Frequently Asked Questions
Why Tea?
Loose-leaf tea has been consumed for thousands of years, for a number of health benefits and for its medicinal value. It's no secret that drinking tea regularly may provide a host of benefits. Most tea contains polyphenol catechins, which is a powerful antioxidant. The moderate amount of caffeine in most teas can also give you an early-morning or mid-afternoon boost, and help with concentration.
Where is our Tea from?
All our teas come Sri Lanka or also known as Ceylon Tea. We have tasted over thousands of teas getting #teadrunk mostly and have carefully handpicked 14 different teas from different regions, elevations and seasons. We are continuously #teatravelling and expanding our search around the world and hope to soon have teas from China, India, Taiwan and Nepal.
Which Tea contains caffeine
All teas naturally contain caffeine. The process of soaking tea leaves in “Methylene Chloride” is the most common way to extract caffeine from tea. However, in this process the flavours and the essential oils can dissipate. Therefore, at Great Tea Street we stay away from decaffeinated tea and preserve its natural form.
Which countries do you ship to?
We ship our teas all over the UK and Europe everyday. If your country is not on our list of destinations please do email us to confirm.
How quickly do you process orders?
We use Royal Mail for the majority of our shipping and push to dispatch your order within a working day
What are your shipping costs?
We are currently doing Free Shipping on all UK orders so you can stay home and enjoy a proper cup of tea.
However, our standard policy on shipping is as below.
This depends on where you are and the size and weight of the order. You will be given all the prices clearly at checkout after this has been calculated by the system.
UK Tracked - £ 4.85
UK Standard 1st Class - £ 3.60
UK Standard 2nd Class - £ 3.00
EU Tracked - £ 11.50
We do not make any profit on shipping at all and we are constantly negotiating to get the best shipping rates for you whilst maintaining the quality of service.
Do you offer free shipping if I spend over a certain amount?
We set fair pricing for our producers and clients, therefore we price our teas appropriately. We are currently doing Free Shipping on all UK orders and our standard minimum spend of £15 to get Free Shipping is paused. We will also give special offers so stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter and social media pages.
Should I pick an untracked service?
Tracked delivery allows us to follow your products to figure out what may cause delays. We strongly advise all clients to use tracked delivery for their peace of mind. If you do select non-tracked delivery then there is nothing that we can do to find out the status of your delivery.
How can I make payment?
Do I have to pay tax on my order?
You’ll be glad to hear that tea is a zero-rated VAT item.
Are your teas Organic?
The majority of our teas are not certified Organic but it is important to understand what this means. The highest quality fields of tea production in the East are usually not certified Organic simply because they are sold to tea travellers around the world with certifications such as ISO and Rainforest Alliance. Teas with Organic certification tends to be sought for poorer quality fields in order to raise the price especially to the foreign markets. Most of our teas at Great Tea Street have ISO and Rainforest Alliance certification listed. Which is a standard we tend to focus more on.
Should I be concerned about Pesticides, Fertilisers and Heavy Metals?
There are a lot of articles and studies about Pesticides and Heavy Metals in tea and it is worth being a little cautious about where you purchase your tea (especially Matcha because you are consuming the leaves). If the tea is grown in the perfect terroirs and the bushes are not too young then it does not require anything but natural fertilisers. We work with tea producers who either have Rainforest Alliance certification or are working towards achieving this. If the tea is grown in remote areas, far away from cities and main roads then you do not have to worry about Heavy Metals. In other words the quality of the source and producer is paramount. Because we select Great Tea Street tea from the right places and the right farmers you can enjoy your cup with complete assurance.
Which currencies do you accept?
We accept GBP, USD and EUR. The currency selector on our website shows very accurate conversions using the current exchange rates but may vary a tiny amount to the actual amount paid after processing.
Our Returns Policy
We want all of our clients to love our products and offer the following returns policy.
Non-Faulty Returns: If for any reason you change your mind about a product then we will accept returns requested within 14 days of receipt of the products and we will give you a refund. There are some important conditions:
- The product has to be unopened, unused and undamaged to qualify.
- The product must be returned before we can issue any refunds.
- The price of the return postage is paid by the client.
- The refund given will be for the price paid for the product and does not include shipping.
Faulty Returns: If you receive a product which you think is faulty or develops a fault within 60 days of purchase then please email us immediately. We will assess the issue to determine if the product is faulty and if we agree that there is a fault we will issue you with a replacement or refund with the following conditions:
The product fault must be reported within 60 days of receipt of the product.The fault or damage will be verified by us before issuing any refunds. We may ask for photographs for verification.If we require the product returned then we will pay for the return shipping. We will either replace with free shipping or refund the amount paid for the product plus the shipping charge for the product. Please be aware that if the product was sent with other items the shipping refund will be proportional.
Incorrect Orders:
If we mistakenly send you the wrong product then please email us within 14 days and we will dispatch the correct product immediately with free shipping. If we require a return of the incorrect product then we will pay for the return shipping.
Great Tea Street Club - Loyalty Program
Great Tea Street Club Loyalty Program is here, Shop online & Collect Points.
Here is how it works
Sign up with us and create an account. You will then automatically be a member of the Great Tea Street Club.
Ways to Earn points - You will get 4 Points every £1 spent Ways to Redeen Points - You will get £1 credit for every 100 points
Refer a Friend or Family and you will each get £5 OFF on your purchases.
Note: Applies to all orders over £25.00