How tea.taxi brings Chinese tea to your door — and when
Tea.taxi exists to place small, 100g portions of carefully selected Chinese tea into your hands with uncommon speed. We operate in several Russian cities, dispatching from local hubs so that a package of Bái Háo Yín Zhēn (白毫银针) or a warming Shú Pu’ěr can move from our shelf to your doorstep in as little as one hour. This speed, however, relies on a calm understanding of two things: the geography of our delivery zones and the daily cadence of cut-off times.
Each city we serve has been mapped with the same attention that our tea experts bring to a cupping session. Our zones are not just administrative boundaries — they are living routes shaped by courier availability, traffic patterns, and the simple necessity that every leaf should arrive in peak condition. Inside a zone, your order will be handed to you by a courier who knows precisely how your tea was stored. Outside it, the distance risks compromising that freshness, and so we must be frank about where we can reach.
The cut-off times exist for a similar reason. A same-day order of Fang Ting’s curated Dà Hóng Páo from Wuyishan must be placed before our local team begins its final dispatch cycle. After that moment, the tea will still come — the courier simply will not leave until the next day’s morning shift. This rhythm, like the steeping of a good oolong, is precise but not rigid: on weekends and public holidays the cut-off may shift slightly earlier, always posted on our site, never hidden.
We designed this page to answer every question you might have about where we deliver, when your tea will arrive, and what happens if you miss the window. It is a companion to our main catalog, and we encourage you to read it as you would a tea menu — thoughtfully. For those who wish to dive deeper into the teas themselves, the expanding library at tea.school offers cupping notes, origin stories, and master-led sessions. And if you’re curious about how a particular tea is received by the wider community, tea.community hosts weekly tastings and kind discussions. The links are here when you need them.
Common questions
Which cities does tea.taxi currently serve with same-day delivery?
Our service operates in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, and Chelyabinsk. Coverage within each city is limited to defined delivery zones — for example, inside the Moscow Ring Road and select neighbourhoods beyond the MKAD in Moscow, or within the central district and surrounding suburbs of Yekaterinburg. Enter your address on the homepage or at checkout to see if you are inside the zone. We evaluate new cities regularly based on courier partnerships and local demand for Chinese tea.
What are the delivery zones within Moscow?
The primary Moscow zone covers all addresses inside the MKAD. We also serve several outer districts, including Kommunarka, Butovo, and Zelenograd, though these may have a slightly later delivery window — typically within 2 to 2.5 hours. The exact zone map is visible when you enter your postcode. A handful of very remote Moscow suburbs are not yet in the zone; if your address falls outside, you will see a next-day delivery option instead.
What is the same-day cut-off time for Moscow?
For Moscow, the cut-off for same-day delivery is 15:00 MSK, Monday through Sunday. Orders placed before 15:00 will be dispatched the same afternoon. If you order after 15:00, your tea will be prepared immediately but delivered the next day — typically between 10:00 and 13:00. This timing helps ensure that couriers are not rushing late into the evening and that your Lóng Jǐng or Shú Pu’ěr arrives in a relaxed, unheated state.
Do cut-off times vary by city?
Yes. Saint Petersburg cut-off is 14:30 MSK, Yekaterinburg 14:00 YEKT, Novosibirsk 14:00 NOVT, Kazan 14:30 MSK, and Chelyabinsk 14:00 YEKT. These local times are displayed during checkout and in our delivery information pages. The variation reflects local courier working hours and the layout of each city. Even a 30-minute difference can be the margin that keeps a pouch of Jūn Shān Yín Zhēn at the perfect moisture level.
Do cut-off times change on weekends?
Generally no — our standard cut-off times remain the same on Saturdays and Sundays. However, during periods of very high order volume, such as the weekend before a major holiday, we may advance the cut-off by one hour to protect courier schedules. Any temporary change is announced on the homepage banner and in the cart summary at least 24 hours in advance. You will never be surprised by a missed cut-off.
How are public holidays handled?
On official public holidays, tea.taxi operates a reduced delivery window. The same-day cut-off usually moves an hour earlier — for example, Moscow shifts to 14:00 MSK. We also may have fewer couriers on the road, so delivery might take up to 2.5 hours instead of the usual 1–2 hours. The precise holiday schedule for the current year is always pinned in our help section and shown at the top of the catalog page during the holiday week.
What happens if I place an order after the cut-off?
Your order will be processed immediately, but it will be delivered the next working day. You will see a clear notice during checkout that same-day delivery is not available and the estimated next-day window — usually 10:00–13:00. You can still add gift packaging or a message. No part of your tea quality changes; a tea like Bái Mǔ Dān ordered at 16:00 on a Tuesday is simply handed to the courier the following morning.
