FAQs

Of course! While we love our customers that order by phone and email, Say Tea is primarily a neighbourhood store, and we make sure that all our stock is available to you at our physical location.

Please check our hours before coming in, and don't forget to call ahead if you're not just stopping in to browse — if you're looking for something in particular, we can have it ready for you when you get here!

If you can't make it into the store, don't worry, you still have options!

• Telephone Ordering
  Local telephone: 416-766-5425 or toll-free at Toll-free telephone: 1-888-663-4832

  Check our work hours before you call — if we're in the store, we're beside the phone! If you catch us on a day where we happen to be particularly busy, or if you need to call outside of work hours, don't panic — just leave a message with your name, phone number, and mention placing an order, and we'll get back to you at our soonest opportunity.

• Email Ordering
  Send an email to order@sayteaonbloor.com with the details of your order.

  Once we get your email, we'll get back to you at our soonest opportunity to chat about product availability and how you want to pay.

We're currently shipping anywhere in Canada through Canada Post. The only thing we add to your order cost is what we pay for shipping — we don't add a handling charge!

We accept payment for phone and email orders through Visa or Mastercard.

When you order from Say Tea, we ship your package anywhere in Canada through Canada Post. What they charge us is what we charge you — we don't add a handling charge!

Sometimes you'll find that teas and coffees go out of stock. 'Out of stock' just means, literally, that we ran out of stock! Maybe this product is more popular than we expected it to be, maybe there are problems somewhere in the supply chain, or maybe someone just came in the store and bought our whole supply. (It happens!) Don't worry — we're doing our best to restock. We'll have more available as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the global supply chain has been waylaid by a perfect storm of problems, and we can't get our orders delivered to us in the timeframe we used to. We're doing our best to work around the issues, but this means you might have to wait a bit longer for us to restock your favourite teas and coffees.

Thank you for your patience while we get through this.

Teas are labelled 'caffeine-free' when none of their ingredients contain caffeine.

Coffee and tea plants naturally produce caffeine, and so a coffee or tea made with these plants will contain some degree of caffeine. Even a decaffeination process won't remove every molecule. By contrast, the herbs and fruits that you will find making up a good herbal tea (or, more properly, 'tisane') do not contain caffeine. Neither do the rooibos or honeybush plant. These are the products that we label 'caffeine-free': they only get this label if they naturally do not contain caffeine.

Teas and coffees are labelled 'decaffeinated' when they start out with caffeine and then have that caffeine removed.

Coffee beans and leaves from the tea plant (camelia sinensis) naturally have some amount of caffeine in them; in order to get a decaffeinated version of those coffees and teas, the coffee beans and tea leaves go through a complex process to remove the actual caffeine molecules from the product. At the end of the process, what remains is a decaffeinated tea or coffee that has had almost all of its caffeine removed.

We know that when you sit down for a good cup of tea or coffee, the last thing you want to worry about is whether any worrisome chemicals might be floating around in your cup. When we label our tea or coffee organic, it means that everything in it — from the tea leaf to the coffee bean to any added ingredients or flavouring on top — is grown and processed organically.

Teas and coffees are labelled 'decaffeinated' when they start out with caffeine and then have that caffeine removed.

Coffee beans and leaves from the tea plant (camelia sinensis) naturally have some amount of caffeine in them; in order to get a decaffeinated version of those coffees and teas, the coffee beans and tea leaves go through a complex process to remove the actual caffeine molecules from the product. At the end of the process, what remains is a decaffeinated tea or coffee that has had almost all of its caffeine removed.

We know that when you sit down for a good cup of tea or coffee, the last thing you want to worry about is whether any worrisome chemicals might be floating around in your cup. When we label our tea or coffee organic, it means that everything in it — from the tea leaf to the coffee bean to any added ingredients or flavouring on top — is grown and processed organically.

Short version: Instead of adding chemicals to remove the caffeine from coffee beans, the Swiss Water Process decaffeinates coffee beans using only water!

In order to turn naturally caffeine-rich coffee beans into decaf beans, the beans need to undergo a decaffeination process. Multiple methods of coffee bean decaffeination exist, most of them using some form of chemical additive to strip the coffee molecules from the bean. The Swiss Water Process, however, a patented method for coffee decaffeination, uses water to do the same thing.

Swiss Water, a processing plant in B.C., uses very hot water to soak green coffee beans until the caffeine and the other water-soluble components of the coffee beans (such as components that contribute to flavour, among others) infuse the water. This water, referred to as Green Coffee Extract or GCE, is then decaffeinated. (Because caffeine molecules are larger than the molecules of other important components, this happens as part of a simple filtration process.)

At this point, new green coffee beans (still full of caffeine) are soaked and heated in the decaffeinated GCE. As you may remember from science class, when two solutions are separated by a permeable divider, they naturally seek equilibrium. Since, in this case, the solutions are largely identical except for the amount of caffeine molecules, the caffeine molecules naturally travel from the green coffee beans into the GCE. Once they meet an equilibrium, the GCE is removed, filtered to remove the caffeine molecules, and reused to further decaffeinate the green coffee beans. This process is continued, for hours, until a sufficient amount of caffeine is removed from the beans.

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Start with boiling water — 100°C (approximately 212°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more tea or less water if you like it stronger.

