We offer a broad selection of tea flavors at the caffe. Which is kind of strange for an Italian pastry shop. Italy is the land of espresso. Italians don’t drink tea (Te’ in Italian) with their meals. Until recently, their understanding of tea was limited to the British “tea time” custom and a few standard blends. When you travel through Italy, you notice that tea is made available mostly for the benefit of tourists (in restaurants) and they usually only offer two or three flavors (English Breakfast, Earl Grey or Green Tea). In fact, for many centuries, the only place you could get tea in Italy was from a chemist/pharmacist. Italians historically associated tea (including herbal teas) with winter, illness, and weight loss. It’s therefore not surprising that many Italians still don’t know what to make of tea. When Italians do drink tea it is usually heavily sweetened (often with honey) and with a wedge of lemon…there goes the weight loss.

Tea consumption amongst Italians, especially during the last 15 years, has grown. In fact, in the urban centers (Rome, Florence, Milan, Turin, Venice, etc) tea consumption is growing rapidly with the younger generations, and is a very fashionable trend. There are several reasons for this new found interest in tea. Factors suchs as increased tourism, globalization and a rise in the popularity of Asian cuisine, are now gaining new adherents for tea in Italy. A few years ago the first Italian tea expo was held in Bologna. There’s an Italian magazine Fogli di Te completely dedicated to promoting tea consumption. There’s a small tea farm in the heart of Tuscany and there are several local Italian tea purveyors with an excellent reputation both in Italy and internationally.

At L’ Arte we respect tea! As Italians, we have a natural affinity for good drinks! So, relax…enjoy your L’Arte pastry with te’…free of guilt or shame. We are committed to the highest quality loose leaf tea, selecting fine certified organics. We only purchase from environmentally responsible tea companies and people who works with organic farms and all-natural products and are committed to Earth-friendly packaging including post-consumer recycled and biodegradable materials and water-based inks. See you soon and next time you stop in let’s have a “cuppa”.

Chef Andrea