Photo courtesy of To Tsai tearoom
To Tsai tearoom is located in the heart of Athens, Greece. “To Tsai” translates to “the tea” in Greek, which is fitting because it is the place to go for tea. Greek tea company, Mlesna Hellas owns To Tsai and has been importing its tea from Sri Lanka and distributing it in Greece since 1994. The tearoom sells tea from all of the tea producing regions of the world.
The tearoom opened in 2008 and was completely renovated in October 2015 by Georges Batzios Architects, which gave the tearoom a distinctively sleek, modern decor. The tearoom won first place in commercial/retail category of the European Architecture Awards, according to a company press release.
Courtesy of To Tsai tearoom
The European Architecture Awards recognizes unique projects in key sectors, such as urban development, housing, industrial, commercial/retail, office buildings and health care facilities. In 2017, there was a total of 327 nominees for all of the categories and on April 25, four finalists were chosen in each category. The other three finalists in the commercial/retail category were located in France, Spain and Belgium. Archi-Europe bestows the awards. Archi-Europe is part of the European Architecture Foundation.
Photo courtesy of To Tsai tearoom
The teahouse is comprised of two areas: the tearoom and the retail area. The tearoom offers a contemporary atmosphere where customers can enjoy tea served in various forms. Tea is served in porcelain teapots; Japanese teas are served in cast iron pots; rare Chinese teas are served in clay pots from Yixing. Along with the teas, people can enjoy homemade biscuits, cakes and other sweets as well as soups, fresh salads, open sandwiches, croques and quiches.
Photo courtesy of To Tsai tearoom
The retail section offers more than 200 kinds of loose leaf teas and infusions from Mlesna, as well as packaged teas from Mlesna and all kinds of tea accessories.
