tea vs tea leaf

tea and tea leaf both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
tea	Yes	No	No	No
tea leaf	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, tea and tea leaf are synonyms defined as:

tea (noun)	tea leaf (noun)
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water	dried leaves of the tea shrub; used to make tea
a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes
dried leaves of the tea shrub; used to make tea
a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree extensively cultivated in e.g. China and Japan and India; source of tea leaves