Retail FAQ

All tea—whether black, green, white, puerh, or oolong—hails from the leaves of a single plant: Camellia sinensis.

The difference among tea styles results from the ways in which the leaf is handled after harvesting and its degree of oxidation. Green tea, for example, is heated to stop oxidation and preserve a green color and vegetal taste. On the other hand, black tea is encouraged to fully oxidize, darkening in color and developing a fuller, heavier flavor.

Herbal teas or 'tisanes', which are primarily caffeine-free, do not contain any Camellia sinensis leaves.

Loose leaf simply means that the tea doesn't come in a teabag or sachet. Teabag teas are often made with lower-quality, small and broken tea leaves and ingredients, which can result in a quicker infusion but may compromise flavor.

Whole, loose leaf teas are a less processed, higher grade leaf—lending fresher, fuller, and more vibrant flavor than their teabag counterparts. Tea leaves need room to unfurl and release their natural oils and aroma, a process referred to as the "agony of the leaf". The confined space in tea bags limits the expansion of leaves, which can affect the quality of your brew. By choosing loose leaf tea, you get a richer cuppa' that often yields multiple servings from the same leaves. And because loose leaf doesn't require sachets, you pay for exceptional product—not wasteful packaging.

All teas and ingredients used at The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co. can be traced from the farm or facility at origin, through every step of warehousing, preparation, and packaging, all the way to distribution to our end customer—that’s you! We strive to direct-source whenever possible and work with trusted suppliers and tea producers around the globe—including China, Taiwan, Japan, India, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

Pictured is the tea farm in Colombia where we have sourced past teas.

Although The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co. is no longer a Certified Organic blending facility, we still source and utilize primarily certified organic ingredients and remain committed to clean, safe, and healthy products. Learn more about our decision to discontinue organic certification here.

We always start with exceptional tea, period. Fresh and often organic, we blend on-site using ingredients such as spices, herbs, all-natural flavoring, and oils, to create the finest flavor combinations possible. We won’t sell tea that we wouldn’t drink ourselves. We also adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices that meet state and federal food safety regulations. Daily operations, including sanitary operations, are documented as part of our Food Safety Program.

All blends are The Jasmine Pearl’s own proprietary creations. Whether it be in-house roasting of our chai spices or sourcing exquisite Italian bergamot oil for Earl Grey, our blends range from the totally unique to inspired versions of classics—each handcrafted by our small but mighty team.

To keep your teas fresh, they are best kept in opaque, air-tight containers and stored in a cool, dry environment.

For optimum flavor and enjoyment, we recommend that you drink your teas within 6-8 months of the purchase date. After a year, teas with blending ingredients such as lavender, rose petals, or essential oils, may begin to lose some of their initial boldness but are still safe to brew.

Puerh cakes (which are fermented and often already aged) have a much, much longer shelf life as long as it is kept under proper storage. With puerh, flavors change and improve with age, developing more nuance and complexity. Puerh cakes over 100 years old are rare but certainly exist. Here at The Jasmine Pearl, we've carried puerh cakes that are over twenty years aged. When you purchase a puerh cake, you can continue to age it for improved flavor so long as you follow proper storage practices.

All "true" teas (that come from the Camellia sinensis plant) contain caffeine. Caffeine in tea is chemically identical to the caffeine found in coffee, however, on average tea contains less per serving. Caffeine levels do vary between tea types and can even differ from season to season. Thus, we do not test our teas for caffeine content.

It is our opinion that the overall quality and integrity of tea is compromised in the process of decaffeination, so we do not carry decaffeinated teas. However, we do offer a variety of herbal blends (or 'tisanes') which are naturally caffeine-free. These are composed of herbs, dried fruit, and other botanical ingredients; because herbals exclude Camellia sinensis leaf, they are usually caffeine-free (though exceptions, such as Yerba Mate, exist). A few exceptions in our catalog include herbal teas with cacao nibs, which have a minimal and almost negligible amount of caffeine. We always disclose the presence of caffeine in these teas on our product pages and labeling.

