Tea, outside the mainstream.
Rare, small-batch teas and the stories behind them, written from New York City since 2011.
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Latest
Tea in the Vietnam War: Smokeless Stoves, Brew Ups and Beer
Read the post →: Tea in the Vietnam War: Smokeless Stoves, Brew Ups and BeerTea in the Vietnam War: smoke gave soldiers away. How a Vietnamese army cook hid his fire, how Australians brewed up on patrol, and what to drink.
In my cup this week
Alishan High Mountain Oolong
From Alishan, Taiwan: a lightly oxidised high-mountain oolong, buttery and floral with a soft, milky sweetness. Mine is an old tin; Red Blossom Tea sells a fresh one.
Updated October 20, 2026 · Where to buy · 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 →
A series from @TeaAndWar
War and Tea
The best flavors often come from things that were never meant to go together. Soldiers, hunters and campaigns from history, each paired with a tea, and the true stories of what people drank at war.
Latest from War and Tea
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Tea in the Vietnam War: Smokeless Stoves, Brew Ups and Beer
Tea in the Vietnam War: smoke gave soldiers away. How a Vietnamese army cook hid his fire, how Australians brewed up on…
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What Cossacks and Russian Soldiers Really Drank: Wine, Vodka and the Fight for Tea
A Cossack was the first Russian to describe tea, yet most Cossacks drank wine and vodka. Russian soldiers wanted tea, and whether…
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Russian Spirit of War and Tea
Vodka was the Russian soldier’s ration. Tea was what he wanted.
Recently updated
Older posts I have revisited, with new notes, prices and links.
More stories
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Where to Drink Real Loose-Leaf Tea in NYC, Beyond the Milk-Tea Chains
Loose-leaf tea in NYC beyond Mixue and HeyTea: four tea rooms worth the trip, from Té Company and Kettl to Puerh Brooklyn…
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Is the Coffee and Tea Festival NYC Still Happening? What Became of It and Its 2019 Tea Booths
Is the Coffee and Tea Festival NYC still on? What happened to it, and to the tea booths I photographed in 2019:…
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What Cossacks and Russian Soldiers Really Drank: Wine, Vodka and the Fight for Tea
A Cossack was the first Russian to describe tea, yet most Cossacks drank wine and vodka. Russian soldiers wanted tea, and whether…
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.