FAQ

Order & Shipping Questions

We do not charge any additional fees for customers outside of the United States. However, all packages sent to foreign countries are subject to the their country's local taxes and/or customs fees associated with their package. For example, Canadian citizens are subject to Canadian taxes as well as brokerage rates applied by the shipper; we cannot control this.

Note that in many cases, your local customs office will have final say on what, if any, fees or taxes are applied to your package. If you're unsure whether your order may be subject to similar taxes or fees, please inquire with your local customs office before finalizing your order.

There are two ways to track your shipment/order:

  • Once you place an order, you can save the page as a bookmark and visit the page at any time.
  • If you select USPS Priority Mail, you will receive an email confirming that your package has shipped. Click the link to track your package.
    • The First Class shipping option does not allow tracking at this time.

Please send us an email and let us know what's missing from your order.  We are more than happy to ship the missing item(s), credit your account for a future order, or simply refund the difference - just let us know your preference.

There are several reasons for a shipment to not arrive, though most commonly, it ties back to a typo in the shipping address or an inability to deliver on the part of USPS. 

If you chose USPS Priority Mail, select the tracking link in your email and double-check its status, if not, send us an email letting us know your package didn't arrive along with your shipping address and name.

Click here to create a new account and provide your information.

Your information is never sold to any other company and is kept completely private. Please view our Privacy Policy for more information.

Click the Sign In link in the upper right-hand corner of the website.

We offer free domestic shipping in the U.S. on orders over $25, though international customers may pay customs or import fees in line with their country's current tax and import policies. 

All shipping rates are calculated automatically before submitting your payment information. As you modify your cart, the new rates and shipping options available to you will update in the checkout page.

If you are hoping to pick up your order from one of our tea shops, please message us in the notes in the checkout that you prefer that option. We will then cancel shipping charges for the order and coordinate with the shop of your choosing to arrange a pick up time. Please note: This option may take longer than shipped orders, as we deliver to our shops only once each week.

Exchanges & Refunds

If you would like to return an item purchased online, or if you received the wrong product please contact us, sending images of the wrong product received, so we can quickly find a resolution for you.

We are more than happy to update or cancel an order for you, provided it has not already shipped. To do so, just contact us and let us know of any required changes!


We will happily replace any items that are defective or damaged during shipping. Please contact us with further questions or concerns, including images of the products in question.

General Tea Questions

We try to list all ingredients on each tea product's page, also citing source of origin when possible. 

Over time, we will be adding our Portal Learn section, which will grow to contain a wealth of information on each tea's history, proven health benefits, and caffeine content, among other details. For now, reach out to us through our contact page for more detailed information.

Each product page on our website details the manufacturer of the teaware in question; as always, reach out to us via our contact page for more detailed inquiries.

The term "natural flavors" can bring out a few questions in the critically-minded — and that's a good thing! 

While the phrase can be somewhat broad, it's defined by the FDA as:

"The essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive... or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf..."

In other words, a "natural flavor" means that its primary flavor comes from a real plant or animal product; with our teas, common natural flavors include vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, and similar extracts that bring an extra punch of the needed flavor.

While this depends on the tea in question and your tastes, you will get between five and eight servings per ounce of dry tea. 

For example, some teas require a meager one teaspoon per serving; in contrast, others (like our chai blends or any herbal/apothecary blends) require two heaping tablespoons per serving. In addition, some people prefer to use more (or less) loose tea per cup, further changing each tea's "mileage" per ounce.

Store your dry tea leaves in a cool, relatively dry environment that's as free of oxygen as possible. Dry tea leaves are damaged by:

  1. Oxygen - Store your tea in an airtight container; we've found that sealed Mason jars work great (if stored in a dark area), though anything that will create an airtight seal will do the trick.
  2. Light - Keep your tea in a cabinet or pantry; alternatively, if using a glass sealed jar to store your tea, use dark brown glass.
  3. Moisture - An airtight seal with prevent moisture from damaging your tea. If you can't create an airtight environment, try to keep your tea away from any sources of water or moisture (humidity & steam), such as near cooking surfaces, your refrigerator/freezer, or bathroom.
  4. Heat - Do not store your tea leaves near an oven, air fryer, or toaster; the radiant heat from these devices will damage your leaves.
  5. Strong scents - Scents can "soak" into your dried tea if it's left uncovered. While some scents (like cinnamon) may be fine, allowing your delicate green tea to sit next to the onions and garlic is a recipe for disaster.


This isn't a question with one single answer. Rather, it's a sliding scale based on a large number of factors, including:

  1. Tea type:
    1. Lighter teas, like green or white, generally have the lowest caffeine content.
    2. Oolong teas often contain a middling amount of caffeine.
    3. Black and puer teas tend to have the highest caffeine content of "real" tea.
    4. Herbal, rooibos, and apothecary teas are almost always entirely caffeine-free.
    5. Yerba mate and guayusa are both extremely high in caffeine, often reaching 1.5-2 times the content of a standard black tea.
  2. Brewing:
    1. Tea steeped for longer will infuse more caffeine.
    2. Using more or less than a "standard" serving of dry tea will alter its caffeine content.
    3. Tea steeped at a hotter temperature (up to boiling, or ~212 °F) will release more caffeine.
  3. Tea Leaf:
    1. Tea plants generally get their caffeine as a percentage of the leaf's total weight. The larger the leaf, the higher the caffeine content (usually).
    2. Smaller variants of the tea plant, such as the Chinese Camellia sinensis, tend to have a lower caffeine content (somewhere around ~1.5% by weight). In contrast, larger variants like the Indian Camellia assamica, generally have a higher caffeine content of around 3-4% by weight.


Career Opportunities

Visit our Careers page or inquire with a manager in any of our tea shops. 

Wholesale

Fill out our wholesale contact form and we'll be in touch! (Yes — it's really that easy.)

Wholesale customers must be:

  • A registered business with an EIN
  • Tasty tea lovers
  • Super cool

We offer a broad range of tools for wholesale customers, including:

  • Product demos and samples
  • In-store event participation
  • Coupons and hanger tags
  • Custom signage
  • Social media support
  • Employee & customer education

If you feel that something special may help you share our products with your customers, feel free to reach out! We're always open to providing a unique touch to help your Portal products shine.


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