Spring/Summer Seasonal Blends (Clementine Sunset, Mango Ceylon, Tropical Green) are available from April to August, while our Fall/Winter Seasonal Blends (Anniversary Blend, Caravan, Cocoa Rouge) are available from October to February. All of our seasonal blends are available only while supplies last—meaning, we may sell out of stock before its last month of availability.

Our Pumpkin Spice Chai is a limited Seasonal Blend, available starting in September and going through to November while supplies last.

Sign into your account and click on ACCOUNT SETTINGS to edit your contact information, email, or password. You can also modify, add, or delete saved addresses in the ADDRESSES tab.

Go to the sign in page and click "Forgot Your Password?" to begin the process of resetting your password. If you simply want to change your password, sign into your account and go to ACCOUNT SETTINGS. Enter your new password in both the "Password" and "Confirm Password" fields, then enter your current password in the "Current Password" field. To save your changes, click the UPDATE DETAILS button.

You'll receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking details once your order has shipped. You can also check the status of your order by signing into your account and clicking on the order number in the ORDERS section. If your order has shipped, your tracking number and a tracking link should be under SHIPPING DETAILS on the righthand panel.

If you wish to change or cancel your order, contact us at orders@thejasminepearl.com or 503.236.3539 within 24 hours. We may not be able to modify or cancel orders that have begun processing. If we're able to accommodate an order change, we may send a PayPal payment request or offer a refund/store credit for any cost difference. We do not store payment information on our site.

If your order has already shipped, you'll have to initiate a refund request once you receive the package. We're not able to intercept packages during transit.

Sign into your account then click on the order number in the ORDERS section. Check the box next to the item(s) you would like to reorder, then click the REORDER button at the bottom of the page. You'll be taken to the Cart page, containing the items you selected. There, you can edit quantities.

We ask for up to 4 business days to process orders, though during our busiest seasons (fall and winter) we ask for 5-6 business days for processing. Once your order is shipped, you'll receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking information. If you selected Pick Up at checkout, you will receive an email with Pick Up instructions once your order is ready. Learn more about how Pick Up works.

Please note that order processing time is separate from shipping/delivery estimates. We do our best to get orders out as soon as possible, but we have no control over shipment times once a package is in the mail system.

If there is an issue with your order or in the rare instance that you order is delayed, we will contact you via email or phone.

For more information on the status of your order, sign into your account and view order details in the ORDERS list.

You'll receive an email with your tracking information when your order is shipped. Tracking updates may not be available until the package is picked up by our mail courier and scanned into the mail system. You can also log into your account to check your order status and track your shipment: In the ORDERS list, click on the Order # to view more details. Your tracking number and a tracking link should be under SHIPPING DETAILS on the righthand panel.

NOTE: According to USPS, tracking for international orders is available for most, but not all, destinations. Once the package leaves the US, updated tracking information during transit may not be available.

Shipping is determined by the size and weight of the package as well as shipping distance. You can use our shipping calculator on your Cart page by clicking on "Add Info" in the Shipping line beneath your order subtotal. You'll need to input your Country, State, and Zip Code.

Domestic retail orders over $35 earn free shipping. Domestic wholesale orders over $99 earn free shipping. Pick Up is free for both retail and wholesale customers.

Most orders that qualify for Free Shipping are shipped with USPS Ground Advantage. If you want to receive your order sooner, you have the option to select USPS Priority Mail at checkout. Orders that don't qualify for Free Shipping are shipped with USPS Priority Mail. For very large wholesale orders, we sometimes use UPS Ground.

Packages typically arrive sooner than USPS shipping estimates but can be delayed during the holiday season. We have no control over delivery times once your package is in the mail system.

A little. Due to the wide variety of food labeling requirements from country to country, we are very limited in our ability to export tea outside of the United States and Canada. Please contact us about options for current international shipping options.

NOTE: International shipments do not qualify for free shipping. We are not responsible for any import duties, taxes, or customs fees incurred at the time of delivery. International orders are processed and shipped via USPS Priority Mail within four (4) business days. Typically, international shipments take 10-14 business days for delivery, but please allow additional business days as it can vary depending on the destination country.

