FAQ

SHELF LIFE & STORAGE

-What is the shelf life of fresh truffles?

We recommend to indulge with truffles within a few days upon receipt, the fresher is always the better! White truffles have a shelf life of about 7 days but we suggest to eat them within the first 3 days after receipt for the best aroma, flavor and texture. Burgundy, Black Winter or Summer Truffles have a longer shelf life of about 10 days, but they are best used within a week for the same reasons as mentioned above.

-What is the shelf life of caviar?

Unopened fresh caviar will last 2-3 weeks. Once opened, enjoy your caviar right away, do not wait longer than 3 days to consume.

-What is the shelf life of Black Truffle Ranch?

Our Black Truffle Ranch is shelf stable & good for 1.5 years. Refrigerate before opening for optimal flavor. We only use clean ingredients in our Ranch so please store in refrigerator door to prevent it from separating.

-What is the shelf life of truffle oil, truffle salt, and truffle honey?

All three products are nature’s best preservatives and do not technically expire. However they are best used within 2 years, after which the truffle aroma and flavor will start to fade.

-How do I store my truffles once I receive them?

Open the truffle bag immediately upon receipt. Wrap dry napkins around the truffles, place into an airtight container and into your fridge. Do not freeze white truffles, you can freeze black truffles but we do not recommend it (more details in following question). If you don’t consume the truffles the day you receive them, change napkins daily to help preserve them.

-Can I freeze my truffles or caviar or how can I preserve them longer?

We do not recommend freezing truffles or caviar as they are delicacies meant to enjoy fresh in order to experience their subtle taste and aroma. However Black Winter Truffles (French or Australian) withstand freezing the best compared to any other truffles. Just be aware that the texture will be affected (turning soft), the aroma and taste will be less pungent and the visual aspect will change as the white marbling inside the truffle will fade. Caviar, White Truffles or Summer and Burgundy Truffles are too fragile and wouldn’t be tasting like much once frozen.

Other methods of preservation exist for truffles such as dehydration and oil or vinegar maceration, but they are technical and the point of purchasing fresh truffles should be to consume them within a week or so.

-How do I store my caviar once I receive it?

Caviar should not be frozen. Store the caviar in the coldest section of your refrigerator upon receipt. Cover unused caviar with plastic wrap eliminating air bubbles, close the lid, and store. Once opened, enjoy your caviar right away, do not wait longer than 3 days to consume.

-How to prep and use my truffles before eating?

Rinse with water and brush lightly to remove any soil residue before using. White truffles should not be cooked, they are too sensitive and would lose their flavor, simply thinly shave or grate them on top of your favorite dish. Black winter truffles are the most resistant to the heat, they can be cooked in your favorite dish, but we suggest adding some extra raw slices on top for the full experience. Burgundy and Summer truffles are lighter in taste, it’s best to use them raw or only lightly heated.

-How should truffle oil, truffle honey and truffle salt be stored?

The same way you would store olive or vegetable oil, in a cabinet at room temperature and away from sunlight

-How should truffle sriracha and truffalo sauce be stored?

In your kitchen cabinet if unopened, in your fridge after opening.

FRESH TRUFFLES

-Is 1 oz of truffle necessarily one whole truffle?

No! Truffles come from Mother Nature and we do not have any control over their size or shape...that’s what makes them special. We typically try to pick one whole truffle for 1 oz orders when possible but that’s not guaranteed, you could receive more truffles that have a total weight of 1 oz. For orders above 1 oz, it’s even more difficult to make sure each ounce equals one whole truffle, so chances are you will receive a variety of sizes.

-I need my truffles to be a particular size, can you accommodate my request?

Please either write a note at checkout or email us at info@trufflinnyc.com immediately after placing your order with your special request and we will do our best to accommodate it.

-Are truffles shipped frozen?

Our truffles are never frozen, they are shipped fresh from our warehouse with ice packs to keep them at a desired cool temperature, and received to your door within 24 hours. They must be refrigerated upon receipt.

-My truffles have soil on them, is this normal?

Truffles come from the earth and it’s likely to find soil residue on them, no stress! The soil actually helps to keep them fresh longer. Simply rinse or brush lightly just before use.

-My truffles have a white deposit similar to mold, does it mean it’s bad?
Absolutely not. Mold naturally appears on fresh truffles even just a few days after harvesting. Each day, they lose a bit of their water content and therefore diminish in weight...this is why truffles are so precious! The water loss can provoke condensation which means mold can appear quickly on the outside of the truffle, without affecting the product. You can simply brush it off with a food brush and a bit of water.

