Puerh Shop

We have some of the best companies here in Indianapolis. That point was driven home to us again via New York City's Chinatown. Let us explain. Several trips to New York ago, we picked up a box of Goldensail's Pu-erh tea at a great store in New York's Chinatown, New Kam Man. We've been able to keep stocked up from our trips there until recently. We realized that making a trip to NYC just for tea was probably a little silly so we decided to see if we'd have any luck purchasing it online. Lo and behold we found a website called Puerhshop.com - who knew? We found what looked exactly like the box we had and it was only $2.24 for a box of 20 bags. This all seemed to good to be true so we had to click the "Contact Us" link to make sure it wasn't from somewhere overseas that would have a huge shipping fee. We were happily amazed to see that the address was right here in Indy! We placed our order and had 5 boxes a few days later. We were so happy to give the business to locals who are also Pu-erh fans.

By the way, this is kind of an earthy tasting tea so, if you like mostly mild fruity teas, this might not be up your alley. We, however, were beyond thrilled to find it without making a plane ride.

Mate Chocolatte

We recently raved about Guayaki's Yerba Mate tea which has an earthy flavor and, just this past week at our local Kroger, we discovered this chocolate variation. What a great idea! If you have a craving for hot chocolate this winter but don't really want to drink your calories (or are leery of the ingredient list that looks like a chemistry set) this is a great alternative. One tea bag has 4 calories and it is a blend of organic yerba mate, organic cocoa (seed), organic nutmeg, organic cinnamon, organic stevia, and organic clove. The box suggests having it plain or, if you wish, adding milk and sweetener but we found adding anything to be unnecessary. It was quite satisfying all by itself.

Teavana at the Fashion Mall

We are going to tread very carefully here. We were actually unaware that Teavana had opened a location at the Fashion Mall until we received an email from the company stating that they had opened new stores and Indiana was listed. We've visited Teavana in San Francisco and, earlier this year, in Cleveland. The San Francisco one was the biggest and more like a cafe with lots of tables and chairs. The Cleveland one and the Indy one have plenty of merchandise, and tea samples, but nowhere to sit and enjoy your tea. They do have a huge variety of teas that they can brew for you, hot or cold, and they can even blend multiple teas together for you. Indy has great locally owned tea houses like Tea's Me and the one we blogged about yesterday, Tea Cozy. We implore you to visit these locally owned tea houses but, if you're stuck on the north side and have a tea craving, you will probably find an enjoyable beverage at Teavana. It is on the Nordstrom side of the mall directly below the movie theatre.

Tea Cozy- Indianapolis, IN

We are so lucky. In addition to our favorite locally owned tea houses, Tea's Me and International Tea & Coffee, Indianapolis now has Tea Cozy. We stopped by last week for a spot of tea and found it to be a gorgeous space with a mind boggling variety of teas (over 100 our server told us). They have plenty of tables and a very helpful tea menu so you have ample time to peruse the choices. For our maiden trip there, we decided on cups (they also offer pots) of Borengajuli (a hearty black Assam tea) and, from their Ayurvedic Blends, a Yoga Tea. While we waited we enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere, good music, and people watching the folks on Market Street. Our teas arrived and they were delicious. The cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom in the Yoga Tea just hit the spot for Mrs. WYA! and Mr. WYA! loved the strong black tea. Next time, we are going to go hungry because The Capital Pot Pie on their menu caught our attention. It is described as a Reuben in a crust. We also overheard the server mention that they have a Saturday brunch. Just a note for when you go (and we hope that you will), the entrance is off of Market St. despite the fact that their address is 50 N. Illinois St. It is in the Block Building so you just go into the main doors and take an immediate right.

Guayaki Yerba Mate

Looking for an alternative to coffee to start the day or a natural mid-day boost? Give Guayaki Yerba Mate a try. It comes from the rainforest (to quote Phoebe Buffay- "they make the best stuff in there") and is 100% organic. Mrs. WYA! has a low tolerance to caffeine but she reaches for this every morning and it never makes her jittery. However, it has enough of an energy boost in it to perk up Mr. WYA! (who has a high tolerance to caffeine) on afternoons that he needs a lift. We usually buy our bagged Mate at Trader Joe's and occasionally pick up a bottle at places like Winding Way Farms or Whole Foods.

Bag Ladies Tea

A friend gave us a lovely little box of Bag Ladies Tea called "My Friend" from their Blossom Collection. It is a blend of Rooibos tea and a specialty Ceylon tea flavored with vanilla and caramel. We knew that it would be divine hot but it was great iced too. If you are trying to wean yourself off of expensive, caloric vanilla and caramel flavored coffee drinks, this is would be a great tea to try.

