Tea shops · Philadelphia, United States
Tea shops · Philadelphia, United StatesThe Head Nut
A spice, nut and tea stand inside Reading Terminal Market selling more than 180 loose teas by the single ounce.
One ounce is a real unit here: a first ounce of gunpowder or of pu-erh costs under two dollars, which turns tasting a whole family of tea into pocket change.
The Head Nut is a spice, nut and tea counter at 51 N 12th St, inside Reading Terminal Market, with its main store out in Ardmore at 2408 Haverford Rd. The business is family-owned and traces its roots to Temp Tee Nuts, a nut packaging company founded in 1945, reinvented several times since. Tea is one shelf of a much wider counter of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, candy and spices, which is why it is priced like a bulk aisle and not like a boutique.
More than 180 loose teas are sold by weight, and what the list prices is the first ounce: Pinhead Gunpowder and a China pu-erh at US$ 1.99, Japanese Sencha at US$ 2.25, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Ceylon Orange Pekoe and Jasmine Yin Hao at US$ 2.50, Assam Satrupa and a Huang Jin Kui oolong at US$ 2.99, Lapsang Souchong and a Formosa oolong at US$ 3.50, Ti Kuan Yin and Pai Mu Tan at US$ 3.99, Gold Tip Darjeeling at US$ 4.25, Dragonwell at US$ 5.50 and Keemun Mao Feng at US$ 6.99. Quarter, half and full pounds cost proportionally less.
The shelf covers black, green, oolong, white and pu-erh, plus yerba mate, rooibos, chai and chamomile flowers, so one visit can cover most of what a beginner would want to compare side by side. The Ardmore store publishes its hours — Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Orders also ship from the website, which carries a seasonal note that chocolate and yogurt-covered products stay home in warm weather.
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- US$ 1.99
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Where it is
Reading Terminal Market
51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Inside Reading Terminal Market, in central Philadelphia.
Ardmore (main store)
2408 Haverford Rd, Ardmore, PA 19003
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–20:00 · Sat 09:00–18:00 · Sun 10:00–17:00
What to buy here
Gunpowder
Pinhead Gunpowder China Green Tea
from US$ 1.99 · 1 oz
Tied with the China pu-erh for the cheapest tea on the counter. Pinhead grade means the leaf is rolled into small tight pellets that open slowly in the pot.
See our page on this tea →Tieguanyin
Ti Kuan Yin Iron Goddess of Mercy
from US$ 3.99 · 1 oz
The best known of the Anxi oolongs, rolled into tight balls. A single ounce is enough to brew it more than once before deciding whether the family is for you.
See our page on this tea →Darjeeling
Gold Tip Darjeeling
from US$ 4.25 · 1 oz
One of the dearer blacks on the list and still an ounce-sized purchase. Gold tip refers to the golden buds picked into the grade.
See our page on this tea →
The one worth the trip
Huang Jin Kui Oolong
from US$ 2.99 · 1 oz
Huang Jin Kui, golden osmanthus, is the second Anxi oolong on this counter and the less familiar of the pair. Sold by the ounce, it costs less than the Ti Kuan Yin sitting beside it. That makes a side-by-side comparison of two cultivars given much the same processing cheap enough to do on a whim — which is the whole argument for buying tea in ounces.
See our page on this tea →Every price we read, one by one
List prices read on the shop's own product pages. Open a tea to see who else sells it.
| Tea | Type | Price | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinhead Gunpowder China Green Tea | Green tea | from US$ 1.99 | 1 oz |
| China Pu Erh Tea | Pu-erh tea | from US$ 1.99 | 1 oz |
| Japanese Sencha Green Tea | Green tea | from US$ 2.25 | 1 oz |
| English Breakfast | Black tea | from US$ 2.50 | 1 oz |
| Earl Grey Black Tea | Black tea | from US$ 2.50 | 1 oz |
| Ceylon Orange Pekoe | Black tea | from US$ 2.50 | 1 oz |
| Jasmine Superior Quality Yin Hao | Green tea | from US$ 2.50 | 1 oz |
| Natural Chai Tea | Chai | from US$ 2.50 | 1 oz |
| Assam Satrupa Black Tea | Black tea | from US$ 2.99 | 1 oz |
| Huang Jin Kui Oolong | Oolong tea | from US$ 2.99 | 1 oz |
| Lapsang Souchong | Black tea | from US$ 3.50 | 1 oz |
| Formosa Fine Oolong | Oolong tea | from US$ 3.50 | 1 oz |
| Raw Yerba Mate | Yerba mate | from US$ 3.50 | 1 oz |
| Ti Kuan Yin Iron Goddess of Mercy | Oolong tea | from US$ 3.99 | 1 oz |
| Pai Mu Tan White Tea | White tea | from US$ 3.99 | 1 oz |
| Gold Tip Darjeeling | Black tea | from US$ 4.25 | 1 oz |
| Rooibos Dragonfly Song | Rooibos | from US$ 4.50 | 1 oz |
| Chamomile Flowers | Herbal infusion | from US$ 4.50 | 1 oz |
| Lung Ching Dragonwell Green Tea | Green tea | from US$ 5.50 | 1 oz |
| Keemun Mao Feng Tea | Black tea | from US$ 6.99 | 1 oz |
| Organic Genmaicha Matcha | Green tea | from US$ 6.99 | 1 oz |
Teas you can find here
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Prices checked by us on Sep 8, 2026; they may change. No shop pays to appear here.