What Tea Should I Drink? Our Guide to All Five Teas

If you've landed on Old Growth Beverages for the first time and you're staring at five different teas wondering where to start, you're in good company. It's the question we hear most often, and the honest answer is: it depends on you. Your taste, your caffeine tolerance, the time of day you usually reach for a warm drink, and whether you want something familiar or something new.

The good news is that with only five teas in the lineup, it's a short decision tree. This guide walks through each one: what it actually tastes like, who it's best for, and the kind of moment it suits. By the end, you should have a pretty clear sense of which tea to pick up first - and a good idea of where to go next.

All five are microground teas, which means the ingredients are milled into a highly dissolvable powder you stir or shake straight into hot or cold liquid. No steeping, no bags, no straining. Ready in under two minutes.

Pure Matcha - for the focused morning

Pure Matcha is the flagship. It's 100% Japanese matcha, stone microground, with nothing added - no sweeteners, no fillers, no flavourings. Just the tea leaf, ground fine enough to dissolve into water or milk without the clumping or grittiness you get from lower-grade matcha.

The flavour is classic matcha: a grassy, slightly sweet, savoury depth that's unmistakable once you know it. Because the leaves are high-quality and properly ground, there's none of the harsh bitterness you get from cheap supermarket matcha. Whisk it, stir it, or shake it with ice - it comes together cleanly every time.

Matcha's real draw is what it does to your energy. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine produces a focused, steady lift rather than the spike-and-crash pattern of coffee. If you've been trying to step back from coffee without giving up caffeine entirely, matcha is the most common landing spot. Our piece on matcha vs coffee walks through the comparison in detail if you're weighing the switch.

This is the right pick if you're looking for sustained morning energy without the jittery edge, you're curious about matcha but want the real thing rather than a sweetened version, or you want maximum antioxidants per cup. You can find it here: Pure Matcha - 100% Japanese Matcha.

Vanilla Matcha - for the matcha-curious

Vanilla Matcha takes the same earthy base as Pure Matcha and softens it with organic vanilla. It's still matcha - same bright green colour, same caffeine, same whole-leaf benefits - but the vanilla rounds off the grassy edge and adds a warm, dessert-adjacent aroma that makes it feel more approachable.

This one tends to be the easier first step for anyone who's tried plain matcha and found it too intense, or who finds themselves reaching for sweeteners to make matcha palatable. The vanilla gives you a natural sweetness without added sugar taking over the cup. It's especially good as an iced latte with oat milk, where the vanilla and creaminess work together.

If you're torn between this and Pure Matcha, our post on vanilla matcha vs plain matcha lays out the full side-by-side so you can decide.

This is the one to reach for if you want to try matcha but worry the flavour might be too grassy, you already drink matcha but usually add vanilla syrup yourself, or you want something that doubles easily as a small afternoon treat. You can find it here: Vanilla Matcha - Microground Tea.

Classic Chai - for the spice lover

Classic Chai is our bold, warming, full-spice blend. Black tea as the base, with microground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, peppercorn, and cloves - the traditional chai spice profile, no shortcuts and no weird additions. Because the spices are microground along with the tea, you get the full flavour in every sip, not just what a tea bag can release through steeping.

The result is a chai that holds up against a proper café version without the café price tag. It's bold enough to satisfy chai purists but smooth enough that someone new to chai won't be overwhelmed. Add milk and it becomes a proper chai latte in under two minutes. Shake it with cold milk and ice for a summer version that doesn't feel like a compromise.

If you're coming from coffee and want something with warmth and energy but a gentler caffeine curve, our article on chai vs coffee is a good read.

Classic Chai is the right pick if you already love chai lattes from cafés and want to recreate that at home, you're looking for a caffeinated drink with more warmth than a standard black tea, or you simply want spice rather than subtlety. You can find it here: Classic Chai - Microground Tea.

London Fog - for the café comfort drink

The London Fog was actually invented in Vancouver in the 1990s, which makes a BC-made version feel especially fitting. Ours is a microground blend of organic Earl Grey, vanilla, and bergamot - the Earl Grey gives you that distinctive citrusy bergamot aroma, the vanilla softens it, and the whole thing mixes into a cup without a tea bag in sight.

This is probably the most universally appealing tea in the lineup. It's lightly sweet, smooth, and not challenging on the palate. It pairs beautifully with steamed milk (oat milk especially), and works almost as well iced as it does hot. Where the matchas and chai ask a bit of your attention, London Fog is the easy one - the drink you hand someone when they say "I don't really like tea."

For a warm-weather twist, our iced London Fog latte recipe breaks down the quick version.

London Fog is a great fit if you already order it at cafés, you prefer lighter, aromatic teas over bold or spiced ones, or you're shopping for someone whose tea preferences you don't know yet - it's the safest bet in the lineup. You can find it here: London Fog - Microground Tea.

Rooibos Turmeric Chai - for the caffeine-free crowd

Rooibos Turmeric Chai is the naturally caffeine-free option. The base is South African rooibos, which is gentle on the stomach and rich in antioxidants on its own, spiced with turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, peppercorn, and cloves. You get the warmth and complexity of a proper chai without any of the caffeine, so it's the one you can have in the evening, late in the afternoon, or anytime caffeine isn't an option.