• Steep. After about 3 to 5 minutes, take your tea out. This is the time to add milk or sugar, if you want.

• Once your tea's cool enough to drink, drink up!

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Heat your water to just about 80–88°C (approximately 175–190°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more tea or less water if you like it stronger.

• After about 1 to 3 minutes, take your tea out. We don't usually add sugar to a cup of genmaicha, but if you do, this is the time.

• Once your tea's cool enough to drink, drink up!

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Heat your water to just about 65–75°C (approximately 150–165°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more tea or less water if you like it stronger.

• Steep. After about 1 or 2 minutes, take your tea out. This is the time to add sugar, if you want.

• Once your tea's cool enough to drink, drink up!

Many green teas (especially higher quality, unflavoured, or on a sencha base) can be used more than once for more than one infusion. You may notice that the flavour is deeper on the earlier infusions, however.

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Start with boiling water —100°C (approximately 212°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more of your tisane or less water if you like it stronger.

• Steep. If your blend involves anything that might become overpowering after a long infusion, try tasting as you go until you feel it's enough. Otherwise, after 4 to 6 minutes, take your tisane out. This is the time to add milk or sugar, if you want.

• Once your tisane is cool enough to drink, drink up!

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Start with boiling water —100°C (approximately 212°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more honeybush or less water if you like it stronger.

• After about 4 to 10 minutes, take your honeybush out. This is the time to add milk or sugar, if you want.

• Once your honeybush is cool enough to drink, drink up!

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Heat your water to just about 88°C (approximately 190°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more oolong or less water if you like it stronger.

• Wait at least 5 minutes. (An alternate method is to do multiple infusions, steeping for 30 to 40 seconds and increasing by 15 seconds with each infusion until you're satisfied.)

• Once your macha's cool enough to drink, drink up!

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Start with boiling water —100°C (approximately 212°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more rooibos or less water if you like it stronger.

• Steep. After about 4 to 10 minutes, take your rooibos out. This is the time to add milk or sugar, if you want.

• Once your rooibos is cool enough to drink, drink up!

Looking for some pointers? Here's where we start:

• Heat your water to just about 75–80°C (approximately 165–180°F). Don't burn yourself!

• Use about one teaspoon (or one teabag, if you're using them) for every 8oz (approximately 1 cup or 225ml) of water. You can always add more tea or less water if you like it stronger.

• Steep. After about 1 or 2 minutes, take your tea out. The delicate flavours of white tea are easier to appreciate without the influence of milk and sugar, but if that's how you like to drink it, go ahead and add them now. We won't tell anyone!

• Once your tea's cool enough to drink, drink up!

Many white teas (especially higher quality or unflavoured) can be used multiple times for multiple infusions. You may notice that the flavour is deeper on the earlier infusions, however.

Teas are labelled 'caffeine-free' when none of their ingredients contain caffeine.

Coffee and tea plants naturally produce caffeine, and so a coffee or tea made with these plants will contain some degree of caffeine. Even a decaffeination process won't remove every molecule. By contrast, the herbs and fruits that you will find making up a good herbal tea (or, more properly, 'tisane') do not contain caffeine. Neither do the rooibos or honeybush plant. These are the products that we label 'caffeine-free': they only get this label if they naturally do not contain caffeine.

Teas and coffees are labelled 'decaffeinated' when they start out with caffeine and then have that caffeine removed.

Coffee beans and leaves from the tea plant (camelia sinensis) naturally have some amount of caffeine in them; in order to get a decaffeinated version of those coffees and teas, the coffee beans and tea leaves go through a complex process to remove the actual caffeine molecules from the product. At the end of the process, what remains is a decaffeinated tea or coffee that has had almost all of its caffeine removed.

Short version: Instead of adding chemicals to remove the caffeine from coffee beans, the Swiss Water Process decaffeinates coffee beans using only water!

In order to turn naturally caffeine-rich coffee beans into decaf beans, the beans need to undergo a decaffeination process. Multiple methods of coffee bean decaffeination exist, most of them using some form of chemical additive to strip the coffee molecules from the bean. The Swiss Water Process, however, a patented method for coffee decaffeination, uses water to do the same thing.

Swiss Water, a processing plant in B.C., uses very hot water to soak green coffee beans until the caffeine and the other water-soluble components of the coffee beans (such as components that contribute to flavour, among others) infuse the water. This water, referred to as Green Coffee Extract or GCE, is then decaffeinated. (Because caffeine molecules are larger than the molecules of other important components, this happens as part of a simple filtration process.)

At this point, new green coffee beans (still full of caffeine) are soaked and heated in the decaffeinated GCE. As you may remember from science class, when two solutions are separated by a permeable divider, they naturally seek equilibrium. Since, in this case, the solutions are largely identical except for the amount of caffeine molecules, the caffeine molecules naturally travel from the green coffee beans into the GCE. Once they meet an equilibrium, the GCE is removed, filtered to remove the caffeine molecules, and reused to further decaffeinate the green coffee beans. This process is continued, for hours, until a sufficient amount of caffeine is removed from the beans.

We know that when you sit down for a good cup of tea or coffee, the last thing you want to worry about is whether any worrisome chemicals might be floating around in your cup. When we label our tea or coffee organic, it means that everything in it — from the tea leaf to the coffee bean to any added ingredients or flavouring on top — is grown and processed organically.