Frequently Asked Questions

Keep tea in an airtight container, away from light, heat, moisture, and strong odours.

Store matcha sealed and airtight in a cool, dark place. If you won't be using an unopened bag for a while, keep it in the fridge. When you take it out of the fridge, let it come up to room temperature before opening the bag to prevent the absorption of moisture.

Once opened, matcha is best used within two months; an unopened bag kept in the fridge will keep for about 6-8 months. With loose leaf tea, fresh green teas are best enjoyed as soon as possible, while white, oolong, black, and pu'erh can all be aged when stored in the right conditions.

Rinse and wash your ceramics with a neutral, unscented soap, and avoid letting them soak. We recommend handwashing, especially for thinner, delicate pieces; most can go in the dishwasher, but there's some risk of damage, so handwashing is best.

Yes - use a neutral, unscented soap, and rinse it away rather than letting the piece soak.

Most pieces are dishwasher safe, but because they're delicate we recommend handwashing to be safe.

Rinse your chasen in warm water after each use, never use soap, and let it air dry. Don't leave it soaking or sitting in water or the bamboo will crack.

Unless specified, our teas and matcha are not certified organic. They all come from small farms whose producers care deeply about the land and their farming practices, which most often involves natural or biodynamic methods. Quality and purity is our highest priority.

Yes - matcha is simply a green tea and is fine to bring over the border or on flights. Pack it carefully in your suitcase, just in case the pressure or an object punctures the bag.

Yes, you can include a gift message for digital or hand written gift cards. You'll be able to input a gift message on the gift card page when you are purchasing. If you would like to include a gift message on your entire order, please send us an email info@cultivatetea.com with your order number and message.

Yes - we never include prices or invoices in the package.

It's an Omakase gift box, meaning you choose a price and leave a note with your preferences, and we select the teas to match your budget and tastes. A higher budget means more teas, or a wider range including our high tier and rare teas.

We can guarantee we'll ship your gift by a specific date, but we can't guarantee the delivery date itself, since that depends on the courier. We'll always do our best to get it there on time.

Digital gift cards are purchased online and emailed to your recipient as a code they can use online or in store. Physical gift cards, bought online or in store, are handwritten and either mailed to your recipient or held at the shop for pickup. Physical Gift Cards are only redeemable at our shop, and cannot be used for online purchases.

Yes, you can purchase a Tea Tasting gift card. It is redeemable toward any of our guided tastings, and your recipient can select which tasting menu they'd like either when they book or when they arrive. Any unused balance can be applied to other purchases, in store or online.

For a digital gift card, enter the code at checkout. For a Tea Tasting gift card, book a tasting on our website, then give us the code from your email when you come in. For a physical gift card, come by the shop and enjoy shopping our collection of tea, incense, and teaware.