A guide for tea lovers in Milan

The best part of running a tea business is visiting organic farms, building relationships with farmers, traveling to rural areas of the world and deciding which teas and herbs to source. But a close second is visiting cities where tea traditions – whether in ceramics, design or fashion – are elevated to an art form. So this summer I left New York and traveled to Milan to experience tea culture in what is arguably one of the most overlooked tea capitals in the world.

Since Italy is better known for its coffee than its tea, I was pleasantly surprised at how my experience in the Italian countryside translated seamlessly to the fashion hotspot: While the coffee menus were the same in most establishments (espresso, macchiato, etc.), I found teas from all over the world, grown in both Japan and China, as well as herbal teas from neighboring Germany and Italy itself.

Join me here on my odyssey through Milan's impressively diverse tea offering during a visit to the city in early summer.

Dégustazione Ristoro e Dispensa

Photo: Maria Geyman

Through a recommendation, I found my first go-to tea spot in Milan, Dégustazione Ristoro e Dispensa. In the 1960s, Japanese artist Hidetoshi Nagasawa left Japan on his bicycle and, with the help of a few boat rides, ended up in Italy—where his bike was stolen. He stayed in Italy for the rest of his life, eventually settling in Milan. Since his death, his studio has been converted into an artist's residence on the second floor of the Dégustazione Ristoro e Dispensa cafe, run by Lorenzo Castellini. Castellini planted roses and an herb garden to create a place where “you can sit in the afternoon with a newspaper.” The cafe and cultural center also houses a garden and cafe, with offerings ranging from tastings of the seasonal, bright green Agricola Maraviglia olive oil to a cup of iced tea from Wilden, a Milan-based herbal tea company. The cafe comes with a small selection of the ingredients used in the cooking, which you can take home as a gift.

Natalia Criado

Modern Milanese tea culture exists not only in shop windows and teahouses, but also in the creative undercurrent that permeates Milan. Colombian-born homeware designer Natalia Criado has lived and worked in Milan for a decade. Her work, which includes a range of silver plates and pink quart teapots with matching cups, is informed and inspired by the rituals that typically accompany tea drinking around the world.

Villa Clea

Co-founded by director Alessandra (Allina) Pelizzari Corbellini and architect Matteo Corbellini, Villa Clea hosts multidisciplinary artists, fashion shoots, and Airbnb guests in a conceptual space that Corbellini designed to accommodate the many uses we have of a home today. Located just minutes from the Fondazione Prada, the property features a kitchen with white teaware and teapots that complement the interior decor—a tranquil way to start the morning in a neighborhood that's home to many of Milan's young artists.

Linda Calugi

While sharing an aperitivo with Criado and the Corbellinis, I also met ceramicist Linda Calugi, whose signature style includes huge organic vases in earth tones. She has also ventured into cups and tea sets, designed the tablescapes for the traveling pop-up dinner series We Are Ona during Milan Design Week, and taken on custom orders for home collections.

Hotel

Photo: Maria Geyman