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    Vital Tea Leaf

    4.5 (486 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Vital Tea Leaf Photos

    Business Info

    VITAL TEA LEAF ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for working
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Vital Tea Leaf

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    tea tasting
    Helen L.

    walked in on sunday afternoon for their tea tasting and the experience did not disappoint! our host was super chill and knowledgeable too, we got to try a bunch of oolong, green, jasmine, and white tea types. faves were lychee black, black pearl oolong, and hojicha. located in chinatownc ambiance is very chill with a row of seats.

    We love it here!
    Tricia O.

    We love coming here for tea tastings, knowledge and a great weekend activity to take visitors! It's ideally situated on Grant street and has every type of tea you could want! I used to live in Shanghai and this experience is very similar to the tastings I did when I lived there. The variety of tea options is tough to find, so we love coming here. 10/10 recommend for a fun weekend activity!

    Deepthi T.

    Tucked into Grant Ave, Vital Tea Leaf is a great tea tasting spot in Chinatown. The space is lined with tins with loose tea leaves, tea sets, the walls with bright colors. We sat down for a free tea tasting! They provide a clear background of each tea sample, you can ask questions. They were really nice! These are unique loose leaf teas so they are expensive. I wanted to bring my parents so this was almost a test visit. I appreciate how they didn't push hard to buy the tea, and they were genuinely excited to share their tea knowledge during the tasting. We had about 5 samples. I had such a great time! I'm not a big tea person, but it was exciting trying very different teas I haven't tried before. I will love to bring tea fans here for a tasting and they would probably pick up some for home too!

    there's so much to choose
    Jana R.

    Bye i tried practicing my mandarin to the store owner and she said "i only know canto" OTL i came in super awkwardly, browsed for the teas i wanted to try, and then asked the nice lady if i could sample! the whole process is really enjoyable. the smell and warmth of tea is unbeatable (esp. in sf when it's always cold). i got a lot of souvenirs for my friends and im really happy with my purchase. I love the silver needle tea the most! there's a bunch of teapots at the end of the store! in case you wanted to walk away with the Whole Experience haha. I love it here i'm bringing my family when i'm back in sf thank you for a great afternoon :)

    Samantha B.

    A very fun experience!! My fiancé and I popped in here on a rainy day after seeing it mentioned a couple times on tik tok, every tea is delicious!! They let you try quite a few various teas and tell you their properties and more information about the teas, including what it's good for as well! Uncle is also a very funny man!! It was a very welcoming environment!! It was such a great experience that we brought my cousin and his girlfriend the next day when they came up to visit!

    Interior and all the teas
    Mia G.

    UNCLE GEE IS A G. MY GOAT. MY KING. 95 with baby smooth skin and "sexy like hell." I want to gatekeep this place but I also want uncle gee to have extreme success so that's why I'm reviewing this place. I was entertained and educated on tea. Great tea, great time. Stop by and tell him I sent you.

    Oolong tasting with our work team
    Mary W.

    3 stop on the SF food walking tour! VERY great customer service she greeted our group immediately when we got here. All sat down and she started making tea for us to taste. Tea lines the walls on all sides, gives it a great vibe for a tea shop! I picked up tea for my husbands "fatty liver"

    They have some spices, not just tea! Tibetan saffron
    Rebecca W.

    - free, extensive tea tasting - exceptionally friendly and chatty services - high quality teas Ask and you shall receive! Anything you want to sample, they'll make for you--seemingly no matter the cost. We were served at least ten samples while we were there, if not more. Their selection is huge, the staff is lovely and knowledgeable. Recommend!

    Soooo many types of tea, herb, and flower leaves!
    Stephanie B.

    Kenny @ Vital Tea Shop was the Highlight of the tour of Chinatown what a Character! I learned new information about the best ways to seep/serve tea, herbs, flowers while being treated to a tasting of 6 varieties. He was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful with choosing selections of tea based on our preferences.

    Tea samples
    Kiran S.

