Vital Tea Leaf

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"

- free, extensive tea tasting- exceptionally friendly and chatty services- high quality teasAsk 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!

Great place if you're looking to buy loose leaf teas! Entertaining guy ran the shop when we stoped by, he didn't spare on niceties which was fun. Store is clean, if you're coming for a "free" tasting (everyone that came left with something though) expect to be here for 30 minutes to an hour unless you really force the guy to pay out your tab.The experience is: you come in, optionally look around if you want to see the options yourself, sit down, he may ask you what you are looking for, roast you a bit, give you a small tasting cup, and then talk and pour away. He entertains the entire place while he makes tea and everyone gets to try everything together.That's only if you're there when it's busier, which he said are weekends and holidays when they're open, but I imagine you get a bit more personal experience otherwise.The only thing (not a big deal) is we were there for a lot longer than we wanted because he kept serving us tea and didn't check us out haha.I would definitely come back if I were in the area and would be open to buying loose leaf tea.

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).

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!

Excellent selection of teas and some very nice merchandise. Very knowledgeable staff. I'm working my way through the "blossom" selection. I appreciate being able to buy an individual one to try on rainy days.

Come to San Francisco for a refill on my tea and the great host makes ir a wonderful experience every time!

I have nothing but good things to say about this place!! The way I felt like all my problems were cured after trying their tea.....This is a cozy family-owned tea shop in chinatown that offers completely free tea tasting! It can get full quickly so try to arrive 15-20 minutes prior to the hour so you can secure a seat, especially if you're going with bigger groups. I think the max seating is probably about 15 chairs.The owners are so incredibly sweet and explain each tea you sample in great detail, along with the health benefits of each one. I loved the ginseng oolong tea, as well as this one black tea which was aged 20 years but I unfortunately do not remember the name. Everything was so good and it was a super nice experience. I would definitely recommend trying and buying something from them too as they are all genuine tea leaves!

Absolutely loved this store! I am new to drinking tea & loved how knowledgeable the staff was regarding all their teas and which ones are best for certain health issues you may be having. They have a nice long table/bar in front that you can sit at and sample teas and learn the process of how to prepare different teas. I had no idea that the temperature you make your tea at can ruin the benefits of the tea if too hot. Great experience & will be ordering tea to my home in MN

Such a lovely experience, so kind as soon as walked in and my friends and i didnt know we were in for such a treat. We tasted 4 different teas for free and Chris led us through a whole story of teas. Got to learn more about all kinds tea :)