-My truffles are very hard, what does it mean?

It means your truffles are in excellent shape! Fresh whole truffles should always be hard or slightly bouncy, but never soft and squishy. If you've seen whole truffles that weren’t hard in the past, they weren’t fresh, but preserved / canned truffles.

-My truffles are squishy upon receipt, what does it mean?

We may have an issue, but don’t worry, if a product as precious as a fresh truffle is received damaged, we won’t let you down! Please follow the detailed steps form our return policy.

-What is the average time from harvest until truffles arrive to me?

Each week, we receive several fresh truffle shipments to our New York warehouse, sometimes everyday during the peak of truffle season. Truffles are expedited overnight from Europe to the USA, and then shipped to you from our warehouse within two business days. You can count an average of 5 days between the time they are harvested until you receive them, which is extremely fast in our industry. We opted for multiple arrivals from Europe weekly instead of one large shipment to guarantee the utmost freshness and we work directly with truffle hunters and farmers to avoid the lengthy process of going through middlemen. This ensures that our truffles aren’t sitting out of the earth for too long after the harvest and don’t lose all their precious qualities.

-My truffles don’t have the same color as picture on the website

If the truffle you received is not the exact same shade as the photo on our website (for example the inside has a cream color instead of a darker brown), that is totally normal! Fresh truffles evolve throughout the season, typically they tend to be lighter at the beginning of their respective season and turn darker and darker on the inside. The color can also vary based on the weekly climate of the area they were harvested in.

If the truffle you received is a completely different color inside and outside (black instead of white for exemple), then this may be a mistake on our end. In that case, please follow the instructions detailed in our return policy.

-I received a truffle that isn’t whole, it seems cut, what does it mean?

Small cuts are very frequent on fresh truffles, we often purposely remove a small piece of the skin to quality control the inside of each truffles and make sure they are the correct variety or maturity.

Larger cuts happen on rare occasions, but don’t worry, that does not affect the quality of the truffle. You may have received a piece instead of a whole truffle for the following reason:

-On rare occasion, our inventory does not allow us to ship the exact weight that you ordered and we have to cut a whole truffle.

-We are at the very end or beginning of a specific season and whole truffles are harder to find.

In both cases, the quality of the truffle is the same, cutting the truffle does not affect it in any way, as a matter of fact many chefs order truffles as trimmings or pieces.

-My truffles don’t have marbling on the inside as pictured on the website

This could be a sign that the truffle was damaged, so please follow the instructions detailed in our return policy.

QUALITY CONCERNS

-My order arrived damaged, broken or I have a concern about the quality of the product I received, what should I do?

Please consult our Return Policy and follow the detailed instructions.

-My ice packs were received melted or warm, are the truffles / caviar safe to consume?

We ship all truffle and caviar orders via Fedex Overnight, which insures our customers to receive the products in less than 24 hours after the package leaves our refrigerated warehouse. We also pack our orders to anticipate a potential 24 hour delay (which can happen during the holidays especially), so even if the package stays in transit during 2 days, the fresh products should arrive in good condition, just carefully inspect them upon receipt. Ice Packs can melt faster depending on the destination and season, however it does not mean the products are compromised if the ice pack is melted or warm. Simply refrigerate the items immediately and if you have any concern, please follow the detailed steps form our return policy.

My truffle honey has a different texture than expected: it’s hard and has a white deposit on top, is it normal?

Completely normal and actually a sign of excellent quality! Our honey is raw, unfiltered and all natural, which means it sometimes crystalizes at the top: that’s what real honey does! Crystallization shows that the honey hasn’t been processed and stripped off its amazing nutrients. The honey will get back to its liquid form when stirred gently or exposed to a warmer temperature. One trick is to immerse the bottom of the jar in a bowl of hot water before serving. Many truffle honeys on the global market use synthetic honey and we are very proud to source a product so authentic to the traditions and flavors of the Provence region. Quality honey or truffle honey should never resemble syrup or have a very liquid texture, which would indicate heavy processing or even artificial honey. Fun fact about our Black Truffle Honey: both the honey and truffles used in this product are harvested on the same family-owned farm in the natural reserve of Luberon in the of South of France.

My truffle salt has a different texture or color than expected, is it normal?