    This fast-casual tea shop was such a pleasant find of the day. They have ALL types of loose leaf tea for any type of need. They offer complimentary tea tasting, and it's extremely educational and interactive with the customers. The staff was super friendly, I believe it's family owned. They have two locations in Chinatown. We walked away with some blue tea after the tasting. Will definitely be back!

    Lori H.

    Amazing place to try all kinds of tea, and was able to sample unique flavors I've never tried before. The owner is like the "soup nazi" of tea and makes snarky comments, may or may not be for you. The place is clean and prices start around $20 for a 1/4 lb (the minimum size).

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    3 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Vital Tea Leaf is my cup of tea! May the quiet strength of the place. Always happy to have her serve us up

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    4 months ago

    This place is a must try when in the area. Free tea tasting. Their tea is great. The the people working there know tea and benefits

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    6 months ago

    Amazing experience! Delicious teas! Ming was very helpful, enthusiastic, and a great salesman.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Absolutely amazing experience and phenomenal teas. The staff were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and entertaining. Great spot to stop in.

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    10 months ago

    The owner Kenny had us sample a lot of teas and gave us a lot of information and humor, it was the highlight of our Chinatown trip

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    Page 1 of 13

    Ask the Community - Vital Tea Leaf

    Do I need to make a reservation for the Tea Tasting or i can just show up?

    I’d call ahead to make sure Hunter was working then head on in if the answer is ‘yes’

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - Vital Tea Leaf

    Uncle Gee provides an amazing educational, entertaining and refreshing view on the relationship of tea on health.

    Mentioned in 45 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    I'm Korean and usually very picky about matcha, but Kiss of Matcha genuinely impressed me. The…read morematcha has a strong, rich flavor without being overly sweet like many other places. You can tell they use quality powder. The soft serve was smooth and creamy, and the hojicha drinks were also excellent. The atmosphere feels calm and cozy, similar to cafés in Seoul. The staff was friendly and patient even during busy hours. Easily one of the best matcha cafés I've tried in San Francisco.

    I searched IG for the best matcha spots in SF and Kiss of Matcha came up over and over so I had to…read moretry it! It's about a 20-minute walk from Union Square and I figured I would burn off the calories that I was about to consume on the walk there and back! I was especially excited because the menu offered soy milk which is my preferred non-dairy milk. Unfortunately they were out of soy milk on my visit but they also offer almond oat and coconut. Their matcha offerings are plentiful and unique and so I had to get three items to try with so many more I want to try next time. You can order through 2 kiosks and while there's not that many tables for sitting the shop was clean and the staff was friendly. I got the hot Sakura Matcha and while I was not a fan of the Pickled Sakura and pulled it out the rest of the drink was very enjoyable. It had a strong much of flavor which I liked. I also got the iced Ube matcha because I love all things ube 50% sweet and light Ice (which it says it doesn't recommend but I don't know why because the drink was amazing.) I don't usually like dango but i had to try their dango cuz it's served in a matcha cream and it was good in that cream! It was actually a very generous serving of Dango (4 skewers of 4) which would be great if you were with a group.

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    The Center SF - Inside The Center SF: The Bamboo Studio, Tea Lounge, and Parlor

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    I came here at the recommendation of a friend along with a few other people and we got a pot of…read moreturmeric chai to share so we could sit inside and chit chat. They have quite the selection of teas which are pretty fragrant and the menu is helpfully organized based on the level of caffeine in the teas. I thought the tea was decent. I learned that The Center is a space where events and classes are often held, and that there's actually people who live here (presumably upstairs). When I went on a Sunday afternoon, there were quite a few people there to talk or work on their laptops. I admit this place is a bit too "woowoo" for me, but I'm sure for some other people this would be a good fit for their desired atmosphere.

