Both matcha and green tea begin as the Camellia Sinensis plant. The main difference starts with how the plant is grown and processed. Matcha tea is shade grown and ground to a fine powder – you are essentially consuming whole tea leaves. The plant intended for green teas, on the other hand, is traditionally grown and harvested. Once harvested, the leaves are steamed to stop oxidation and then dried. The dried leaves are broken up for tea bags or carefully packaged as loose leaf tea, ready to steep. For more information about this, please visit our article 5 Key Differences Between Matcha and Green Tea.

We source only the finest organic loose leaf grade tea leaves and then we cold brew them for up to 8 hours to extract all the beneficial compounds. Then, through a combination of pressure and dehydration at a low temperature, our Tea Crystals emerge. Cold Brew Crystallization preserves up to 12x the nutrient content compared to other tea.

Drinking any of our teas as an iced tea will not negate the benefits found in our teas! We do recommend not using water that is too hot, however. We recommend a maximum temperature of 170°F for green teas and 180°F for black and herbal teas.

Some of our teas are both hot and cold water soluble, and some are hot water soluble only. With that said, you can enjoy any of our teas as an iced tea! Just simply mix the Tea Crystals with an ounce or so of hot water (but not boiling!), then add ice and cold water as you'd like, and enjoy! Please let me know if you have any other questions we can help with, we're always happy to!

All of our teas are free of peanuts, tree nuts, and coconuts. Our operations and facilities and packaging sites do not come in contact with these products, but we cannot make any guarantee for serious allergen conditions from external variables, as our facilities are not officially certified allergen-free.

We are the first tea company to Triple Toxin Screen all of our teas for heavy metals, pesticides, and toxic mold. At Pique, these strict processing methods ensures quality and purity. For more information about our triple toxin screening, please visit https://help.piquetea.com/general/triple-toxin-screening-what-it-is-how-it-s-done-who-does-it

When you order from Pique Tea, your complete satisfaction is our highest priority. We understand it can sometimes be difficult to make a purchase if you have not been able to previously sample the teas. Our 90-Day Satisfaction Guarantee helps you purchase your teas risk-free: if you're unhappy with your purchase made from our main store, you may return your package to us for a refund anytime within the first 90 days of your purchase. We’ll even provide a free return shipping label!