Update 5/24/21. Pique Tea, called the world's purest tea has been showing up on social media feeds for some time. You may have wondered if this tea is superior to other brands and worth the money? So, is this trendy tea the real deal or is it a scam? In this review, you'll the pros and cons of this beverage to help you make the right decision for you.
Other Tea Reviews
All of these are either lose or come in tea bags. Pique Tea is different – it's made of tea crystals.
1 What Are Pique Tea Crystals?
Pique Tea, as the name suggests, is said to be the pique, pinnacle, or best type to drink. There are 2 things that make this product different from other teas you've used before:
- No tea bags. You pour tea into water and drink it
- Cold-brewed tea crystals
The tea crystals are made from a patented process. During the cold brew crystallization process, whole tea leaves are cold-brewed in reverse osmosis water for up to 8-10 hours to maximize the antioxidant compounds.
After that, the tea leaves are filtered out and the remaining liquid is dehydrated to produce the tea crystals. The company says their cold brew crystallization process ensures their tea has 12X as many nutrients as ordinary tea.
The tea crystals are triple screened for toxins like heavy metals, mold, and pesticides to ensure quality.
The tea crystals instantly dissolve in hot water. Some flavors dissolve in cold water too. Because it's a crystal tea, teabags are not needed.
2 Any Research?
Tea Clinical Studies
Numerous research studies point to the health benefits of tea. Here are just a few healthy benefits:
- Hibiscus tea can lower blood pressure
- Green tea can lower bad cholesterol
- Green tea can reduce blood pressure
- White tea protects DNA from free radical damage
- Green tea improves endothelial function (blood vessel health)
- Chamomile tea can starve cancer cells of blood and nutrients (angiogenesis)
The list goes on. You get the point. Tea is healthy and has been studied for many years.
But what about Pique Tea…
Pique Tea Clinical Studies
No clinical research in Pique Tea crystals could be located. No studies on pique tea health benefits could be located. Likewise, no studies comparing Pique tea to other brands of tea could be found either. While it's claimed the cold brew crystallization process packs in up to 12x as many nutrients, where is the proof?
At the heart of the tea is the patented cold brew process. The patent might provide proof. Pique Tea customer service would not provide information on the cold brew patent. If we assume the tea crystals are as nutrient-dense as advertised, does this mean pique tea has greater health benefits than other tea brands? If yes, let's prove that with clinical studies. Stay tuned.
Mind you, this doesn't necessarily mean this expensive tea is not worth it. Rather it may just mean nobody has tested it to see if it's better than other brands. Likewise, it's not known if this brand of tea improves gut health, helps fasting results, boosts the immune system better than ordinary tea.
3 How Much Should You Drink?
The company suggests starting with 1-3 cups per day and gradually building to 3-5 cups a day to be in line with what Harvard Health says about optimal tea health benefits. But there are two things to remember here:
1 Harvard Health said 2-3 cups of tea is associated with a lower risk of death. Not 3-5 cups. The 3-5 cups that Pique quotes is for coffee.
2 Let's also remember Harvard Health is talking about regular tea- not tea crystals.
Pique Tea is supposed to have 12x as many nutrients as regular tea. So, if Pique really packs more nutrients, doesn't it make sense you could drink less and get the same benefits?
4 Bold (and Dubious) Claims
Several of the blends have enticing names such as:
- ultimate immune support
- energy elixir
- tea fasting
- beauty elixir
Remember the names may not reflect facts proven in clinical studies. For example, is the “Ultimate Immune Support” tea really better than the “Complete Immune Support” tea? The name complete gives you the impression you're getting everything. So how is Ultimate better? Also, do either of them really reduce the chances of catching colds/flu?
5 Who Makes Pique Tea?
The company is called Pique Tea Inc., located at 1288 Columbus Avenue #283 San Francisco CA 94133. This address (minus the#283) is also shared by the UPS Store. This is might be where the company accepts correspondence. Their customer service told me the tea is produced in a facility located in San Francisco.
The company was founded in 2016 by Simon Cheng. While no customer service phone number could be located, questions can be asked via the company website which is PiqueTea.com. The company is very good at responding to emails.
6 How Much Does Pique Tea Cost?
Here are some prices listed for 1 carton at the pique website:
- Electric Turmeric (28 packets) $58
- Sun Goddess Matcha (28 packets) $58
- Bergamot Green Fasting Tea (28 packets) $38
- Cinnamon Herbal Fasting Tea (28 packets) $36
- Ginger Green Fasting Tea (28 packets) $38
The more expensive price may be due to the This may be due to the crystallization process.
Price Per Month
If you drink 3 cups a day, a box would last you about 9 days. So, you will need 3 boxes to last about a month. So the price per month you Do that for 1 month, and you can expect to pay between $108 to $174, depending on which tea you purchased. Discounts are available when purchasing multiple boxes.
To help you decide which tea is right for you, the company has a Tea Buying Guide. But, to view the guide you have to give the company your email address.
7 Pique Tea Caffeine Levels
Here are the amounts of caffeine listed on the company website:
| Tea | Caffeine Range (mg) |
| Bergamot green fasting tea | 26-43 mg |
| Bergamot black fasting tea | 30-45 mg |
| Ginger green fasting tea | 33-49 mg |
| Matcha green fasting tea | 48-72 mg |
| Sun goddess matcha | 54 -82 mg |
| Pu'er green tea | 41 -61 mg |
| Pu'er black tea | 58 -87 mg |
| Sencha green tea | 27 -41 mg |
| Mint sencha green tea | 22-33 mg |
| Passion fruit green tea | 25 -37 mg |
| Jasmine green tea | 34-50 mg |
| English breakfast tea | 37-59 mg |
| Earl grey tea | 38-57 mg |
| Peach ginger black tea | 32-48 mg |
| Sacred Lilly oolong tea | 33-49 mg |
| White peony tea | 34-52 mg |
As can be seen, the caffeine content is pretty low, for the most part, being less than in a cup of coffee.
