By Kristin Wilinkiewicz | Co-Editor-in-Chief
With all the character Thames Street has, there’s only one coffee shop sporting a gigantic Monsler Company safe in the middle of their shop. Although, this isn’t the only reason to grab a cup of coffee at Alex and Ani’s Teas and Javas, whose building was once a bank—the only remnant of which is an ATM outside. Once a room bustling with the exchange of money, a ballroom of wooden tables and fold-up chairs now casts streaked shadows across its hard-wood floor. Complete with shimmering gold chandeliers and carved wooden pillars, the building still feels like it belongs in historic Newport.
This unique café is bright and open, lit by huge wood-framed front windows that cast sunlight refractions onto the walls and ceiling. Local newspapers are strewn about the counter ledge at the left of the front door, while a wooden chess set is carefully set up on the right counter. It’s the perfect place for people-watching, as it faces out onto the busiest street in Newport.
“Hello friends,” the barista greets two men in kakis and button-ups. After they order, he moves to a miniature cityscape of coffee-pot skyscrapers, which begin whirring at the touch of a button. It’s clear that the “positive vibes” Alex and Ani is famous for have translated to their coffee shops well. The baristas promise that every drink and pastry is made with love, and whether it’s that or their high-quality coffee beans that make their drinks so good is up to you, but any of their 30 café drinks feel as close to a hug as a drink can get.
Alex and Ani, the Rhode Island-based jewelry company that has become extremely popular throughout New England, had bought the building from its previous owner—also a coffee shop called People’s Café. Last year, they opened under the name “Teas and Javas” with a whole new menu and staff.
Teas and Javas also offers fresh-baked pastries made every morning, as well as sandwiches and salads in neatly stacked plastic containers in a glass refrigerator. If you’re on the fence about any of their food, they’ll almost always have a tray of free samples near the cash register to sway you. They have anything from bagels to BLTs behind the counter.
The staff is always upbeat and positive, willing to help any customer with any questions they may have. Each one, according to the staff, is trained in the making of latte art; creating images in the foam of your selected caffeinated drink with milk.
The café is also the perfect place to sit and get homework done, with free Wi-Fi and plenty of sitting room. The natural light is refreshing and, coupled with a cup of coffee, the perfect antidote for drowsy college students looking to write papers, as long as low chatter and upbeat indie pop music doesn’t distract you too much.
Opening at 7:00 a.m. every morning, the coffee shop stays open until 8 p.m. every night, Teas and Javas is open for all your caffeine-related needs and more. Who doesn’t need a little love in a cup once in a while?
