Sale Products - The Tao Of Tea

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

DIRECT FROM ORGIN

We work directly with all our producers to bring teas to you. There are no middle people involved. This is a result of our work over the last 17 years, since our founding in 1997.

FAMILY OF SMALL ARTISANS, STAFF and DEDICATED TEA LOVERS

We are a company that prides itself in working with the choicest tea leaves. Our focus remains on finding exceptional quality pure leaf teas that have a superior flavor profile and grown without any pesticides or artificial additives.

PACKING OF TEAS

We handle each order with care and personal attention. When you order tea by the bulk, we pack the desired weight into either kraft, tin-tie bags with a moisture barrier, or into foil bags with protective barrier. The hand packing certainly takes extra time, but minimizes any breakage and maintains leaf integrity. It also provides you with greater flexibility in purchasing a quantity of your choosing. Our retail customers can choose to order in one ounce increments.

ORDER SHIPPING SCHEDULE

We start processing your order as soon as we receive it. Please allow up to 2-3 business days for the order to be processed completely and before it ships.

We ship with UPS Ground service within continental USA or via USPS priority to Hawaii, Alaska and other US territories. The exact time taken via these carriers varies based on your destination. Tracking your order will be able to give you the detailed time schedule. Please note that USPS and FedEx do not include Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays in their delivery time schedule. Once we relinquish our teas to UPS or USPS, the arrival time is beyond our control, however we are always happy to assist in tracking your package.

TIME SENSITIVE SHIPMENTS

If your order is time sensitive and you want to ensure your tea arrives by a specific date, please contact us at 503.736.0198 and we will help determine the shipping options available.

TEA FRESHNESS

Tea is a seasonal crop. It is only as good as its freshness. At The Tao of Tea, freshness is one of our foremost guiding principles. The spring season in tea is generally April – May. It takes about a month for many of our teas to reach our facilities in Portland. Spring is good for Green teas, and lighter black teas.

Summer, June-July, is good for black teas, oolongs and Puer. Fresh tea should have good aroma and a flavorful taste. As tea ages, the leaves dry out and change color to pale shades. Be sure to purchase unblended, single origin teas in the peak of their freshness. Blended teas, with other herbs or natural essences can last much longer and are available throughout the year.

STORAGE

Although the barrier lined bags will retain the aroma and leaf integrity within the bag, as soon as the bag is opened, those aromatics are released into the atmosphere. We prefer to strive to provide our customers with the freshest tea possible and encourage you to drink it while it is fresh.

We recommend that you store your tea in an airtight container in a cool dark place. Avoid areas with heavy smell or that are overly warm. Also please ensure the container does not have any residual acids from anything that was stored in it previously.

APO/FPO/DPO

We ship to APO addresses. We have a number of customers scattered around the world with APO/FPO/DPO addresses. You can order online and we’ll ship the tea directly to you. Please just be sure to use USPS, not UPS when you place your order.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

The Tao of Tea does ship products internationally, however we are not set up to do international shipments online at this time. We therefore process most international orders by phone. Feel free to contact us with your billing/shipping addresses and phone number and we'll work up a shipping quote based off your address. We can be reached at 503.736.0198. Shipping is via UPS or USPS. Payment will also be taken by phone. We accept either Visa or MasterCard.

TEA TASTINGS

We regularly conduct free tea tastings in our Leaf Room. Please call us at 503-736-0198 to find out the weekly schedule.

WHOLESALE PROGRAM

We offer customized programs suited to the individual needs of our wholesale clients. Our products can be found in major specialty and natural foods stores in the United States.

WHOLESALE TASTING SAMPLES

We offer tasting samples for our wholesale customers. There is a nominal charge for the samples.

ORGANIC STANDARDS

We are certified by QAI Inc, for Organic standards at all our facilities. Most of our teas are organic. There are a small portion of teas that are not organic. In such cases, we have taken additional measures to either audit the farming practices of the tea gardens or have confidence through independent lab testing. We do not add any artificial additives to our teas.

GLUTEN

Tea is gluten free.

NON-GMO TEA

We do not have any GMO tea. Our teas are mostly composed of Heirloom varietals.

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Akaash

Baadal

Cast Iron Trivet

Cast Iron Trivet – small

Chanda

Copper Tea Warmer

Tulsi Chai

Tulsi Mini Sampler

Yixing Teapot – Good Harvest

Yixing Teapot – Tea Cart

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