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 Alternatives: Affordable Japanese Green Teas for the 2026 Matcha Shortage
Read the post →: Matcha Alternatives: Affordable Japanese Green Teas for the 2026 Matcha ShortageThe best matcha alternatives in the 2026 shortage: autumn bancha, hojicha and Kagoshima sencha, at 50 cents to $1.60 a cup. Taste, brewing and where to buy.
In my cup this week
Charcoal Roasted GABA Oolong by Yushan Sacred Tree Tea
An organic high-mountain oolong from a garden at 1,300 m in Xinyi, Nantou, roasted over longan-wood charcoal and processed for GABA. Honeyed, fruity and soft in the cup, hot or cold, and lower in caffeine than a typical oolong; picked up in person at New Middletown, an international market in Middletown, NY.
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 →
More stories
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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.
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Le Comptoir Florian, Belgium’s Quiet Tea House That Feels Like a Secret
Discover Le Comptoir Florian (La Maison du Thé) in Brussels; a charming, old-world Belgian tea house full of thoughtful teas.
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.