The flavour is noticeably different from Classic Chai. The rooibos adds a slightly earthy, slightly sweet base that pairs beautifully with the warming spices, and the turmeric gives the cup a golden amber colour and a subtle savoury depth. It's a popular pick during pregnancy - our post on rooibos chai tea during pregnancy covers why it tends to be a go-to for expecting parents looking for something caffeine-free that still feels indulgent.

Because it's caffeine-free, it's also the only one you can comfortably drink multiple cups of throughout the day without touching your caffeine intake.

Rooibos Turmeric Chai is the right pick if you're avoiding caffeine (pregnancy, sensitivity, or just personal preference) but don't want to compromise on flavour, you want a cozy evening drink that won't keep you up, or you're curious about turmeric's benefits and want an easy way to fold it into your routine. You can find it here: Rooibos Turmeric Chai - Caffeine-Free Microground Tea.

Quick Comparison: All Five at a Glance

If you want to see it all in one place:

Tea	Flavour Profile	Caffeine	Best Time of Day	Good For
Pure Matcha	Grassy, savoury, clean, slightly sweet	Moderate to high	Morning or early afternoon	Focused energy, antioxidants, coffee alternative
Vanilla Matcha	Earthy matcha softened with warm vanilla	Moderate to high	Morning or mid-afternoon	Matcha newcomers, approachable daily drink
Classic Chai	Bold, spiced, warming, full-bodied	Moderate (black tea)	Morning or afternoon	Café-style chai lattes, spice lovers
London Fog	Light, aromatic, citrusy bergamot, lightly sweet	Moderate (black tea)	Anytime	Gentle daily drink, café comfort, gift-worthy
Rooibos Turmeric Chai	Earthy, warming, spiced, naturally sweet	None	Evening, late afternoon, anytime	Caffeine-free living, pregnancy, unwinding

Still Not Sure? Try This

A few shortcuts for the genuinely undecided:

• If you're replacing coffee, start with Pure Matcha. It delivers the cleanest caffeine swap and the biggest nutritional jump per cup.
• If you want something that anyone in your house will drink, start with London Fog. It's the crowd-pleaser.
• If you love warming spices and want something with real depth, start with Classic Chai.
• If you're pregnant, caffeine-sensitive, or want an evening drink, start with Rooibos Turmeric Chai.
• If you're intrigued by matcha but nervous about the flavour, start with Vanilla Matcha.

And if you really can't pick, there's no wrong answer - each of these has its moment, and most people who start with one eventually end up with two or three in rotation depending on the time of day and what they feel like. The matchas tend to live in morning routines. Chai and London Fog cover the afternoon. Rooibos slots into evenings or pregnancy or caffeine-free days.

If you want to see everything side by side before deciding, you can browse all five teas on our shop page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is microground tea?

Microground tea is tea leaves (and in some blends, spices) that have been milled into an ultra-fine, highly dissolvable powder. Instead of steeping a tea bag or loose leaves and throwing them away, you mix the powder straight into hot or cold liquid and drink the whole thing. You consume the entire leaf, which means you get more of its flavour and nutrition per cup compared to a steeped tea.

Which tea is best for beginners?

London Fog is the easiest starting point if you want something familiar and universally likeable. Vanilla Matcha is the best bridge tea if you're new to matcha specifically. Classic Chai is a good start if you already enjoy café chai lattes. There's no single "best beginner tea" - the right pick depends on what kind of flavours you already like.

Which of these teas has the most caffeine?

Pure Matcha and Vanilla Matcha have the most caffeine per serving because you're consuming the whole tea leaf rather than an infusion of it. Classic Chai and London Fog have moderate caffeine from their black tea base. Rooibos Turmeric Chai has zero caffeine - it's naturally caffeine-free, not decaffeinated. For a detailed breakdown, see our guide on caffeine levels across different teas.

Can I drink these iced?

Yes - all five work iced. Because they're microground and dissolve readily, you can shake them with cold water, milk, and ice to get a smooth, barista-style iced drink in under two minutes. Matchas, in particular, make outstanding iced lattes. Classic Chai and London Fog both shine as iced versions in summer, and Rooibos Turmeric Chai works well as an iced golden latte.

How do I prepare these teas?

The base method is the same across all five: dissolve one tablespoon of powder in a small amount of hot water, stir or whisk until smooth, then top up with more hot water or milk. Adjust the amount of powder to taste. For iced versions, shake with ice. For a full walkthrough, our guide on how to brew microground tea covers temperature, ratios, and small tips that improve the result.

Can I try all five?

Yes, and most regular customers eventually do. Each tea covers a different moment in a day or week - the matchas for morning focus, chai or London Fog for the afternoon, rooibos for the evening or caffeine-free days. If you're not sure where to start, pick the one that most closely matches what you already like, and go from there.

Are these teas organic?

We use organic ingredients in all our teas, including the Japanese matcha, black tea, rooibos, and the full spice list. The individual ingredients are organic where we can source them, which is the vast majority of what goes into every blend.

A Note on Health Information

The information in this article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Old Growth Beverages is not a medical organisation and our content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor, midwife, or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, especially during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you have any existing health conditions or are taking medications.