Gold Leaf Spice & Teas

Oh my gosh, what can I say about Gold Leaf? It’s a little gem in this not so interesting town we call Salinas! I accidentally discovered this place about a year ago as I was walking to downtown. It’s such a cool place. Awesome vibe, looks hip. Love the tea bar, and seeing all the tea jars on the wall is just fascinating and looks really nice. I was surprised with how knowledgeable the girl was about the different teas! (Sorry I forgot her name) She recommended a few different ones after asking what I liked. She opened up the containers so I could smell them and even gave me a sample of a few. I left with well over 8 teas the first time I went! It’s a cool place to come and relax, sip some tea & read a book. Very calming energy here! Oh! And I love that they can ice any tea you want! I recommend getting an iced tea with half lemonade and matcha added. Delicious! Tea’s are a little pricey but totally worth it. I feel they are better quality than Teavana (which I was addicted to) but now I stick to Gold Leaf. More variety and I feel more natural and organic. Very fresh tasting. I appreciate the good customer service as well. Summing it all up… I LOVE THIS PLACE. I recommend the Hawaiian paradise tea, African summer, pomegranate green tea & white ambrosia! Give them a shot! I hope this place is here forever!

Extremely friendly service. They’re very welcoming and will walk you thru the menu if it’s your first time. My favorite is the Iced Matcha Latte with Almond Milk with agave. OMG, DELICIOUSSSSS!

What a community this tea shop has created! A wonderful place to sit and read, work or visity with a friend. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about the many teas and products they carry, and have a good way of peaking the curiosity to try a new tea.
A favorite Salinas hangout.

They are Super friendly and patient. Great tea. I let them pick a random one and it was GOOD. Can’t wait to try more.

My favorite bar in Salinas.
Yep, you hear it right. This place rocks!
The only tea bar in the area and it has over 100 teas and spices to try.
It has been a great spot to meet new people and chill.
The staff is friendly and outgoing and can recommend anything that may ail or soothe you.
My mainstays for ordering at Gold Leaf are:
A) They carry Gyokuro Matcha green tea. A natural energy booster. Make sure you ask for a boost of Ghost Pepper if you like spicy. Perfect as a iced tea on warm days.
B) I personally love the Hot Cinnamon Spice tea (Black Tea, 3 types of Cinnamon, Orange Peel, Sweet Cloves). I usually add ghost pepper to it for a bigger kick. Perfect for everyday and cool days.
Come by and talk to Terri, the owner, she is extremely knowledgeable and her personal story is extraordinary.

A pleasant pit stop on our road trip if you like an aromatic cuppa tea to break your journey. Tea leaves and blends from around the world greet you here and you get to whiff some of what’s in the the canisters. Being an earl grey lover, I enjoyed my vanilla earl grey. The roasted almond apple pie smelled incredibly like the real thing, almost as if. it came out fresh from the oven! There’s a warmth about this place that the owner and staff exude, just like their teas! We bought a couple of pretty bottles of balsamic vinegar and olive oils as gifts too.

Great service! Chantel and Nana are very helpful and knowledgeable barista“s and I will be back recommend to all!!! Great Job Terri and your crew, 5 stars…

Super cool place. Sells delicious and fresh tea. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for and it is awesome!

The whole experience of this hidden gem was truly an inspiration to a less than average tea drinker. Upon walking in, the ‘barista (?)’ was very friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere almost had a «steampunk» vintage feel– and I loved it! There were a couple seated at the larger than life tea bar and they were also very friendly. The young man gave me the list of all the teas– which seemed daunting– but I picked one I wanted now and took some to take home. It was exceptional! I would definitely recommend this place for locals, someone wanting a cool drink, or just wanting to support a local small business. I will definitely come again!

First time here & I didn’t know what to get, they help me me choose something according to my taste. Pretty good but to much ice not enough tea.

