Vital Tea Leaf

Stopped in for a tea tasting and I was absolutely wow’d with my experience. I was under the impression that you would be allowed to taste 1 – 2 teas & that was it. But the amount of teas we tried & the range of flavor was great. Their ginseng-​oolong blend is beautiful sweet & subtle & so good for you. I purchased the Siberan Rose tea (helps complexion) but the taste is out of this world! I have that tea every single day & I still love it. The gentleman who helped us was so knowledgeable & helped us find the right teas for what we were looking for. He made you feel very comfortable & not pressured at all. I’m actually looking forward to running out of tea just so I can make the 2+ hour trip to come back to buy more tea.

Was looking for a moderate-​priced authentic green tea and was directed here. Did a tea tasting. I personally thought the young white man at the counter was a little bit pushy and obnoxious with his tea recommendations, although I suppose he was knowledgeable.
the total came out to $ 38! It was a large bag of tea leaves, so I asked if I could buy a smaller amount, and he said no. Its a huge turnoff that I can only buy one large bag of the same tea rather than smaller portions of different ones… really think they need to change this policy. Or maybe I just got swindled. I dont think I’ll be coming back here again.

The tea tasting is free and a very laid-​back, relaxing, yet informative and entertaining experience. We did not experience any pressure to leave nor buy anything, but we ended up very much wanting to buy some of the teas we tried after enjoying ourselves so much.
As mentioned many times here, Kenny is a TOTAL CHARACTER. Very opinionated and animated, he is very passionate about Chinese tea and how to properly prepare and enjoy it. Getting a tasting experience from him is worth a trip to Chinatown all by itself.
I’m sure some of the savvy locals wince at how much we spent on teas that they probably get for super cheap, but we did see a number of folks come in to have some cups of tea and buy more to take at home, so this place does have its regular, repeat clientele. This place is a must-​visit for any westerners who are interested in learning more about Chinese teas and seeing a colorful part of Chinatown. Not to be missed.

What a wonderful experience stumbling in here.
First off, it is ultra-​rare to find someone as intelligent, witty (actually hilarious) and friendly as Master Kenny. I wish I lived in San Fran so I could spend a chunk of my time here. Definitely the highlight of our trip.
Kenny was extremely gracious with me and my Mom. And I could not stop laughing at his wit. He is unbelievably sharp and his knowledge of tea is incredible. Everything you want to know and served up with wonderful samples, and a very Kung-​Fu attitude. It’s sort of like walking into the best Shaw Brothers movie ever.
When a dog walked by the store, he said to the dog, «come in, we don’t eat you anymore» lol — this was what it was like pretty much the whole time.
Now of course, we spent some serious money here but the tea was amazing — Iron Goddess King! Also grabbed some of the roses for rose water which is also very refreshing — even cold.
Thank you again Kenny for your kindness to my Mom and Cambodian companion! We love you!
See you on the next trip!!!

This is my email to Groupon, pasting it here:
*********
I got SWINDLE, yes swindle! I bought two Groupons to Vital Tea Leaf, $ 17.50 for $ 40 worth; total should be $ 80 worth of tea. The expiration date was fast approaching, so I had my sister picked up some teas for me. Recently some of my in-​laws wanted some of the tea, so I went to weigh it on the sale to portioned it out. First bag is 3 oz and the other is 3.5oz, and according to their site it’s only $ 18 for 4oz (
). For my 6.5oz it should be $ 29.25. They also gave my sister a 1oz sample of this
, which is only $ 7.50 an ounce. So I only got $ 36.75 worth of tea and they took both my groupons which is worth $ 80? WTF?!? How can I get my money back?

An excellent place to grab some teas and purchase tea while in Chinatown. It was honestly the only place where we felt welcomed. The ladies were just wonderful and would inform you of the benefits of the teas. We ended up purchasing some ground ginseng and a flower tea.
This was a nice stop during our visit to Chinatown. The teas are a tad pricy but the experience was comfortable and welcoming.

Stop by for a free tasting! Also, they can bag up a smaller amount of tea if you don’t want a quarter pound (or more)

Rude. Server was grumpy and didn’t want to be bothered with taking orders.
Owner trying to rectify but I don’t live there.

Love this place. The employees are very helpful and their tea is amazing. I love their jazmin tea/​angel tea. They have a wide variety of teas to choose from and the staff always makes it a pleasant experience.

Buying tea here is an experience itself, and I had a great time.
We tasted several teas before we decided which one to buy. They were all delicious and Royal, the guy who helped us, was happy to teach us about the teas, their history, how to brew them, and more. He was extremely friendly and helpful.
I will definitely encourage people to come here, taste teas, and buy one. It was a lot of fun.

