Tea shops · Philadelphia, United States
A Philadelphia coffee roaster since 1985 whose short tea shelf covers the classics, sold in 4 and 5.25 oz bags.
Illustrative image
The house
Old City Coffee was founded in 1985 by Ruth Isaac as a one-person operation at 221 Church Street, in the neighbourhood it is named after. By 1988 it had a second counter inside Reading Terminal Market, and today there is an annex there as well, at 1136 Arch Street. Coffee roasted in small batches is what most people walk in for; the tea shelf is a deliberately short list kept beside it, not an afterthought bought from a catalogue.
Eleven teas make up that list. The blacks come in 5.25 oz bags at US$ 12 — Earl Grey, a Keemun sold under the English Breakfast name, and an organic Nilgiri — with a decaf Ceylon at US$ 10. An organic Darjeeling and a Sencha Green come in smaller 4 oz bags at US$ 12 and US$ 11. The herbal end is hibiscus and a lemon ginger blend in 4 oz, spearmint in 2 oz, and the house herbal blend of spearmint, chamomile and hibiscus in 3 oz.
There is one green tea, no oolong and no white, and that is an honest picture of what a roaster sells: tea for the person who makes coffee at home and wants one or two teas in the cupboard too. The three counters are all in historic Philadelphia — Church Street in Old City, plus the main stand and the annex inside Reading Terminal Market — and the shop takes online orders for pickup as well as shipping.
Philadelphia · United States
221 Church St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
On Church Street in Old City, with two further counters inside Reading Terminal Market, at 51 N 12th St and at the 1136 Arch Street annex.
Hours are not recorded for this location. Check with the house before visiting.
Directions to this location →Check with the house before visiting. Published hours may include appointments, seasonal schedules or temporary closures; live status, where available, applies only to the named location and does not account for exceptional closures.
The FindMeTea edit
01 · Black tea
The breakfast tea here is a single Keemun rather than a blend of several origins. The name on the bag tells you the style; the label tells you the leaf.
US$ 12· 5.25 oz
Explore this tea →02 · Black tea
The only Darjeeling on the shelf, certified organic and sold in the smaller 4 oz bag. Among the blacks it is the one bought for the leaf rather than for the pot.
US$ 12· 4 oz
Explore this tea →03 · Green tea
The only green tea on the list, which makes this one bag the entire Japanese side of the shelf.
US$ 11· 4 oz
Explore this tea →The one worth the trip
Nilgiri stands beside Assam and Darjeeling as one of India's three big black-tea regions, and here it gets a bag of its own, organic. At 5.25 oz it holds more leaf than the Darjeeling for the same US$ 12, so it is the generous purchase on this shelf. On a coffee roaster's counter it is the one bag that shows somebody made a choice.
US$ 12· 5.25 oz
Explore this tea →Prices
Prices are indicative. Each price keeps its currency and pack size; this selection does not necessarily cover the house's complete range.
11 prices
| Tea | Type | Price / pack |
|---|---|---|
| Spearmint | Herbal infusion | US$ 9.502 oz |
| Decaf Ceylon | Black tea | US$ 105.25 oz |
| Sencha Green | Green tea | US$ 114 oz |
| Hibiscus | Herbal infusion | US$ 114 oz |
| Lemon Ginger Herbal | Herbal infusion | US$ 114 oz |
| Blue Eyes Herbal Blend | Herbal infusion | US$ 114 oz |
| Herbal Blend | Herbal infusion | US$ 113 oz |
| Earl Grey | Black tea | US$ 125.25 oz |
| Keemun (English Breakfast) | Black tea | US$ 125.25 oz |
| Darjeeling, Organic | Black tea | US$ 124 oz |
| Nilgiri Organic | Black tea | US$ 125.25 oz |
Indicative prices, with each product’s pack size. Prices may change; check with the shop. Price verification dates: 2026-09-08.
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Images are cropped to fit the layout. The generic cover, when used, is illustrative and does not show this shop.
