Frequently Asked Questions
General
Are there any stockists in my area? We love our small business partners, and appreciate you wanting to support your local businesses! Our stockist page is being worked on as we speak, so please contact us at info@shoplakeandoak.com in the meantime.
Do you take back empty tea jars? We love your sustainable mindset! We don't accept empty jars back at the warehouse, but they can be reused. Our team uses them to make and store homemade salad dressings, jam or granola. We also partner with many refilleries where you can bring your jars to have them refilled with your favourite blend. Some of them accept empty jars. Check our stockist list for a refillery near you.
Why does my 60 cup tea bag label say 24 servings? To keep our environmental impact as low as possible, we use the same labels for both our 24 cup jar and our 60 cup bag. We do this to reduce paper and plastic usage. It also helps keep the costs of labelling down so we can pass the savings onto our customers.
I'm not satisfied with my flavour. Can I get a refund? We’re happy to refund your order or send you a new jar of any other flavour you’d like to try. Please contact our customer support team at info@shoplakeandoak.com, and we'll be happy to help!
Shipping
How long will it take to receive my order? Our current lead time to process and ship an order is 2-4 business days.
Shipping times after processing:
GTA 1 business day
Neighbouring provinces - 2-3 days
Western Canada 5-6
Eastern Canada 4-5
United States/International
My order is delayed. Sometimes, matters beyond our control, such as products being short-stocked and postal delays, can affect shipping times. If you are experiencing a delay, please contact our customer support team at info@shoplakeandoak.com, and one of our team members will be happy to help!
Do you ship outside of Canada? Yes, we love our US and International customers!
USA Shipping - Why isn’t it free when my purchase is over $70? Residents of Canada receive free shipping on orders over $70. Residents of the USA receive free shipping on orders over $120. It costs about $40 to ship to the US but we do offer our customers a discounted flat rate of $25 CAD to make it more accessible.
Ordering
Website Pricing & Drop-down Menus. Our website shows the lowest price first, which means that for our superfood tea blends, our tea bag canister prices will usually show up first, while loose leaf blends in glass jars will only show up when selected in the drop-down menu on each page.
Returns. We are happy to offer a free return (less original shipping charges) on any unused/unopened products in resellable condition.
Return Instructions:
- Contact our customer support team at info@shoplakeandoak to confirm your order number and the product you are returning, along with your reason for the return. We will then send you a pre-paid shipping label.
- Pack up the items you are returning into a box. *Items are breakable, so please use some paper wrapping, if possible.
- Apply the pre-paid shipping label to the package
- Drop off the package at your nearest Canada Post outlet.
- When we receive your return, your store credit or refund will be sent to you via email.
Final Sale. Used products that are not teas or adaptogen blends (accessories, skin care, food, candles, etc) are final sale.
10% Newsletter Subscription Code. If you're a new subscriber to our newsletter and didn't receive your subscription discount code or if you subscription discount didn't apply to your order, please reach out to our customer support team at info@shoplakeandoak.com and one of our team members will be happy to help!
Products
Expiration. Our tea is non-perishable. It will not expire, and you are welcome to enjoy it for as long as you like. That being said, after a few years, the intensity of the flavours may diminish slightly, so we recommend enjoying within 2 years for optimal flavour.
Are your Teas Ethically Sourced? Our tea is ethically sourced and produced. We only source our tea ingredients from suppliers who are certified by the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), a not-for-profit organization improving the lives of the communities within the tea sector and ensuring proper wages and work environments for producers. We source purely organic ingredients, the top percentage of quality in the world. On a local level, we give back a portion of our proceeds to organizations like CAMH and Nellies.
Caffeine. We create blends with and without caffeine, and this is clearly marked on each product page on our website and each label.
Non-caffeinated products:
- Apple Crumble Ashwagandha
- Ashwagandha + Chill
- Cinnamon Roll Rooibos
- Dandy Mint Refresh
- Gingeraid
- Gingerbread Cookie
- Gut Love
- Lavender Dreams
- Lavender Lemon Chill
- Lemon Meringue Lift
- Not Coffee
- Raspberry Rose Hydrate
- Rose Hibiscus Glow
- Spiced Coconut Chai
- Strawberry Beet Beauty
- Superberry Immunity
- Tangerine Sunshine
- Tulsi Lemon-Aid
- Turmeric Ginger Tonic
- Vanilla Cookie Calm
Products containing caffeine:
- Blackberry Hibiscus Energy
- Candy Cane Hot Cocoa
- Coco Rose Earl Grey
- Lavender Vanilla Earl Grey
- Mint Cacao Bliss (trace amounts)
- Morning Glory
- Pumpkin Spice Chai
- Super Coffee
- Super Green
- Vanilla Candy Cane
Does cocoa contain caffeine? Our cocoa blends contain trace amounts of caffeine. While you do get a bit of a *boost* from the cacao, especially in the Cacao Mylk, many of our tea drinkers enjoy these blends after dinner and before bed without impacting sleep.
