Visiting organic farms, building relationships with farmers, traveling to rustic corners of the world, and deciding which teas and herbs to source are the best parts of running a tea company. But this is followed in close second by visiting the cities where tea customs—whether through ceramics, design, and fashion—are elevated to an art form. So this summer, I left New York for Milan to experience tea culture in what is arguably one of the world’s most overlooked tea capitals.
Given Italy is a country more famous for its coffee than its tea, I was pleasantly surprised to see how the experience in the Italian countryside translated seamlessly to the fashion hotspot—while the coffee menus at most places were the same (espresso, macchiato, and so on) I found teas from the world over, whether grown in Japan and China, or tisanes from neighboring Germany and from Italy itself.
Here, join me on my odyssey through Milan’s impressively wide-ranging tea offerings during an early summer visit to the city.
Dégustazione Ristoro e Dispensa
Photo: Maria Geyman
Through a recommendation, I found my first stop for tea in Milan, Dégustazione Ristoro e Dispensa. In the 1960s, Japanese artist Hidetoshi Nagasawa left Japan on his bike and with the help of a few boat rides, ended up in Italy—where his bike was stolen. He remained in Italy for the rest of his life, eventually settling in Milan. Since he passed away, his studio has been converted to an artist residency on the second floor of the cafe Dégustazione Ristoro e Dispensa, run by Lorenzo Castellini. Castellini planted roses and an herb garden to create a space where “you can sit in the afternoon with a newspaper.” The cafe and cultural center also houses a garden and cafe whose offerings extend from tastings of seasonal, bright green Agricola Maraviglia olive oil alongside a cup of iced tea from Wilden, a Milan-based herbal tea company. Accompanying the cafe is a small selection of the items used in cooking, which you can bring home as gifts.
Natalia Criado
Modern Milanese tea culture exists not only in storefronts and tea houses, but through the work of the creative undercurrent running through Milan. Colombian-born homeware designer Natalia Criado has been living and working in Milan for a decade. Her work, which includes a line of silver plates and rose quart teapots with accompanying cups, is informed and inspired by the rituals that typically accompany the drinking of tea from 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 home today. Just a few minutes away from Fondazione Prada, the property is stocked with a kitchen of white teaware and teapots complementing the interiors—a serene way to start the morning in a neighborhood that is home to many of Milan’s young artists.
Linda Calugi
While having aperitivo with Criado and the Corbellinis, I also met ceramicist Linda Calugi, whose signature style includes enormous organic vases in earth tones. She has also ventured into cups and teaware, designing the tablescapes for the roving pop-up dinner series We Are Ona during Milan Design Week, and taking custom orders for home collections.
Portrait Hotel
Photo: Maria Geyman