Returns must be made within 30 days of receipt of your order. We only accept returns of unopened and unused products.

You can initiate a return request two ways:

• If your order has shipped and you have an account registered, sign in and go to your ORDERS section. Click "Return Items?" on the right hand side, beneath the "SHIPPED" status bar. (Note: This option is unavailable until the order status changes to "Shipped"). For the item you wish to return, select a Quantity to Return and fill out the rest of the form. You can request a refund, store credit, or replacement. Comments are not required but may be helpful in assessing your return request.
• If your order has shipped and you do NOT have an account registered, please contact customer service at orders@thejasminepearl.com or 503.236.3539. Include your order number, return reason, and whether you want a refund, store credit, or replacement. Comments are not required but may be helpful in assessing your return request.

You can check the status of your return request in the RETURNS panel. If your return request is accepted, we will email you a pre-paid return shipping label for the return item(s). Please affix this label onto a box containing the return item and drop it in the mail. Please note that unless the item is defective or the mistake is on our part, the customer is responsible for return shipping costs.

If you selected Pick Up at checkout, you will receive an email with Pick Up instructions once your order is ready. We are a very small team and we process orders in the order they're received, so we ask for up to 4 business days to fulfill orders and up to 6 business days during our busiest seasons (fall and winter).

When your order is ready, it can be picked up in the lobby of our building during our normal business hours: Monday to Thursday from 10am-4pm. We are CLOSED Friday to Sunday.

The entrance to the lobby is located at 2222 NE Oregon St. Portland, OR 97232. (This is a different entrance in the same building as our old tea shop). Go through the large glass-and-steel doors, towards the glass conference room. Your order should be on a black metal shelf to the left.

If your product is faulty or damaged, please contact us within 30 days of receipt of your order for a refund, store credit, or replacement. You can reach us at orders@thejasminepearl.com or 503.236.3539. Please include the order number, the name on the order, and a description or photo of the damage or fault.

If we've made an error with your order, we are more than happy to correct our mistake! Please contact customer service within 72 hours of receipt. You can reach us at orders@thejasminepearl.com or 503.236.3539. In your new shipment, we will include a pre-paid return shipping label for the incorrect product; please reuse the shipping box of this order by affixing the return label OVER the old shipping label. You can then drop the box off at your nearest USPS Post Office without standing in line.

If your tracking information says that your order was delivered but you can't find it, please wait at least 1-3 days before contacting customer service. We've found that in most instances, a "Delivered" but missing shipment arrives within a few days of the "Delivered" status update.

We also recommend checking in with your neighbors, in case the package was misdelivered to their home. If your shipment is still missing after several days, please contact us at orders@thejasminepearl.com.

The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co. implements several control methods to guarantee that every botanical item shipped from our warehouse is completely free of live insects and parasitic activity, but as with all-natural materials and food items, herbs, spices, and other organic botanical products can be subject to occasional insect infestation. Please view our complete Infestation Policy if you've found signs of infestation in your product and to see if you're eligible for a refund, store credit, or replacement product.

You will receive both a paper copy and email copy of your invoice. If you want to download and/or print another copy, sign into your account, select the order number, then click the PRINT INVOICE button under ORDER DETAILS.

Current payment options include credit card, PayPal, and gift card. Please note that orders will not ship until payment is received.

Credit cards are typically charged within 24 hours of the order being placed.

Refunding credit typically takes 7-10 business days from the time the returned item(s) is received. If you opted for store credit, it will typically be available within 1-2 days from the time the returned item(s) is received.

• Purchase a gift certificate
• Redeem your gift certificate
• Check the balance of a gift certificate

A valid coupon code can be added at the Cart page. If you have issues redeeming your gift card, please contact us at orders@thejasminepearl.com or 503.236.3539.

• Terms & Conditions
• Infestation Policy

For other questions, contact customer support at orders@thejasminepearl.com or 503.236.3539. You can also find answers to common questions on our FAQ page.

Mon - Thurs | 10 am - 4 pm
Fri - Sun | CLOSED

Note: These are our warehouse hours of operation. The Jasmine Pearl brick and mortar teahouse permanently closed in 2020.