The Pros: Massive Variety: Truly a "one-stop shop" for tea…read moreenthusiasts. Low Pressure: The staff greeted me and then stayed hands-off until I had questions. The Price: Easily some of the best values in the city. The Con: Sealed Packaging: Everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags. Because of the sealing, you can't smell the tea before buying. I'd love to see them implement scent jars in the future to help with the selection process. Neutral Observations In-House Packaging: All the tea is packaged identically in 1lb bags, which suggests they likely process and bag everything in-house. Labeling: I didn't notice any specific organic labels on the packaging, though I didn't explicitly ask. If this is a deal breaker, you may want to ask. Review If you're looking for a genuine loose leaf tea source -- your search ends here. I stumbled upon this place after endless online searching (blogs, search engines, etc) and it was well worth the effort! Just a heads-up on navigation: G-Maps is slightly off. If you rely solely on that, you'll be a few doors down. Look for the Volvo mechanics and the shop is located just on the other side. The exterior is unassuming, no windows, just a sandwich board on the sidewalk and a door. Looking inside it's a bit of a mysterious vibe, you'll see a stairway to the left and a hallway ahead. Go for it. Ignore the single pane glass, bank-teller-style window to your right (which directs you to the main door) and just head in. Also, keep an eye on the clock because, per the phone tree, they close for lunch from 12:30 to 1:00. I arrived right after 1pm and was able to park right in front. There was also plenty of other parking spot around at that time. IDK why, but before walking in, my imagination had prepared me for an old-world San Francisco opium den. I was thinking there was going to be this lingering aromatic smoke, plush floor pillows, people lounging, sipping tea, and the soft, ambient melodies of an upscale spa. I had also pictured rows of heavy, whiskey-style wooden barrels overflowing with loose leaf tea, topped with clear lids and metal scoops. The reality is much more utilitarian. This is not a den or a spa. It's clean, straightforward, and focused entirely on their product. The selection is robust and incredibly diverse. While they claim "wholesale to the public", I can't verify the industry margins, but I can tell you the prices are very good for the quality you receive. The employee greeted me and then stayed hands-off while I browsed, which I appreciated. When I did ask specifics, they had basic foundational knowledge. Honestly with the diversity and sheer quantity of products offered, it would take forever to earn a Tea Master badge. No harm no foul. The only real bummer here is that everything is pre-sealed in 1lb plastic bags, so there is no way to smell the product. I'd really appreciate scent jars in front of the bags. Since they seem to be doing the packaging in-house anyway, it makes me wonder why they haven't set aside a small amount of each batch for scent jars. It wouldn't require a change in their supply chain, just a few ounces and a glass jar to help customers navigate that massive variety. That aside, I absolutely loved this place. I've been searching for a spot like this for a long time. I'm just glad I finally found it. If you're at all interested in loose leaf tea, I'd suggest giving these folks an honest try.

I needed dried lavender for simple syrup and ice cream and found this place online. Prices are very…read moreaffordable and they have so many options! I'm not able to post all my photos but this is some of what they offer! Will definitely come back.

They have an amazing array of herbs and spices, and a very helpful and knowledgeable staff. I've…read morebeen very pleased with everything I've bought here.

Lots of awesome spices and selection along with knowledgeable and friendly staff, more than willing…read moreto help you find what you're looking for and provide their opinion! Prices are also very good even though it's located in a more expensive retail area. I'm looking forward to trying more items from here!

They should charge to just let you go in and smell all the great spices. But they have sales and…read morealso help with "what is this for?" Always so kind. ONLY when I'm in a last minute jam do I buy spices from the grocery store. Their social justice status is so on point.

On Labor Day Monday, Penzey's was one of the few stores open during the holiday…read more This visit, I found some small bottles of "Resist", which consists of black pepper, salt, paprika, cayenne red pepper, white pepper, and chipotle pepper, discounted to only $2 a jar. These will become Christmas stocking stuffers. If you are on their email subscriber list, you might receive a bonus mystery spice jar with your purchase. (I didn't get the jar because I had taken myself off their list.) No biggie.

All. The. Spices! I…read moremay have temporarily lost my sense of smell while so, so excitedly sniffing ALL the scents, but I finally made a decision (with a little help from the nice employees). My favorite so far is the smoked salt because it's so versatile! I also bought a guava jam that looked so divine, but sadly the airport trashed it (I am convinced they just ate it because again...it looked so yummy), so maybe one day I'll try again! I will be back next time I'm in the bay to stock up on more spices.

