The city guide · United States
The city guide · United StatesTea shops inBuffalo.
Buffalo's tea is brewed more than it is sold by the ounce: a downtown tea house pours teas from a dozen countries, a gongfu room on Elmwood serves Chinese leaf by the session, and an Elmwood coffee roaster keeps some 40 loose teas behind the counter, but none of them publish a price list. The two shops that do are a tea blender inside the old Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, open to the public on Saturdays, and a plant-based market on Hertel Avenue with a tea bar. Most of the region's dedicated loose-leaf shops sit in the suburbs.
Illustrative tea photograph
2 places we’d send a friend to.
Our Buffalo shortlist
Good tea is worth knowing where to look.
Places to explore, each with a different reason to stop by. See what to bring home before you go.
Showing 2 of 2 places
- 01Loose-leaf specialist
Snowy Owl Arts + Tea House
Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (Clinton-Bailey)
10 prices listedSnowy Owl Arts + Tea House
1500 Clinton Street, Unit 156, Buffalo, NY 14206
An artist's tea blender and studio inside Buffalo's old food terminal, open on Saturdays, where every blend costs the same by the ounce.
In storeShips onlineSat 12:00–17:00
Read the full shop note
An artist-owned tea blender and studio at 1500 Clinton Street, Unit 156, inside the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, open to the public on Saturdays for a free tea-and-craft afternoon. Every blend is made in-house from whole-leaf tea, fruit, flowers and freshly ground spices, and every one is priced the same: US$ 11.99 for 1 oz or US$ 19.99 for 2 oz, whether it is the Lavender Vanilla Earl Grey, the Ginger Peach on an English Breakfast base, the Sencha Roasted Rice, the Violet Lemongrass green, the Fig Rose Oolong or the Apricot Chamomile rooibos. Free off-street parking, free US shipping over US$ 100.
What to bring home
Website: snowyowltea.com The everyday option
4 prices listedHER Kitchen
1442 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216
A mother-and-daughter plant-based market at 1442 Hertel Avenue that runs cooking classes and a small tea bar where it brews and also sells packaged herbal teas from other makers. The shelf is tisanes rather than tea: The Soul in Bloom's Tree of Hearts blend at US$ 18 for 2 oz, and Deligh Teas' ayurvedic pyramid bags sold singly at US$ 2.95 each (butterfly pea flower, cumin-coriander-fennel, turmeric), plus infusers, tea timers and unbleached filter bags. Open Wednesday to Saturday.
In storeShips onlineWed–Fri 11:00–18:00 · Sat 10:00–16:00
What to bring home
Website: herkitchenbuffalo.com
Prices keep each product’s listed currency and pack size. Check current prices and hours with the shop.
A good cup, closer than you think
Find your tea in Buffalo.
These teas have an exact or close match in the local catalogue. Open a tea to see who sells it and at what price.
Black tea
Earl Grey
See local availability
Black tea
English Breakfast
See local availability
Green tea
Genmaicha
See local availability
Green tea
Gunpowder
See local availability
Browse 8 teas you can find in Buffalo
Also worth a visit
The Original Tea House and Café
Downtown (Pearl Street, near Chippewa) · 392 Pearl Street, Suite 101, Buffalo, NY 14202
Website: theoriginalteahouse.comA downtown tea house pouring teas from around the world by the cup: Kashmiri kahwa, Darjeeling first flush, Alishan oolong, Assam TGFOP, desi chai and matcha. Its website sits behind a bot challenge and its ordering page only lists drinks, so there are no take-home prices to quote.
Ask for prices in storeThe Jade Turtle
Elmwood Village · 1007 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222
A Chinese tea room that brews high-mountain loose leaf gongfu style at the table, by the session rather than by the bag. No website, no to-go service and no retail price list, so it belongs on the visit list, not the shopping list.
Ask for prices in storeBlue Mountain Coffees
Elmwood Village · 509 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222
A long-running Elmwood coffee roaster that also keeps around 40 loose teas, white, green and black, sold by weight at the counter. It has no website of its own, so we could not read a price.
Ask for prices in storeTea Leaf Cafe
Hertel Avenue (North Buffalo) · 1487 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216
Website: tealeafcafe.comThe Buffalo branch of a small local chain of tea cafés (also in Amherst, Blasdell and Hamburg) with bubble tea, dumplings and a long loose-leaf list. Its website is an ordering app that only renders in the browser, so the 'Premium Tea' section could not be read for prices.
Ask for prices in storeBack To Nature
University Heights (Main Street) · 3410 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214
Website: herbsbacktonature.comA neighbourhood health-food store since 2006 with bulk and bagged teas, herbal blends and bulk spices, open Monday to Friday 9:30–17:30 and Saturday 9:30–13:00. The website lists categories only, with no prices.
Ask for prices in storeA little local knowledge
Before you head out.
Currency, grams & tea bags
Each price keeps its original pack size. A box of bags and a pouch of loose leaf aren’t a like-for-like comparison.
Check the right location
Hours and visiting conditions can differ between branches. Use the address and details for the location you plan to visit.
Pickup and appointments
Some sellers operate pickup offices or showrooms. Read the shop note and check its visiting conditions before setting out.
A guide with a point of view
Tea specialists lead the discovery. Other retailers keep their own category, for familiar blends and everyday essentials.
Keep following the tea
Where to next?
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CanadaAdd my tea house to the list
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Photography & credits
Tea photographs are illustrative unless identified as a photograph of the shop. Images are cropped or framed to fit the layout.
- 五玄土 ORIENTO · Original photograph · Unsplash License