Tea Shops
There are many many places to buy tea. You can buy tea from nearly any market, many websites online, or a while traveling abroad from a tea vendor. When ever you buy tea, you are trusting that the supplier has done a good job sourcing high quality tea, and also that the tea is the specific variety and quality that they claim it is. Thus, it is recommended to buy from reputable suppliers who source their own tea and are transparent about the manufacturing techniques and where it comes from.
Below is a list of my recommended tea shops. To learn more about the different types of tea, take a look my main Tea page.
Recommended Online Tea Shops
Yunnan Sourcing
Perhaps the largest online supplier of high quality Chinese tea, Yunnan Sourcing is my go to shop for nearly everything tea related, from high quality tea leaf, to tea ware and supplies.
Overwhelmed by the selection? Get the First Steps Tea Sampler.
Mei Leaf
Mei Leaf is well known for providing high quality free educational videos on YouTube, and a constantly updated selection of well sourced loose leaf teas and puerh. They feel like much more than a tea shop, and more of a tea community.
Song Tea
Song Tea is a unique tea shop located in a quiet alley of San Francisco. They specialize in sourcing rare and unique craft teas, with a high price tag to match. This is not your every day type of tea, but focuses more on artisanal tea and ceramics.
Don’t know what to get? Try the Hello, we're Song Tea! collection.
Ikkyu Tea
For a selection of every type of Japanese green tea, check out Ikkyu. They specialize in providing extremely high quality and potent Japanese green tea, including some competition grade samples. Be aware that this style of tea is intensely flavorful and is quite strong for the American palette.
Red Blossom Tea Company
Located in the busy streets of Chinatown in San Francisco, Red Blossom sources a wide selection of well known tea varieties. They offer single serving samples to try out everything they offer, and even feature a premium “Red Label” collection of teas.
Read Sip More Tea
A unique insect-bitten mi xiang black tea with notes of wildflower honey and canned peaches.
A characteristic cinnamon aroma tea with a mix of spiced, smokey, sweet, and rocky notes.
A beautiful spiral rolled green tea with tasting notes of artichoke and steamed vegetables.
A black tea variant of the famous Bi Luo Chun green tea, with notes of chocolate, flowers, and a nutty finish.
A vibrantly deep purple herbal tea with notes of cinnamon, lemon grass, and sweet berries.