22/10/2008

Leonardo Da Vinci used to say that just like water freezes in cold temperature, inaction stales the workings of the mind. Who can disagree with a master? Unfortunately, I am an absolute fan of inaction, especially when autumn rainstorms hit this habitually sunny city. Nothing better than sitting at home, or in a lovely teteria, sipping a cup of tea, doing nothing else. Not every cafe in Madrid is capable of navigating the delicate intricacies of preparing a good cup of tea, Spain is more of a coffee kind of place, famous for its café con leche, which is really a bomb for your intestinal tract, but also a delicious flavour explosion for your taste buds. But if you allow yourself to be advised by connaisseurs of the genre, you will find that tea can have equally astounding flavour, with the benefits of a long list of medicinal properties, which include reducing heart attacks and cancer, the two ugly monsters facing all of us in the west. From China to India, white, green, black, red, and Oolong, to jazmine, orange, vanilla, mint or cinnamon, there is a tea for everyone, and every physical need. And if you can not part with milk you can always have Chai, which is the word for tea in many countries, popular in Tibet, a land where which seems to export bits of wisdom much needed in these parts of the world. This morning my brother and I had a great cup of South African Rooibos, which contains vitamins and minerals. So if you like to join us in the world of tea, here are the best tea shops, in Madrid, where you can purchase all types of teas in all different packaging. Don't be shy, and ask for advice. You may find a lovely surprise.

Amate
C/ Argensola 6
28004 Madrid, Spai+34 913 198 934‎

Tea Shop
C/ Fernando VI 5
28004 Madrid, Spain

Bomec
Address: C/ San Joaquín, 8 - (corner of Fuencarral nº 73 ) 
Metro: Tribunal

El Corte Ingles


Tea Shop
Hermosilla, 48
Web: www.teashop.es 

Embassy Castellana
Pº de la Castellana, 12
Tel: 91 576 00 80

Tea Time
Plazuela de San Ginés, 2
Metro: Sol
Tel: 91 354 06 80
Web: www.teterimundi.com