All the tea in ... Cincinnati

So it looks like there is a bit of a tea revolution out there. I've always been a tea drinker (coffee does horrible things to my stomach - though I've always loved coffee ice cream!), but there's been a proliferation of all things tea in these parts lately. From Essencha in Oakley, a gourmet tea house (see what Polly Campbell had to say about it here), to Churchill's in downtown Cincinnati, to the Tea Cozy Cottage in Mariemont, there's a who lotta tea going on.

I'm usually content with my Twinings Earl Grey tea bags with milk and sugar - a habit I honed while living in then-British colony Hong Kong - though I'll break out the loose leaf tea on the weekends, when I have a bit more leisure time. In the evenings, I'm a fan of the non-caffeinated Twinings herbal teas, such as lemon and ginger, or the more berry-ish flavors, which I usually can find on the shelf at bigg's (not Kroger, though).

My latest discovery, courtesy of my cousin Cathy, who travels with both Splenda AND her own tea bags in her over-sized purse, is Lipton vanilla carmel truffle "pyramid" tea. The fancy tea bag shape is supposed to let the tea brew properly, and it's apparently made with real carmel. A tasty low-fat treat to satisfy any sweet tooth. I just have to go easier on the sugar with this than I would with normal tea.

Lipton has a whole slew of other pyramid flavors to choose from. And you know they're on to something when Chinese restaurants like Sichuan Bistro serve not traditional Chinese tea, but Lipton tea!

What's your favorite bag of tea?