The Pros: Massive Variety: Truly a "one-stop shop" for tea…read moreenthusiasts. Low Pressure: The staff greeted me and then stayed hands-off until I had questions. The Price: Easily some of the best values in the city. The Con: Sealed Packaging: Everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags. Because of the sealing, you can't smell the tea before buying. I'd love to see them implement scent jars in the future to help with the selection process. Neutral Observations In-House Packaging: All the tea is packaged identically in 1lb bags, which suggests they likely process and bag everything in-house. Labeling: I didn't notice any specific organic labels on the packaging, though I didn't explicitly ask. If this is a deal breaker, you may want to ask. Review If you're looking for a genuine loose leaf tea source -- your search ends here. I stumbled upon this place after endless online searching (blogs, search engines, etc) and it was well worth the effort! Just a heads-up on navigation: G-Maps is slightly off. If you rely solely on that, you'll be a few doors down. Look for the Volvo mechanics and the shop is located just on the other side. The exterior is unassuming, no windows, just a sandwich board on the sidewalk and a door. Looking inside it's a bit of a mysterious vibe, you'll see a stairway to the left and a hallway ahead. Go for it. Ignore the single pane glass, bank-teller-style window to your right (which directs you to the main door) and just head in. Also, keep an eye on the clock because, per the phone tree, they close for lunch from 12:30 to 1:00. I arrived right after 1pm and was able to park right in front. There was also plenty of other parking spot around at that time. IDK why, but before walking in, my imagination had prepared me for an old-world San Francisco opium den. I was thinking there was going to be this lingering aromatic smoke, plush floor pillows, people lounging, sipping tea, and the soft, ambient melodies of an upscale spa. I had also pictured rows of heavy, whiskey-style wooden barrels overflowing with loose leaf tea, topped with clear lids and metal scoops. The reality is much more utilitarian. This is not a den or a spa. It's clean, straightforward, and focused entirely on their product. The selection is robust and incredibly diverse. While they claim "wholesale to the public", I can't verify the industry margins, but I can tell you the prices are very good for the quality you receive. The employee greeted me and then stayed hands-off while I browsed, which I appreciated. When I did ask specifics, they had basic foundational knowledge. Honestly with the diversity and sheer quantity of products offered, it would take forever to earn a Tea Master badge. No harm no foul. The only real bummer here is that everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags, so there is no way to smell the product. I'd really appreciate scent jars in front of the bags. Since they seem to be doing the packaging in-house anyway, it makes me wonder why they haven't set aside a small amount of each batch for scent jars. It wouldn't require a change in their supply chain, just a few ounces and a glass jar to help customers navigate that massive variety. That aside, I absolutely loved this place. I've been searching for a spot like this for a long time. I'm just glad I finally found it. If you're at all interested in loose leaf tea, I'd suggest giving these folks an honest try.

I needed dried lavender for simple syrup and ice cream and found this place online. Prices are very…read moreaffordable and they have so many options! I'm not able to post all my photos but this is some of what they offer! Will definitely come back.

Botanicalife is located a few steps from the Lark Theatre in downtown Larkspur…read more The store is filled with interesting books, beautiful housewares, handmade soups, crystals, art, locally crafted jewelry, assortment of bulk teas, unique houseplants and many handcrafted items created by local artist. Visiting the store is a delightful way to spend time and shop for gifts or something special for yourself while spending an afternoon in Larkspur. An added bonus is delightful, complimentary gift wrap.

Super well curated store, neatly organized and full of great items. It's a nice place to spend some…read morequality time in browsing around. It's a mix of local and outside of California sourced items, all of which would be nice additions to your home or for gifts. I really liked the different handmade ceramics, all well priced. We especially liked that they carried a variety of chocolates, several of which were vegan. Left with a nice box that we devoured immediately. All in all, give this store a browse if you're in the downtown Larkspur area. Totally worth the trip. Open during COVID, clean and safe.

The Oaktown Spice Shops are such a blessing!! They have such…read morean amazing assortment of spices and blends. Great place to stock up, and purchase gifts. I'm still bummed that the Castro Valley location closed, but I will not pass one of their shops without popping in. The space is welcoming, the service is friendly and helpful.

I use so much more spices now that I found Oaktown Spice Shop. It's like I've been asleep and now I…read morehave gained a new sense...taste.

Returned two days later for three more sugars; ginger sugar, sweet onion sugar and sunrise sugar…read more(blueberry, lemon and ginger) in addition to espresso spice rub. Can't wait to start baking and grilling with my newest purchases. I hope the recipients of the food I create will be equally ecstatic to taste the new flavors :-) Thank you, All Spicery. I'll be back in June!!

Wow! What a wonderful shop. We've been ordering spices online for a while. That's no going to…read morechange. This place is a treasure trove of wonderful smells and great spices. Tom did a great job of showing us so many of their products. Often we've wanted to try a recipe but we've been stymied for lack of a spice or sauce. The variety here is amazing. We bought a variety of salted caramels, spices for salmon, pasta spices and a beautiful pepper grinder. Thank you so much.

You'll know you're right at home as soon as you walk through the door. For anybody that's wondered…read morerows of disorganized shelves of stuff all over the place or spots that are less than well kept, look no further. Oaktown Spice Shop is immaculate, well organized, and staffed with folks that are quite passionate about the goods! Also helps that it smells amazing, but it really speaks to the quality of their stuff. If you had any doubts about them, put that to rest and just visit or use their online store! Any foodie worth their salt (hah get it) will be able to appreciate what this place has to offer.

Oaktown Spice Shop is my to-go shop for keeping my spice drawer fully stocked with everyday spices…read more(ie. Vietnamese Cinnamon, Whole Nutmeg, Aleppo Chile Pepper) as well as new-to-me spices to try, like Vadouvan and Mahlab. Today I needed to refill my Vadouvan because I want to make an aromatic soup from their website. I found out about Mahlab from their blog and must make the cereal that Samin Nosrat shared! The staff are knowledgeable and helpful. In addition to a beautiful array of spices, they sell amazing cookbooks and a few small gift items.

Your spices are great! I used the bayou blast for creole potato salad and it was amazing.read more

Found them at the Sonoma farmers market and what a great find it was…read more We bought 6 bottles with their guidance to bring home. There suggestions were just wonderful. We find ourselves using them almost every day Will definitely be reordering online Well done

It was great working with Dana on my custom spice blend. She was professional…read more and had a fast turnout time. Not only that but she has affordable prices as well as a huge variety of spices in her warehouse.

California Spice Basket is the best co-packing service I've ever worked with! With so much…read moreknowledge and experience, Dana went above and beyond my expectations and gave me advice about everything necessary to ensure quality and helped me release my product to market. Definitely recommend!