The salt used in our Black Truffle Salt is called “Sel gris de Guerande” (grey salt from Guerande) and is naturally moist. It is considered one of the best salts in the world: a natural, unrefined and unfiltered salt from France that always has a slightly humid consistency and a grey-ish color. It typically contains 13% of residual moisture, and we choose this salt because of its high quality as well as the fact that its texture helps capture the truffle flavor better.

-The product that I received is a slightly different color or shade as shown on the website

Our products are made from fresh and natural ingredients, so color can slightly vary based on seasonality. For example, our sriracha can be darker based on the pepper harvest. Similarly, our truffle honey is made with wildflower honey, which means the type of flowers vary based on the time of the year. Lavender, acacia or lime tree give a lighter color to the honey, while thyme, rosemary or chestnut tree give a darker shade. It’s also up to the bees!

SHIPPING QUESTIONS

-Orders may arrive via multiple shipments

In order to ensure the most cost effective and fastest shipping rates on our non perishable products we ship from multiple facilities around the U.S. This means that a bottle of Sriracha can potentially arrive in a separate package than your order of Ranch. When this occurs, you will receive multiple tracking numbers to track all of your items.

-Shipping time

Transit time with Fedex (Overnight Shipping and 2 Day Shipping) remains the same, with possible delays on rare occasions. However USPS has been more affected by current events, please be aware that transit time may be longer than usual if you pick First Class Shipping.

Our processing time - from the moment you place your order until we ship it - is a bit longer than usual, but remains fast according to our industry’s standard.

Please consult our Shipping Guideline for more details on shipping time.

-How long will my order take to arrive?

Please review all the details in our shipping guideline

-I have a last minute fresh truffle or caviar order and I would like to receive it on a Saturday, is it possible?

If Fedex services your address for Saturday deliveries and our inventory allows it at the time of your request, we’re happy to accommodate you. Contact us at info@trufflinnyc.com as soon as possible and we will do our best, please note that Saturday delivery will be subject to an up-charge, per Fedex rates.

-I paid for overnight shipping or 2 Day shipping and my order is late

Sorry about this inconvenience, this could have happened for two reasons:

-Processing time: if you haven’t received a shipping notification or tracking number from Trufflin, your order is probably still in the works (please read our Shipping Guidelines for more information). Although you should make sure that you didn’t receive an email from us in your spam folder. If you have any doubt, please reach out to us at info@trufflinnyc.com: your order could be on its way already!

-Fedex delay: We choose Fedex for overnight and 2 Day deliveries because we believe it’s the most reliable partner to ship our time-sensitive products, however delays do happen. Do not panic! We package fresh truffles, caviar and ranch to withstand a longer than expected transit time. If your package hasn’t been delivered the day it was supposed to, please reach out at info@trufflinnyc.com with your order confirmation number and we will make sure it gets to you ASAP. Trufflin is not responsible for Fedex shipping delays unless the quality of the product delivered has been affected. If you believe that might be the case, please follow the instructions detailed in our Return Policy in order for Trufflin to review your claim.

-The package shows as delivered but I didn’t receive it

Trufflin is not responsible for missing packages once they have been delivered to your address by Fedex or USPS. We do not require signatures upon delivery as it typically causes too many delays in receiving our time-sensitive products. It is the customer’s responsibility to request a signature for their package or a hold for pick up at their local Fedex station, if they believe it to be necessary, based on their experience receiving packages at their chosen address. To request a signature or a pick up, please leave a note at checkout before purchasing or contact us immediately upon placing your order at info@trufflinnyc.com.

-I placed an order but haven’t received a confirmation email or a shipping notification from Trufflin after 3 business days, what should I do?

Please check your spam folder, confirmation numbers are automatically sent upon purchase, so if you didn’t receive it, it’s possible the transaction didn’t go through.

If you do not find any trace of a confirmation number, check your payment method to verify you were indeed charged. If you have a confirmation number or/and a verified charge but no tracking number within 3 business days, please contact us at info@trufflinnyc.com.

Please also check in for any announcement bars on our home page, as processing time can vary based on current covid19 restrictions.

-My order is delayed while in transit, what should I do?

Once an order is shipped, the customer is responsible for tracking the order using the tracking number received via email or text and making sure it arrives on time, especially for a perishable products. If your package hasn't arrived by the estimated delivery date, please reach out to Fedex and USPS so they can directly check in with your local facility or driver. If the issue persists, please contact us at info@trufflinnyc.com and we will assist you.