Informative

Guides on coffee, matcha and tea — how they're grown and graded, how origin and processing shape flavour, brewing methods and ratios, caffeine levels, storage, and how to pick what suits your taste. It's written to help you buy and brew with more confidence.

Both come from Camellia sinensis, but matcha is shade-grown then stone-ground into a powder you whisk into water, so you drink the whole leaf. Regular green tea is steeped and the leaves discarded. That's why matcha delivers more concentrated flavour, colour and caffeine per cup.

Roughly: coffee 80-120 mg per cup, matcha 40-70 mg, black tea 40-70 mg, green tea 20-45 mg, and most herbal teas none at all. Matcha and tea also contain L-theanine, which is why their lift tends to feel steadier and less sharp than coffee.

Airtight, cool, dark and dry, away from heat, sunlight and strong smells. Keep coffee as whole beans and grind just before brewing. Matcha is the most delicate: seal it tightly, keep it cold once opened, and use it within a few weeks, as light and air fade both its colour and its sweetness.

Start with how you like to drink it. Prefer milk and a strong base? Look at black tea, chai or darker roasts. Want something light and fresh? Green tea or a lighter roast. Avoiding caffeine? Herbal and fruit infusions. Our marketplace filters let you narrow by type, flavour notes, format and origin.