From a borrowed kettle to a quiet room of our own.
Leaf began in 2017 with a single shelf of tins and a borrowed kettle at a weekend market. We brewed by the cup, talked to anyone who'd stop, and watched the same faces return week after week — not just for the tea, but for the pause that came with it.
A year later we found a small room on Willow Lane, painted it the colour of green tea, and filled it with plants and second-hand chairs. We still pour every cup by hand. We've simply added more seats — and a lot more leaves to choose from.
We taste at the source, then bring it straight home.
Every season we visit the gardens we buy from — terraced slopes in Uji, misty hills in the Wuyi Mountains, family plots in Darjeeling. We cup the new harvests on site, agree fair prices face to face, and carry the leaf back with as little between it and you as possible.
At the bar, freshness is everything. Tea is stored cool and sealed, ground only when needed, and brewed to the temperature and time each leaf asks for — never a second too long.
- Direct relationships with named, small-scale growers.
- Whole leaf only — never dust, never fillers.
- Stored cool and sealed for peak aroma and flavour.
Meet the team behind the bar
The faces who'll learn your order, suggest your next favourite, and never rush your cup.
Mei Lin
Started it all at the market and still tastes every new harvest before it reaches the menu.
Tomas Reyes
Trained in Kyoto and can whisk a flawless usucha with his eyes half closed.
Hana Park
Knows every leaf on the wall and the perfect cup for whatever kind of day you're having.
Noah Bennett
Bakes the matcha cheesecake and madeleines fresh each morning before we open.
The quiet principles in every pot
Fair from the root
We pay growers fairly and pay our team a living wage. A calm cup shouldn't cost anyone their dignity.
Gentle on the earth
Compostable to-go ware, reusable tins, and spent leaves shared with neighbourhood gardeners each week.
Space to be still
No screens on the walls, no rush to leave — just a quiet room where an afternoon can stretch out.
Come taste the quiet.
Words only steep so far. The best way to understand Leaf is to pull up a chair and stay a while.