No one knows tea better than the friendly experts at this bright and airy tea bar. Think wine tasting, then substitute hundreds of healthful teas steeped and served fresh for you.

Heads up, America: you don't know jack about tea. You've been steeping the same old Bigelow tea bags for 50 years and worse yet, you think you're doing it right. But there's a lot more to tea than that, and no one knows it better than the friendly tea experts at Vital Tea Leaf's bright and airy tasting bar. Think wine tasting, then substitute hundreds of healthful teas steeped and served fresh for you.

Herman is an expert at finding the right tea for everyone, and he'll often start off a tasting by asking "what ails you?" You see, in the Chinese tradition, tea isn't just a beverage: it's a treatment for everything from high blood pressure (Angel green tea) to, ahem, bedroom issues (Ox root tea, or as Herman puts it, "Chinese Viagra"). He'd recommend the white jasmine pearl tea for its antioxidant, immunity-boosting properties, the Blue People ginseng tea for concentration and mental clarity, and the rose tea for dry skin and clear complexions (we'll take 10 lbs, please!). And that's just the tip of the tea bush.

Vital Tea has over 200 varieties of teas too choose from, all hand-plucked from the busy tea markets of China. And there's nary a tea bag to be seen: all their tea is sold in quarter lb increments. Did you know a quarter pounder of your favorite tea can brew up to 100 cups? Nope, we didn't either. Herman says it's because loose leaves can be resteeped up to 6 times, making them totally recyclable and reusable (and compostable!). So throw out those musty tea bags and get thee to Vital for a whole new lease on tea life.

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Menu Highlights: (per quarter lb)
White jasmine pearl, $20
Angel green, $30
Blue people, $30
Puerh, $20-$40
Lychee, $12
Rose, $20

Hours:
Open 11am to 7pm every day