Rhode Island

Rhode Island Tea Roomss

The Web site Destination Tea has some helpful descriptions of Rhode Island tea rooms. Click here.

Tealuxe – A sad day for tea lovers, all three branches of this tea purveyor have closed. A sad day for tea lovers. Head on over to Schasteȃ in Providence Warwick.

The Coffee Depot – 501 Main Street, Warren. Don’t let the name fool you. There are, indeed, some nice coffee drinks here; but The Coffee Depot has a respectable tea menu that includes black, red, green, and white teas. The black tea is more up my alley, so that’s what I’ll comment on. My favorite is the smooth Chinese Breakfast. Yet one could also be happy with Smoky Lapsong Souchong, brisk Irish Breakfast, or hearty Yorkshire Gold, amongst the many black teas. The food is more in the line of sweets (and yummy they are); however, you can also get soups and bagels. The atmosphere is comfortable coffee house. This is a great place to stop for re-energizing if you’ve been pedaling down the East Bay bicycle trail.Schasteȃ – 300 Broadway, Providence, RI. Yang and I visited Schasteȃ on a cold, winter afternoon and were in for a treat. The atmosphere is friendly and informal; the menu is wonderful! There is an extensive array of teas of the white, green, red, black, and herbal variety. Yang went with the Jasmine Pearls and was not disappointed. You are served your own teapots with the infusing basket still inside, which you can easily remove to adjust the strength of the tea to your taste. Also served is a little dish of candied ginger to put in your tea or to snack on, as you choose. Be aware that ginger can be a bit spicy, even candied, but neither Yang nor I had any trouble with our nibbles. For tea, I chose the Earl Grey Creme, a favorite of mine, and was not disappointed. There are also some Keemuns, Assams, Darjeelings, on the menu for you imbibing pleasure – in addition to the smoky delight of Lapsong Souchang. I’m curious to try the Himalayan Quest next time. If you are in a coffee or hot chocolate mood, some such gourmet treats are on the menu as well.

The food was absolutely lovely. I had the prosciutto/goat cheese/roasted pepper crȇpe and Yang had the Buffalo turkey one. The crȇpes themselves were light and delicious and the fillings superb. You also received a healthy dose of greens with tasty dressing, matched to the flavor of your crȇpe. I had arugula with a lemony dressing and Yang had a mixture of greens with a blue cheese dressing. We had no room for dessert crȇpes or even a tasty-looking scone. Ah, next time! The Providence branch is a perfect stop on our many visits to the city. Come and enjoy!