Tea Time

Tea at L'Oisive The

Well it had to happen sometime: my first cold of the winter. It’s not so bad, but when I felt the first tickle in the back of my throat, I knew it was on.

It is a time of tea. Much tea and honey. Before my (very minor; I am a baby) sickness befell me, I had just been frequenting two teahouses quite recently. One new to me; one an old standby. Was I preemptively preparing?

I’d heard about L’OisiveThé in the village-y Buttes Aux Cailles neighborhood for awhile. Owned by Aimee (which sounds French, but she is really American!) the teahouse also doubles as a knitting mecca. On first glance you’d be forgiven for focusing on the yarn more than the tea.

L'OisiveThe

My friend could also be forgiven for whispering, “I’m the only dude here.”

Yes, yes it was true.

But tea; yes, they have that, too. A very long list.

It’s a novel little place in a novel little neighborhood. If you have darning needles to wield, you might be interested in their Wednesday night TricoThe nights. You have to be a member of Ravelry. Crocheters and knitters, over to you.

The other place I’ve been popping into is Deylan. With a view of the Tour Saint Jacques it offers a good central location while managing to avoid the craziness of nearby Chatelet.

I met my friend Hayley there mid-afternoon during the week and we had the cozy upstairs almost to ourselves. (Which was great as we had so much to catch up on and grew very excited in our talking, loud Anglophones that…well, ok, that I am. Hayley just returned from a mission with Medecins sans Frontieres/ Doctors without Borders in the Congo. I have mentioned before how amazing my friends are, yes?)

Second floor, Deylan

Oh right…tea. The subject of this post is tea.

They have a long list here, too.

Lest this seem like I’m overstating the case, this fact of actual tea options is a big deal. Plenty a cafe here (the majority!) get away with charging 4 or 5 euros for a simple tea bag and hot water. It makes my heart hurt a little.

So give me the real stuff and reasonable prices, please. Thank you.

More on Deylan. I returned Saturday evening and unlike the quiet afternoon crowd, every seat was taken. No matter how crowded it gets, though, it feels cozy. All the books and the mis-matched bric-a-brac, I think. Be sure to head to the second floor if you go!

Ok, I’m at home now. Must boil more water for yet another cup of tea. Hope you’re staying healthy wherever you may be!

L’OisiveThé
à l’angle de 10 rue de la Butte aux Cailles et 1, rue Jean-Marie Jégo
75013 Paris
Métro: Corvisart or Place d’Italie
Tues-Fri, noon-19:00; Sat-Sun, 11:00-19:00

Deylan
8, Rue Saint-Martin
75004 Paris
Metro: Hotel de Ville or Chatelet
Open every day, noon to 19:30 PM

What is your favorite cold remedy? Top teahouse?