tea's natural L-theanine. A hearty glass of Susurrus contains less than half the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee.^[2]

Sourcing — Old-tree, single-cultivar tea. The tea leaves are single-origin and single-cultivar from old trees, directly imported from the Fujian and Yunnan Provinces of China.^[2]

Standards & keeping. According to a WineBerserkers forum post, Susurrus Sparkling Teas contain about 5 grams of sugar per glass, lower than most comparable sparkling teas that use 7–9 grams per serving, and the structure provided by the tea base's tannins, a low pH (low 3's), and high CO2 content supports a stated ideal drinking window of 12–18+ months.^[2],[4]

Structure. Susurrus Sparkling Teas measure at approximately 33 grams per liter of sugar, landing at the high end of sec or the low end of demi-sec on the Champagne sweetness scale. Carbonation measures 10 grams per liter of dissolved CO2, and the base carries a low pH in the low 3's alongside tea-derived tannin structure.^[4]

• Sweetness: ~33 g/L (high sec / low demi-sec on the Champagne scale); ~5 g sugar per glass
• CO2: 10 g/L dissolved
• pH: low 3's
• Tannin: derived from the tea base
• Caffeine: less than half that of a cup of coffee per hearty glass

Susurrus is a certified 1% For The Planet Company and Business Member, donating 1% of sales to environmental conservation with every bottle sold.^[4]