Quality control/testing. We only work with suppliers that provide ethically and sustainably produced teas, as well as conduct their own strict testing and safety procedures.
In terms of our own testing process, we conduct daily quality inspections and tasting in-house. We also use a third-party program to test for foreign contaminants, residue, etc.
Which Blends are Good for Inflammation? Our top inflammation-busting blends are Turmeric Ginger Tonic and Sun Mylk. Both contain high levels of turmeric and ginger, both of which help combat inflammation.
Our Rose Hibiscus Glow and Super Green teas are high in antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory effects as well.
What levels of adaptogens do you use in your blends? We use adaptogens like ashwagandha and maca in our blends, in balance with other herbs and super foods like turmeric, cacao, dandelion, etc. While many enjoy awesome benefits from our Superfood Teas & Latte Blends (reduced inflammation, better digestion, better sleep, etc), they do not contain therapeutic levels of adaptogens.
If you’re looking for therapeutic levels, I would recommend supplementing with higher doses of adaptogens and enjoying our teas and latte blends as well. We create our blends to supplement a natural, healthy lifestyle, rather than as a medicinal or nutritional supplement.
Organic Ingredients. Lake & Oak Tea Co. uses 97% organic ingredients. You can trust that we use the highest quality ingredients available, which are also sustainably and ethically sourced. While our brand is not certified organic, all ingredients that are listed as organic with an asterisk* on packaging or our website are certified organic by our supplier.
Matcha Sourcing. Our Purely Matcha is sourced from Kyushi Island, Japan. We also use it in our Mega Matcha Blend.
What type of cinnamon do you use? We use Organic Cassia Cinnamon from Kerala, India. We are committed to sourcing cinnamon and all of our ingredients by ethical and sustainable means, from the top 10% in the world.
What material are your Plant-based Pyramid Tea Bags made of? Our pyramid tea bags are made from a plant-based mesh called Soilon, also known as PLA or polylactic acid. Soilon is derived from corn starch and is 100% biodegradable, compostable, and free of petroleum based plastics.
Soilon/PLA is NOT derived from petroleum and will not leak harmful plastics into your brew.
Soilon is a healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional nylon tea bags, which allow the microorganisms in the soil to break them down, so no microplastics end up in nature (or our bodies!) In addition to the bag, the string and paper tag of the tea are also made of biodegradable material.
Allergens & Safety
Corn. Our plant-based tea bag material may contain corn fibres
Gluten. Our products do not contain gluten, nor do we process gluten in our facility. That being said we aren’t certified gluten free or third party tested at this time. Gluten is allowed in other parts of the facility, but not in contact with the tea blending area.
Nuts. Our products do not contain nuts, nor do we process nuts in our facility. That being said, we aren’t certified nut-free or third party tested at this time. Nuts are allowed in other parts of the facility, but not in contact with the tea blending area.
Are your tea blends suitable for people with diabetes? All of our blends are sugar-free, and most of them are caffeine-free, so they are a great healthy option for diabetics. We have quite a few diabetic customers who enjoy our teas.
That being said, we suggest consulting your healthcare practitioner before trying any new herbs that may interact with your medication. Your health is the most important to us.
Safe for Pregnancy? If you’re looking for teas to support pregnancy, our founder, Meredith, formulated our Mama to Be & New Mama collection for pregnancy and breastfeeding when she was pregnant with her first!
Our organic wellness teas are consumed by many during pregnancy and should be safe in moderation (1-3 cups a day). Our teas are created with a balance of herbs, so you are not getting supplemental levels of any ingredient. That being said, due to the nature of herbs and adaptogens, we always recommend double-checking with your physician before consuming.
How many cups of your tea can I drink per day? We recommend 2-4 cups a day! Our teas contain powerful superfoods and herbs, but they are blended in harmony with each other, so you aren't getting too much of any single herb.
Wholesale
Do you offer wholesale pricing? Yes, we do! Please create a wholesale account or contact wholesale@shoplakeandoaktea for more information.