You'll know you're right at home as soon as you walk through the door. For anybody that's wondered…read morerows of disorganized shelves of stuff all over the place or spots that are less than well kept, look no further. Oaktown Spice Shop is immaculate, well organized, and staffed with folks that are quite passionate about the goods! Also helps that it smells amazing, but it really speaks to the quality of their stuff. If you had any doubts about them, put that to rest and just visit or use their online store! Any foodie worth their salt (hah get it) will be able to appreciate what this place has to offer.

The owner welcomed us as we walked in and it's a very nice spice and tea place on the second floor…read moreof Pier 39. We looked at the honey and the spices. The owner came over and introduced us to the jars that are all around the shop. You can open these jars to smell whatever spice or tea to get a feel for what you would be purchasing. If I remember correctly, the owner and his girlfriend blend it themselves. We purchased some flavored salts, and cranberry apple jam honey. They also had samples of a white strawberry tea that was amazing. This store is great and the service from the owner was fantastic from a details end. I appreciated what they were doing and definitely will be back when we venture out to Pier 39 again.

Food: (5/10) the drinks were nothing special. I got a hot chocolate and I definitely can make a…read morebetter hot chocolate at home. We also got a pumpkin chai latte and that wasn't the best either. Not worth what we paid. Service: (6/10) I have mixed reviews about this. Our cashier was a 10/10. He was so kind, nice and cool. The woman who made our drinks was very stand-offish and not exactly what I consider customer service friendly. The man who manages the place swindled us and I didn't appreciate that. He really sold us a story that him and his gf are the owners and that they made everything in house and on their own. We later found out that these are franchises and their stand alone shops exist in many places. We thought we were supporting a family-owned business and we bought spices and drinks to help him and his gf out. He may have been a great salesman but not cool, dude. Not cool. Ambiance: (5/10) nothing special. It's cool that you can smell a lot of the spices and teas though. Really helps you decide on what to buy. Additional Notes: the spices are pricey. A 1oz bag is $8

My friend told me about this great spice shop I had to go to, so happy I did!…read moreThey had so much to look at everyone was really welcoming and friendly. Any questions or welcomed I was looking for two particular spices and my daughter wanted some loose tea. The lady that was helping me was so nice. She actually gave me a recipe for one of the spices that was recommended to me. Very excited to go back to Los Angeles and try what we purchased, even more excited to come back to the San Francisco area and come back to this Oaktown spice shop. I found street parking quite easy. They did have 20 minute parking so be careful where you are parked. I found a one hour parking right across the street.

On our stroll of Solano Ave, we stopped by this spice shop. Talk about spices. This shop has an…read moreamazing large selection of spices from all over the world. Two in our group bought several types of spices. The workers were friendly and answered their questions. If you are in need of spices and hard to find spices, you will find it here. I must shop for you home cooks out there.

I was amazed and truly loved this local Spicery with the unique tea and spices options…read more The staff is amazing. The prices are a bit higher than the market, but at the same time it is a special tea options from green tea till herbal tea with some flowers that makes it blue in the cup! There are good options for a gift or a present for a special occasion. Parking is limited and only street parking is available in front. But if you park near by you will have an opportunity to walk around the area, which is itself a nice experience.

Visiting family near this waterfront gem recently, I discovered the most amazing spices! There are…read moreso many uniquely blended spices to choose from here. Upon walking in, the woman at the counter was friendly and helpful in asking how she could help find the exact one I was looking for that day. My Mom accompanying me, she ended up guessing which one too, the Baker's Cinnamon. The shop has such a comforting, welcoming vibe too no matter what spice you're looking for or are curious about. This should be Marin's go to spice shop no doubt.

Love this local gem…read more I'm slowly replacing all my seasonings with their products (with the exception of some Persian food seasonings like sumac which I still get from Sadaf). Friendly and helpful people working here and a nice bottle recycling program. If you are anywhere near 24th St. enjoy cooking, I do recommend stopping by. Both their standard seasonings and special blends have been great.

I love this place, and it is so great to have them in the heart of Noe…read more The selection is excellent and the blends are superb (I recommend the Noe Valley sweet herb blend.). The space is calm, the folks helping are friendly and knowledgeable. It feels good to support a local small business plus their goods make great gifts - who doesn't want to spice up their spice rack from time to time!

special place with a special vibe and great teas and herbs. Fun to browse and connect with B.read more

Came in with my mom who seen this place and wanted to look around and we were NOT disappointed!! We…read morewere able to find traditional herbs that we've been looking for, for a long time and were treated very well. The owner was very knowledgeable about different ways to utilize the herbs and all the herbs we inquired about!! We will definitely be back! Our new favorite go to place!!

Love this place! The owner and team are super nice and really know their stuff. I just let them…read morepick out my herbal teas for me--no recipe needed--and they always get it right. Can't wait to come back!

This doctor's prescriptions helped my medical condition and gave me pain relief without using…read moreKaiser's recommendations of taking Advil every 6 hrs.