Sugar crystal sticks

“Tea time is a ritual that brings joy to every day – and every cup is a new experience.”

La Via del Tè was founded in 1961, when tea was still almost unknown in Italy. Alfredo Carrai had fallen for good tea and the world of tea. Young as he was, he took on the challenge of launching a barely known drink on the Italian market.

Carrai wanted to truly understand the world's second most popular drink, so he travelled widely in search of the best and rarest teas and the finest growers. Alfredo's first journeys to China were like something out of a film, full of adventures and mishaps as he searched for the finest white teas and the prized teas of Yunnan – not to mention the tangled negotiations in Darjeeling, or the feeling of tasting Gyokuro for the very first time.

Among the high points of Alfredo's career and the company's history is the joy of having shown Italians the real world of tea – people who thought tea was nothing more than a monotonous drink in a teabag. Carrai's first brand was called SNAKE (later SNAK), and he began sorting tea by its origin. Before long he created the current brand, La Via del Tè, in honour of the Japanese art of the tea ceremony, Chadō/Cha-no-yu.

Today, as the family business turns 60 and Alfredo's children each lead their own part of the company, the work is done with the same passion and care as in the early years. Quality always comes first – in choosing the harvests and growers, the blends and the packaging.

La Via del Tè wants to create something new without forgetting its history and the quality of its ingredients, building on the traditions of Florentine craftsmanship. Its teas are appreciated in many leading hotels and resorts, in the gourmet food trade, and in restaurants and department stores in Italy and around the world.

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