    A lovely third space! The inside is a lot bigger than I was expecting, since the entrance is a…read morelittle hidden down an alleyway. This space feels super homey compared to other cafes as everyone mainly sits on the floor and you also take your shoes off inside. There's a huge selection of teas, and you can get free refills on the pots for as long as you want ($12)! I came on a Sunday afternoon and it got SUPER packed while I was there and pretty loud. I'd recommend coming earlier if you want to snag a table. I saw a lot of people catching up or doing work as well!

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    I know this was a highly rated boba place and my sister even spoke good things of it, and I had…read morehigh hopes for it... but in the end it fell short. The line was long, waited about 10 minutes for the ordering system, because it's by machine now. Then waited another 15 minutes for the drinks. There were a bunch of teeny boppers in front of me ordering drinks (6-8ish), so it took a bit. I ordered a house milk tea with 25% sugar. Honestly it just tasted like ash. No creamy tasting like other boba places. Not sure what their house cream was but it wasn't creamy or rich in flavor. Big disappointment. My husband got the crème brulee milk tea and that tasted even worst. It just tasted like bitter burnt pudding. Some sweetness once you get pass the pudding. Not sure who made the drinks but it was not good. The boba however was nice and soft. Not sure if it's the day or the rush of hella orders, but I normally judge a boba place by their basic milk tea and that day it was not good. And maybe that's not what to order? Not sure. But willing to try again on another time.

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    KitTea - Noodle (around with unlimited teas)

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    4.6(1.1k reviews)
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    Came here for the Neko Oji-san collaboration, as that's how I learned about the cafe (I love the…read morecomedy short form manga online, check it out!). Parking nearby is horrendous, super busy even on the weekdays before the rush hour so I can't imagine weekends when people are out or other high traffic times. Get ready to make some rounds and pay for parking and be careful since there's very specific signage and times. The cafe itself is cute and cozy. Front area is a gift shop with lots of cat themed gifts and goodies like keychains, stickers, and such, and also some items from local and small artists too, which is neat. The cafe also has community events like movie showings ("The Cat Returns" was one of them which is a great choice) and cat yoga. If you're local, you can also get a time stamp if you are a frequent visitor. Definitely follow their socials for more information. There's reservations online and you can also do walk ins if it's not super busy. You can book for a 55 minute visit or a 30 minute visit. PRO-TIP: There's a discount for students, so if you want to be surrounded by some feline friends while you study or relax, great place to do so. You can hang your coat on the rack and there's a mini shelf area for your shoes. So you gotta walk in with socks! With each visit you can either get a hot cup of tea or a cold can or box drink from their fridge (sparking water, juices, etc.). Very refreshing and you can enjoy it in the cat area too. Sanitize your hands before and after visiting. There's lots of cats hiding around, sleeping, walking around, and some are super friendly and will go into your lap. There's toys you can play with the cats with and there's a wall of adoptable cats. Lots of seats or you can opt to sit on the floor with the cats too. There's relaxing lo-fi music throughout too. Pretty cool that they rescued 2 cats from Qatar and neat that we got to see them. As with all cats, some can be a bit spicy but it's usually just a warning teeth rub. I own cats so there's nothing new. I'm horribly allergic to the cat that specifically lives in my house, but I didn't get an allergy here, meaning that the cats are clean and well taken for. My favorite was a large sleepy orange boy, Ron (permanent non-adoptable resident) that was hanging out next to me the entire time.

    The cats here are so cute!! Theres so many of them and they do not feel stressed at all. We stopped…read moreby a Friday afternoon and opted for the 30min session which I don't remember seeing available as an available option if reserving online. We didn't have any trouble walking in though and we were the only ones inside for most of the time. You get to choose a beverage of your choice from the fridge. They're mostly sparkling waters. We took off our socks and found a table to sit at. Some of the cats came up to greet us when we were sitting. There are also toys available for you to use to play with them. Many of the cats were napping or lounging around but don't mind if you come up to sit next to them and give them pets. There were all types of cats and some of them are actually available for adoption if you happen to fall in love with one!

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    Vital Tea Leaf - coffee - Updated June 2026

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