Tea, outside the mainstream.
Rare, small-batch teas and the stories behind them, written from New York City since 2011.
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Matcha Latte with Vanilla and Lavender at Bread Savage, Visalia
Read the post →: Matcha Latte with Vanilla and Lavender at Bread Savage, VisaliaA hand-whisked matcha latte with vanilla and lavender at Bread Savage in downtown Visalia, and a reminder of Nohohon, my friend’s closed NYC matcha shop.
In my cup this week
Charcoal Roasted GABA Oolong
By Yushan Sacred Tree Tea: an organic Nantou oolong roasted over longan-wood charcoal. Honeyed and soft, hot or cold.
Updated October 14, 2026 · Where to buy (in store) · Past cups →
From the archive
Sagan Dayla: The Siberian Rhododendron Tea
Sagan Dalya is a Siberian rhododendron tea drunk in Buryatia as a tonic: what it tastes like, how to brew it, and its safety limits. Read it →
Recently updated
Older posts I have revisited, with new notes, prices and links.
More stories
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Matcha Alternatives: Affordable Japanese Green Teas for the 2026 Matcha Shortage
The best matcha alternatives in the 2026 shortage: autumn bancha, hojicha and Kagoshima sencha, at 50 cents to $1.60 a cup. Taste,…
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Puerh Brooklyn Review: A Hidden Tea Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A spontaneous stop in Williamsburg led me to discover Puerh Brooklyn, a calm and thoughtfully curated tea shop with an excellent puerh…
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Small Objects, Grand Rituals: A Curated Selection of Russian Tea Antiques
Discover Russian tea antiques such as samovars and silver tea ware that were part of Russian culture and tea tradition.
About
Writing about tea from New York since 2011.
I started Humble Tea Leaf when talking about tea in New York was mostly limited to Chinatown and a few niche corners of the city. I write about teas from around the world, from organic Japanese matcha to the Sagan Daila of Central Asia, and the traditions behind them.