How do I check if my exact address is within a delivery zone?
Enter your full address on the homepage or the cart page. Our system instantly verifies it against our zone database. If you are inside a zone, the delivery estimate will show ‘Same-day available’ with the cut-off time. If you are outside, you will see ‘Next-day delivery’ or, for far-out areas, ‘Not available yet’. You can also send your address to our support team for a manual check if you encounter any ambiguity.
Is there a minimum order value for same-day delivery?
There is a minimum order of 500 rubles to qualify for same-day delivery. Orders below 500 rubles can still be delivered the next day for a small fee, but same-day courier dispatch is reserved for orders above that amount. This helps us keep the service sustainable and our couriers moving with purpose. Even a single 100g pouch of Zhou Xiang’s Lóng Jǐng meets that threshold.
What if the courier is late beyond the promised delivery window?
If your tea arrives more than 30 minutes after the promised window, reach out to our support team. We will investigate the delay and typically offer a credit of 200 rubles toward your next order as an apology. The credit is applied automatically once the delay is confirmed. We track every courier in real time, so we can always see what has happened; our support will let you know calmly and without scripted phrases.
Can I track my delivery in real time?
Yes. Once your order is picked up by a courier, you receive a live tracking link. The map shows the courier’s location and estimated arrival time, updating every 60 seconds. This feature works in all delivery zones and on all devices. It is the same quiet transparency we bring to showing you the origin mountain of your Fú Dǐng Bái Chá.
Are there any extra charges for deliveries during peak hours?
No. We never surge-price deliveries. The standard delivery fee for orders between 500 and 1500 rubles is 200 rubles, and above 1500 rubles delivery is free. This flat fee applies at any time of day, whether you order at 10:00 or 14:55. Our pricing is as predictable as the taste of a well-stored Shuǐ Xiān oolong.
Can I change the delivery address after placing an order?
You can change the address only if the order has not yet been dispatched to a courier. Contact our support immediately after placing the order with the new address. If the new address remains within the same delivery zone and the cut-off time has not passed, we can usually update it without delay. After dispatch, address changes are not possible, and you would need to cancel the order and reorder.
Does tea.taxi deliver to office addresses?
Yes, we deliver to businesses, co-working spaces, and offices as long as they fall within an active delivery zone. Please ensure someone is available to receive the package during the delivery window; our couriers will not leave a package unattended. When ordering to an office, we recommend adding the company name and floor number to the address notes — this helps the courier find you quickly in a building with many entrances.
What happens if no one is home to receive the delivery?
The courier will wait five minutes and then contact you via the phone number you provided. If there is no response, the package returns to our local hub. You can arrange redelivery for the next day at no extra charge the first time. Subsequent missed deliveries incur a small redelivery fee of 200 rubles. We understand life happens — just let us know and we will work it out quietly.
Can I order a tea from a specific master’s selection for same-day delivery?
Yes. Many teas in our catalog are curated by tea experts like Chen Hui Yi, whose Bái Háo Yín Zhēn from Fuding is a perennial favourite, or Fang Ting, who selects Dà Hóng Páo from Wuyishan. These teas are available in 100g portions and can be delivered same-day provided you order before the local cut-off. Look for the ‘Master’s Pick’ badge on the tea tile.
Do some teas require special handling that affects cut-off times?
Almost all our teas are packed to preserve freshness in standard courier conditions. However, a few extremely rare aged sheng pu’er cakes — like the Lǎo Bān Zhāng that Zhou Xiang sometimes makes available — are packed with extra desiccant and an outer insulating pouch. This adds about 20 minutes to dispatch preparation, but the same cut-off time still applies. If an order requires special handling, we will note it in your cart before checkout so you can plan accordingly.
Still have questions?
If your address is not covered by a same-day zone today, that doesn’t mean your relationship with Chinese tea must be postponed. For larger shipments and teas that benefit from longer resting time, visit puerh.app, where we ship full cakes of sheng and shu pu’er nationwide. If you prefer to experience the tea in person before ordering, tea.events lists master-led tastings in several cities — sometimes the same ones we deliver to. Our support team is always available at [email protected] or through the chat in the bottom corner of any page, and they will answer within an hour during business hours. For anything related to the broader constellation — about who we are, why we only work with Chinese tea, or the educational work behind the scenes — teamotea.com holds the full story. We hope your tea arrives exactly when you need it, and we’ll do our calmest to make sure it does.