Herman turned me on to tea about 3 years ago on a trip to SF and I’ve never looked back! I’ve also visited their other 2 stores in Chinatown, most recently the one inbetween the other two on Grant, and have had nothing but perfect experiences!
Tea tasting is incredibly informative and entertaining… I came in 3 years ago knowing a little about tea, and left knowing more than anyone I know in my sleepy, coffee-​drinking town in Indiana. What I love about this place is that they don’t force you to buy anything… if you’re polite and show a real interest in tea, they’ll let you try anything including the $ 1500 a lb. high-​end Iron Goddess!
My go to’s:
–Supreme Dragonwell (Long Jing): 4 oz. $ 30
Fresh, grassy, nutty, soft… I drink it all day but usually in the morning. Good quality leaves
–Blue People (Taiwanese Oolong processed with Ginseng powder): 4 oz. $ 30
A bit floral, more body, wonderful «sweet» sensation after taste. Great for waking up in the morning.
–10-​year Yellow Label Pu-​erh cake: $ 70 for a 6-​inch-​ish cake
Earthy, like autumn leaves, calming, an acquired taste, but I love it!
I’ve also bought Black Pearl, Yerba Mate, and Thousand Mile over the last few years. Never have had one that I didn’t like, just ones I liked more than others. Also take a look at their teaware as their pitchers & travel bottles have been indispensable to me in transitioning from coffee in ease and use day-​to-​day.

A must stop in China town!
Ask for Herman or Mark.
They will take their time and give u a lesson on everything tea.

Spectacular service from Herman! This guy and his team will generously pour tea until you find an appropriate flavor profile. All the while discovering a tea that matched my favorite whiskies, Herman shared stories, history and health benefits of each. I was even able to find a pick-​me-​up tea for a friend who has been ill for over a month. She absolutely raved the tea he recommended. By the time I finished trying all the teas to my heart’s content, I definitely walked away with a caffeine high.
Perfect for the recreational tea drinker to oh so very serious loose leaf one too!

Terrific service, warm and welcoming staff! They are incredibly knowledgeable about every type of tea! Herman is the best, gives great recommendations. There’s a tea for every type of remedy you need ie energy, relaxer, cleanser, etc. Oh yeah, and ask him about the little clay boy! :D

Came here because a friend recommended it to me because she knows that I am a tea snob. I drink a lot of tea and a lot of different kinds of tea from all over the world and I do not mess around when it comes to reviewing teas.
They have A LOT of different kinds of Chinese teas. Usually when you go into Chinese tea shops it’s the basic kinds, but this place has a lot of unique blends. I had, unfortunately, overloaded my luggage with teas from this trip already or I would have bought a few bags, but luckily they have an online store! I don’t live near SF so this makes it easy for me to stock up on some of the blends they poured for me during the free tasting.
That’s right FREE tasting and they don’t pressure you to buy buy buy. They obviously want to sell tea, but the tea sells itself through the tasting. Very good quality and a good variety of teas!
They also have a lot of different kinds of devices for brewing. I am a big fan of the infuser devices that you pour your tea and water into and then place over your cup and press the button to release the tea.
I am looking forward to buying the black pearl oolong one of the gentlemen recommended to me!

This is our go to place for tea. It’s a great experience, great environment, and the tea here is of a very high-​quality with a wide variety as well. Mark is the latest addition to the staff and he has clear passion and knowledge about tea. If you have never stopped in here before, go in, take a seat and enjoy a infinite sampling of teas before you make any purchase decision. This is a no pressure to buy environment. If you don’t find something you like, you simply leave.

As a novice tea drinker, I was thrilled to check this tea shop out. A few of my friends had been here before and raved about it. The store is located close to Pine, and is next to all the Chinese Shops. It had a green interior and a large bar area, you can’t miss it. The concept of the tea house is to try out as many teas as you want for free! T was super duper awesome. I tried out about 8 different teas. The workers here are extremely knowledgeable about tea, and can answer anything about tea really. My fave was the high mountain which is really popular. The tea is sold in ounces, and can get pricey but if you like tea, it is totally worth it. There are also tea accessories like pots and mugs that you can buy here. I will definitely come back to this place!

I really enjoyed this place.
They poured shot after shot of tea to sample. Any tea we wanted, they brewed it up right there on the spot, and let us taste it!
They have a wide variety of teas, with all the accessories.
The store is well lit, and the clerk was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They display the teas in these giant metal jars, and they even gave a free tea bag with my Unilocal check in!
They have all this informative literature and displays so you can see how to make the teas. Turns out, I’ve been making tea improperly the whole time, letting the water boil and boil, and throwing in the tea bag, and letting it sit for way too long. Not the right way to do it.

If you wanna get a free lesson on the art of tea drinking, come here and talk to herman! there’s absolutely no pressure to buy, he welcomes anyone to just stop by for a cup of quality tea. make sure not to ask for sugar and milk cuz there ain’t none! and plus their teas are so good that you won’t even miss those condiments.
tip: try the milk and lychee oolong and wonder where they’ve been all your life.

Free tea tasting made me decide to stop in while I was on my visit to San Francisco. I learned so much about tea and herbs in less than an hour of visiting this place
Upon arrival you might not be approached right away but take a seat. Someone will come up to you shortly and explain what is going to happen. You tell them what your favorite type of tea or if you have a particular ailment. They will brew up multiple teas or herbs for you to test out and decide if your want to purchase. I love the fact you get to learn so much about the difference between tea leaves and herbs, what helps, etc.
I didn’t feel the pressure to buy but i also believe in the products. I am not sure if the price is higher or lower than normal. I know I walked away with a product that could help me