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
A Gold Samovar in the Window: Dammann Frères, Strasbourg
Read the post →: A Gold Samovar in the Window: Dammann Frères, StrasbourgA gold samovar, Strasbourg’s own Thé de la Cathédrale, and France’s oldest tea house: a window-shopping stop at Dammann Frères in Strasbourg.
In my cup this week
Thé du Matin N°24
By Kusmi Tea: an organic breakfast blend of Yunnan, Assam and Ceylon black teas, balanced and subtly chocolatey.
Updated November 10, 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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The Danish Tea Trade: Copenhagen, British Smugglers and the 1807 Bombardment
Copenhagen grew rich shipping tea that smugglers sold in Britain. Then in 1807 Britain set the city on fire. The Danish 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…
Recently updated
Older posts I have revisited, with new notes, prices and links.
More stories
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Tea Gifts: Small, Thoughtful Gifts for Tea Lovers
Small tea gifts that get used: teas with a story, simple tools, a few bigger treats and the free part of the…
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Then and Now: Oregon Tea, 10 Years After the Bet on American-Grown Tea
In 2016 an Oregon farm bet great tea could grow in the US. A killing winter, $38-an-ounce tea and the 2025 tariffs:…
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The Danish Tea Trade: Copenhagen, British Smugglers and the 1807 Bombardment
Copenhagen grew rich shipping tea that smugglers sold in Britain. Then in 1807 Britain set the city on fire. The Danish tea…
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.