Stopped in for my first time today, and I am hooked! Tea tasting takes the guess work out of buying and trying new teas. Great selection of teas and spices. There is definitely something for everyone. Unique and tasty tea blends that are perfect served hot or iced. Owner and staff are knowledgable and super nice! Will be back to try many more, and maybe even stock up on some spices for my growing cabinet
FYI: Gold Leaf tea is served at the local movie theater, Maya Cinemas! Great alternative to sugary soda

Walked in today to Gold Leaf tea, first impressing was amazing. Was welcomed by everyone. Super friendly and very knowledgeable. Our original plan was to get a tea and go on with my day, but that all changed as soon as we started to talk to the owner and the gentleman that helped us (Jonathan). We Ended up staying 3 hours drinking tea and chatting, Which we did not mind. 3 hours well spent. Thank you for the great customer service and making us feel like family. We will defiantly be coming back. :)

I highly recommend this place to anyone, specially people who love teas. My first time going there the lady was super friendly and helpful. She offered different types of teas depending of what we were looking for, plus she offers you to smell the herbs. They provide wonderful service and they are all super nice it just adds good vibes to your day!

Cool tea bar with a wide selection of teas. It has great prices and a friendly relaxing atmosphere. This was exactly what I was looking for while vacationing in monterey and craving a good cup of tea.

Great tea selection and friendly knowledge staff. They had aged Pu erh. Locals stop in during the farmers market to chat. There was a musician playing guitar. We had a fun visit.

This place is fun and modern with a nice long bar to sit at. Great for me, who likes a bar to sit at but doesn’t drink alcohol! Tea is my drug of choice!
Try the maple tea (either green or black), it’s my new favorite. If you’re a tea junkie like me, you will appreciate the friendly and knowledgeable staff. It’s nice to have someone to talk tea with.

For newbies like me, this place can be sort of intimidating at first. From the tea lined walls to the tea connoisseurs sitting at the bar, it may seem like placing an order at one of those fancy coffee shops is a much easier task. If you do end up making your way to the bar, I highly encourage you to do so, be ready to learn and open up your taste buds to an amazing world of deliciousness. From mango iced tea to toasted almond apple pie, there is a new wonderful world to be explored. Will definitely be back.

This is the only bar that I’ve ever been to with out alcohol that I like! It’s a total experience for the senses must go! Delicious!

I came here this Saturday morning during my usually farmer market tour. A young man helped me and made a very tasty Lime Matcha Ice Tea, he shared his knowledge about all the different products they sell. Like spice, olive oil and teas.
My tea was so good give me energy will be back for more!

The Gold Leaf is just amazing. Went to the downtown area this morning to check out a couple of my favorite little boutiques and just had to get a cup of tea.
I ordered the Matcha tea, because it was the only tea I really knew to wake me up and start my morning. As I enjoyed my tea, Terri was as friendly as usual (she is the owner) and is always so cheerful and willing to educate her customers when it comes to tea and spices. I loved learning about the various ways teas are made and brewed. This tea shop is very comfortable and when ordering my tea I just felt relaxed.
I would highly recommend this shop! Keep up the amazing work!

I had the pleasure of having tea here for the very first time today. The atmosphere is quaint and inviting. The variety of teas is astounding and the customer experience was absolutely amazing!!! I will be going back again and again!

Eeeek! A little piece of Heaven! I am in love with teas and this place is superb. Friendly staff, customers and amazing selection on teas and oils. Very cute place. Ordered an herbal tea to go and it was delicious! Very inexpensive.

What a gem! I’m visiting from San Diego, & I wish we had a tea place like this in my town. I love the bar-​style, cozy atmosphere, which makes it easy to meet new people. I drank a delicious iced matcha with fruit flavor. Yum!
Terri gave me samples of the vinegars from Italy and they were the best I’ve ever had! Like another Unilocaler said, I could’ve drank a bunch of that stuff! ;) I also tried a couple of the delicious jams. Awesome.
Overall, Terri and her daughter Leah really make this place special. They are so knowledgeable about their amazing teas and it’s obvious they love what they do, which gives this awesome place a special feeling.

Not only the best high-​quality products but the BEST service and knowledge too!!!
Amazing Teas-​Oils-​Vinegars-​Spices-​Jams!!! I drink, cook & bake with my Gold Leaf products… I add Terri’s Matcha to my Shakeology! … I buy gifts… I make custom spice mixes!!! Custom tea combos!!! There are so many possibilities here.

I cannot have caffeine, so I stick with herbal teas. Local chain establishments have a very limited selection of the stuff, so when I found out there was a «tea bar» in Salinas, I was ecstatic.
I’ve been here a few times on my lunch, and I love it. The owner and her employees are very kind and helpful. They guided me through all the names and variations of the herbal teas, explained flavors, and were all around a joy to be around. I recommend this place to all of my friends. So glad we have some new spots in Salinas!