Until August 11th, the Japanese world of Mizu Tea House can be discovered in the Creutz (&) Friends space opposite the Grand Ducal Palace. For a few weeks, Pit Romersa, founder of Mizu, the online Japanese tea house, will be introducing visitors to the art of Japanese tea.
The “Mizu” online tea house was founded in 2021 by Pit Romersa in collaboration with the Tea & More boutique in Dudelange, founded by his father. Pit Romersa is also the founder of the “Thalus Water in a Box” brand, which produces water in tetra packs.
Between tradition and modernity
Mizu focuses on high quality Japanese teas from small family farms. “Most Japanese teas are green teas”, he begins to explain. Be aware that if you start Pit on the subject of teas, expect to learn a great deal about Japanese culture, which this member of the Global Japanese Tea Association has loved since his first trips to the Land of the Rising Sun. “I’ve travelled to many countries where I’ve visited other tea houses (Sydney, NYC, Berlin, Vancouver) to see how they work.”
With Mizu Tea House, Pit claims to be somewhere between traditional and modern. “I’m not in the pure Japanese tradition, at the risk of sounding too pretentious because I’m not Japanese, but I respect traditions,” he explains.
As proof, sit at the counter and watch him prepare a matcha tea. The steps are precise: the green tea powder is stored in the fridge, the water is kept at the right temperature (65°C) in a terracotta kettle (nicely loaned by the Ryôdo restaurant), the tea is whisked with a bamboo whisk, and served in a large bowl handmade by a Belgian ceramist using Japanese techniques.
For those who aren’t keen on tea, Pit works with Florence (a coffee shop in the station district), which supplies him with the coffee machine and beans. “I was trained by one of their baristas and now I’m trying my hand at latte art for my customers!” For those with a sweet tooth, there are Japanese pastries on offer (Dorayaki filled with matcha or Japanese sponge cheesecake).
A jazzy atmosphere
“Since the 60s, jazz has been very important in Japanese culture, and Murakami, for example, mentions it a lot in his writings”. Pit explains that in Japan, Japanese people meet up after work in “Kissa”, which are places where they drink whiskies and listen to jazz. “That’s exactly the kind of atmosphere I wanted to recreate here with tea, especially as, fun fact, Kissa means tea house in Japanese!”
Photos by Luxembourg photographer Raymond Clement show jazz legends photographed in the 60s and 70s during their visits to Luxembourg, including the iconic Miles Davis photographed at the Wiltz festival. “My grandfather was at that concert and told me about it, so it’s just incredible that the photo is here”.
Collaborations with local brands
Everything in the shop is available to buy if you feel like it. Beautiful books on Japan and Japanese authors such as Murakami, selected by the Alinéa bookshop, as well as ceramic bowls for tasting, and teas of course. Even the furniture from Rob Vintage can be bought, should you fall in love! Pit also works with L’Audiophile, which provides a vinyl player, and the vinyl shop on the same street supplies the records.
With a communal table in the middle of the room, Pit Romersa aims to create shared moments for drinking tea with friends or strangers, unique gatherings and interactions. The terrace opposite the Palais is also a perfect spot for tea tasting.
Mizu Tea House, 22 rue du Marché-Aux-Herbes, L-1728 Luxembourg.
Pictures: Alicia Bertomeu
