tea leaf vs tea

tea leaf and tea both are nouns.

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

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

tea leaf (noun)	tea (noun)
dried leaves of the tea shrub; used to make tea	a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
	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