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
Puerh Brooklyn Review: A Hidden Tea Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Read the post →: Puerh Brooklyn Review: A Hidden Tea Shop in Williamsburg, BrooklynA spontaneous stop in Williamsburg led me to discover Puerh Brooklyn, a calm and thoughtfully curated tea shop with an excellent puerh and maté selection.
In my cup this week
Milan Dancong by white2tea
A Mi Lan Xiang (“honey orchid”) Dancong oolong from the Phoenix Mountains in Guangdong, which came in white2tea’s monthly tea club box. The style is known for honey sweetness, ripe fruit and a long floral finish; the club never sends the same tea twice, so this one is a one-off.
Updated October 7, 2026 · About the tea club · Past cups →
From the archive
The mystical Hundreds Year Old Tea Trees of Yunnan
In China’s Yunnan province, ancient tea trees still grow in remote mountain forests, producing some of the rarest and most fascinating teas in the world. Read it →
More stories
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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.
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Fresh Mountain Air in a Cup
Discover the hidden story of Taiwan high mountain oolong (gaoshancha), from its 1980s rise to today’s greener tea trends.
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.