8 Peak Tea Polyphenols
Polyphenols are one of the healthy compounds found in tea and other foods. Here is a breakdown of the polyphenols in Pique Tea blends:
- Cinnamon Herbal Fasting Tea: 62 mg to 93 mg
- Pu'er Black Tea: 81 mg to 121 mg
- Peach Ginger: 96 to 145 mg
- Ginger Digestion Elixir: 44mg to 66 mg
- Hibiscus Beauty Elixir: 31 mg to 47 mg
- English Breakfast Black Tea: 112 mg to 168 mg
- Sacred Lilly Oolong Tea: 116 mg to 174 mg
- White Peony Tea: 117 mg to 175 mg
- Rooibos Immunity Elxir : 148 mg to 222 mg
- Earl Grey Tea:120 to 179 mg
- Passion Fruit tea: 153 mg -229 mg
- Bergamot Black Fasting Tea: 121 mg to 181 mg
- Mint Sencha Green Tea: 140 mg to 210 mg
- Sencha Green Tea: 161 mg to 241 mg
- Bergamot Green Fasting Tea: 174 mg to 261 mg
- Ginger Green Fasting Tea: 218 mg to 327 mg
- Matcha Green Fasting Tea: 294 mg to 441 mg
- Jasmin Green Tea: 215 mg to 323 mg
- Sun Goddess Matcha: 195 mg to 293 mg
- Pu'er Green Tea: 212 mg to 318 mg
An independent test by Consumerlab, revealed a serving of Pique Tea Jasmin contained 55 mg of EGCG and 202 mg of catechins. While this is good, it is less than that found in Jade Leaf Organic Japanese Matcha (102 mg EGCG and 247 mg catechins). Trader Joe's organic green tea also had more with 86 mg of EGCG and 241 mg of catechins.
Pique Tea FAQ
9 Is it organic?
Most tea crystals are is 100% USDA organic. The QAI (Quality Assurance International) company certifies that it is organic. One exception is Electric Okinawan Turmeric which is because an organic version is not available. Non-organic teas are still screened for pesticides, heavy metals and mold as are the organic teas.
10 Do Pique crystals dissolve in both hot and cold water?
The company says most of their green tea and herbal blends will dissolve in both cold water and hot water. Most black teas and some herbal blends require hot water to fully dissolve the crystals. Check the box of the blend you are using for directions.
11 How many calories does it have?
All Pique tea blends are calorie-free, sugar-free, contain no sweeteners, and have no artificial flavors.
12 How long will Pique tea last (shelf life)
Each box will have a best used before date. Drink before that date to ensure the best taste and quality.
13 Peak tea money-back guarantee
If you're not satisfied, you have 30 days to return any unused portion. The company will even supply a free return shipping label. That's REALLY generous.
14 How much to ship it to me?
All orders of $60 or more come with free shipping within the US.
15 Where does the tea come from?
The company works with small family-operated farms from many different countries including China, the US, Europe and Japan.
16 Which versions don't have caffeine?
These versions are caffeine-free:
- Rooibos Vanity Elixir
- Ginger Digestion Elixir
- Mint Herbal tea
- Electric Turmeric
- Chaga Energy Elixir
- Reishi Calm Elixir
- Cinnamon Herbal Fasting Elixir
- Hibiscus Beauty Elixir
17 s it sold in stores?
Yes. Some stores carry Pique blends. The Pique website has a store locator to help you find it locally. A few stores that carry Pique include Erewhon Market, H-E-B, and Wegmans. Here it is on Amazon too.
18 Pique Tea Crystals Side Effects
In general, tea benefits outweigh any negative side effects for most people. But, let's remember tea contains thousands of compounds. Pique tea is said to concentrate those compounds to as much as 12 times greater than regular brands. Because of this here are some things to consider when consuming:
- Start with less than recommended for the first week or so
- Ask your doctor if you are about to have surgery
- If you take any medications ask your doctor first
- Some brands have caffeine. Avoid close to bedtime or if sensitive to caffeine.
19 Pique Tea vs. The Competition
Without studies comparing it to other brands, it's difficult to determine if Pique Tea is healthier lesser expensive grocery store brands. Hopefully, the company will support research to figure out how their product stacks up to other popular tea brands.
20 Pique Tea Pros & Cons
| Pro | Con |
| Innovative tea crystals | Expensive |
| Triple checked for impurities | No proof it's healthier than other brands |
| Easy to use | |
| No teabags required | |
| Dissolves in hot and cold water | |
| Great return policy |
21 Is Pique Tea Worth It?
Pique tea appears to be a quality-made beverage made by an innovative re-imagining of this popular beverage. At issue is whether it provides health benefits that are superior to lesser expensive tea brands? Until clinical studies are conducted, this is unknown. Since it's made from tea it can be expected to be at least as healthy as other brands.
Do we know how many polyphenols are in Pique Tea?
Stan, great question. I was not able to find out how many polyphenols or other healthy compounds are in Pique. They do say it has 12X the nutrients as regular tea. I take that to mean 12 times the amount of polyphenols (and other things).
Thanks for this review Joe! Pique tea has been showing up in my facebook feed for weeks! Ive also heard natural medicine doctors singing its praises too. You make some good points for us considering it. What’s up with that price??? I appreciated you mentioning the caffeine in Pique too.
Jane thanks so much for saying that. Its been showing up in my Facebook and Instagram feeds for weeks too 🙂 I agree it’s expensive.