Shipping
If you have received an “order complete” email, or see that your order has been marked “complete” and has a tracking number in your account, then it’s on its way! If you haven’t received an “order complete” email, then we recommend checking your spam/junk mail folder or promotions tab (in Gmail) to see if it’s there. You can also check your tracking information here.
Delivery time can vary from country to country, so we can’t say for sure. Most orders typically arrive within 1-2 weeks. Certain locations or times of year may see packages take a little longer, up to 1 month. Additional information about shipping can be found here.
We recommend using 17track.net to track orders. They pull tracking information from various sources and automatically indicate which carrier will be handling your package once it arrives in your country. From there you can always go directly to your country’s national postal service for additional details.
Yes. Please contact us if we do not have your country listed and we will add it. Please note that for certain countries this may mean a slightly higher than normal shipping rate, and/or adjusted shipping rate for orders over $100 instead of free shipping, calculated at our discretion.
This happens from time to time, especially when the tracking shows that it has left China but not yet arrived in your country. This usually means it has not passed customs yet, but is not necessarily an indicator of a lost package. We advise waiting it out, and if it doesn’t show progress soon, we can look into it on our side.
If a package is truly lost, we will re-send or issue a full refund at our discretion. Lost packages are rare, and typically everything resurfaces, so please allow up to 16 weeks with no updates before we can determine a package is lost.
Of course! We want everything to arrive in perfect condition just as much as you do, which is why we take great care when preparing our teaware for overseas journeys. Our arsenal of packing material includes plenty of bubble wrap, padding, air-bags, paper and 5 ply boxes. And love. Everything is packed with love.
Tea
We are confident in the safety of our teas. For 2017 we selected a handful of teas for lab testing of 191 of the most common pesticide residues to be sure. All of our tested teas are guaranteed to be below the maximum residue limit (MRL) according to the European Commission guidelines, and in several cases with no detectable amounts at all. Please be aware that this is not an exhaustive test of all possible pesticides for the 400+ required for import into the EU.
As these are the same teas we drink daily ourselves, we share a concern for safety and quality, paying close attention to the environment and land our teas come from. This year was a trial year for lab testing our teas, and we hope to make this the standard for future productions.
No. Additional certification requires inspection by agent and additional fees for the certifying body. We have not done that and therefore can’t make that claim. All we know is the possible present levels for the substances we tested for, which are the most commonly used items. This remains the most cost effective way to demonstrate the safety of our teas while also protecting the price from increasing.
The main differentiator is approximate tree age. The problem is that there is no consensus in the tea world as to what qualifies as big/old/ancient trees. These terms are often used interchangeably, so this is just what they mean to us:
Fangyang refers to younger trees (50 years or less) that are untended. They could have been plantation/taidi trees at one point, but now are left to grow without pruning, pesticides, weed killer or over-picking. There is minimal human intervention, aside from the actual harvesting of the tea. When buying younger teas, this is generally our preferred type compared to heavily maintained plantation tea.
Big tree/da shu, in our books, can mean trees in the 70-100 year range. We’ll use this term interchangeably with “old tree” sometimes, but generally apply it to trees that have grown big. Basically, these aren’t shrubs, but they’re also not extremely old or rare types of trees.
Old tree is considered 100+ years. Since we take everything with a grain of salt, let’s say +/- 20 years, so starting from 80 years, hence the overlap with “big tree”. If you think of a 80-100+ years old human, then we feel a tea tree of the same age can be considered old too.
Gushu/Ancient tree is only a label we’ll use on teas we are confident are quite old. 150-200+ is a good starting point for gushu. At this point in history the trees would have been alive during the Qing dynasty or earlier, which we feel is good enough to qualify as “ancient”.
Bonus: Not all trees in a picking area are going to necessarily be the same age! Some may be young/small(xiaoshu), with a few big and/or old trees mixed in. If these were picked and processed together, then we may call it “mixed” (huncai) and talk about it in the tea’s description.
This is a loaded question that doesn’t have the same answer for everyone, however, we tried to answer it as comprehensively as possible here. If you still need help making a selection, please feel free to contact us for a personal recommendation according to teas you already enjoy and other personal taste factors. One thing we do recommend for those new to puer is to compare teas from different regions, starting with some of the more affordable options, then gradually moving up in price range and quality while making comparisons.
Teaware
That’s not a question, but I assume you want to know if we can obtain a variation of it. It doesn’t hurt to contact us to ask!
Wholesale
We offer wholesale pricing on a small selection of our existing teas, but generally not for our in-house productions. Our approach is primarily from a sourcing perspective. If you have wholesale/sourcing needs, please contact us with them well in advance of either the Spring of Fall harvest and we will be happy to discuss sourcing teas from Yunnan or other parts of China on your behalf. We can also assist with facilitating package/wrapper printing if needed, as long as a design is provided.
If you would like to become a distributor, feel free to contact us as well for bulk pricing.
We offer wholesale pricing on some of our teaware, but again, it depends. Limited quantity and one-of-a-kind pieces by independent artists are not typically available for wholesale. We can, however, arrange custom productions with artists and studios we work with in both Jianshui and Jingdezhen. For more information, please contact us with the teaware pieces you are interested in purchasing and we will be happy to provide you with details regarding pricing and MOQ.
Refunds and Returns
We accept refunds for teaware, but all teas are final sale. Unused teaware items may be refunded, less a 30% restocking fee. Buyer is responsible for the cost of return shipping and ensuring the item does not sustain damage during return shipping. Refunds can only be issued upon receipt.
Notify us as soon as you discover the damage and if possible provide pictures. We will either refund the full cost of the item, re-send it, or offer a substitute if the original item is no longer available. These options are provided at our discretion, but we will generally try to facilitate the solution that makes you the happiest. Regardless, we’ll make it right.