By the way, we came somewhat close to re-creating Cairo Cafe's wonderful iced tea by filling a big pot full of water, boiling the water with several cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in it, then putting 5 black tea bags in the water and letting them steep for 5 minutes. We then poured the tea through a strainer into a glass of ice. Good in a pinch, but get to Cairo Cafe for theirs.

Herb and Tea at City Market

As you head to the farmer's market at City Market today, or whenever you are near City Market, make sure to visit the Herb & Tea store inside. We used to visit this place in Broad Ripple and had such fun sniffing our way through the little black tins of tea leaf goodness. So, you're a hardcore coffee drinker and you think tea is too wimpy for you? Try some of the smoky variations. They will, as Mrs. WYA's father says, put hair on your chest.

International Tea and Coffee

We have blogged before about the massive selection of teas International Tea and Coffee has. There is usually good music and beautiful art on the walls. But the art we discovered one morning there was art of a temporary nature. It was breakfast, and it was beautiful.

For our tea selections, we chose Red Clover and Bancha. Red Clover is an herbal tea and can best be described as summer in a cup. Bancha is a green tea and one of our all time favorites. What is better than a hot cup of tea at the beginning of a chilly May morning? Accompanying it with a dish called "Asian Sunrise". Before my pot of Bancha finished steeping, before I made it through the first section of the Indianapolis Star, my plate arrived at the table. The "Asian Sunrise" is a hearty little breakfast, but in an energizing way (as opposed to a full order of biscuits and gravy-I need a nap kind of way).

Hot noodles are tossed in soy and sesame oil, with peppers, onions and mushrooms, and are placed on the plate to act as a bed for two fried eggs, with the yolks cooked hard, but still retaining the bright yellow, just like dual suns waking me up. It comes garnished with a tomato slice, and a few slices of cucumber.

At $5.75, this is now one of our favorite ways to start a day.

Yay-we just got our Yogi Tea samples that we requested in the mail today. We got a bag of Green Tea Pomegranate, Berry Anti-Oxidant, and Mexican Sweet Chili PLUS a 50 cent coupon. We love tea and we love free things. Don't forget to request yours.

Road trip...Cleveland

Wow, Cleveland really does rock. While Mr. WYA! was eating Sandwich Machine this past weekend, Mrs. WYA! grabbed a girlfriend and headed to Cleveland for a girls' weekend. From Indianapolis, did you know that you are a short 5 hours away from the center of Cleveland's Little Italy? If you stopped nowhere else, that would make it worth the trip. This trip is easily done in a weekend.

Our first stop in the early afternoon was the house that was used in the filming of the classic movie "A Christmas Story". That's right, it is restored and there are tours Thursdays- Sunday at every 1/2 hour. It is a short tour because it is a small house. You get your tickets across the street, check out the museum next door that houses the few authentic props that they have from the movie, and then meet on the porch of the house for your tour. Your tour guide will talk for a few minutes about the history of the house and then you are welcome to take pictures and wander. This is a must stop for fans of the flick. This is still a working class neighborhood and it is so charming to see people from all over wind their through the unfamiliar neighborhood streets to catch a glimpse of the house.

Next, we headed to an area in Cleveland Heights called Coventry Village. For Indianapolis locals, this is like a Broad Ripple type of area. There are a couple of blocks of shops and restaurants with a Bohemian feel to them. The City Buddha store was huge and full of beaded goodies and gorgeous things for the home. The Big Fun store was, as billed, big fun with toys, memorabilia and basically everything pop culture related.

Our next stop was the previously mentioned Little Italy- that's right, it's not all about pierogies in Cleveland. They have a respectable sized Little Italy with galleries, shops, and, of course, food. Walk along Mayfield Rd. and Murray Hill to take it all in (and to work up an appetite). Always the suckers for old restaurants, we chose Guarino's (celebrating 90 years in business!). We were famished and we landed in the right place to take care of that. Generous portions with bread and delicious house salads are the standard here. We greatly enjoyed the vegetable pasta and the eggplant Parmesan. While we thought we were full when we left, after walking past just a couple of storefronts, we found room for bakery treats at Presti's Bakery (since 1903!). They have huge glass cases full of cookies and desserts and many tables to sit and people watch. The only downside to Little Italy is the lack of parking. You may circle around for awhile trying to find a space, but it will be worth it.

Our next stop was Teavana at the Beachwood Place Mall. If Teavana ever opens in Indianapolis, I couldn't patronize it because I have to give my business to the locals at International Tea and Coffee and Tea's Me. However, I allow myself a visit to Teavana when I am in other cities. They always have lots of samples out to try, beautiful cups and pots to browse at, and a huge variety of tea flavors.

The perfect way to wrap up your weekend trip to Cleveland is at the House of Blues for their Gospel Brunch. It doesn't matter what denomination you are (if any) this is all about food and love. The spread is amazing; pastas, salads, seafood, cheesy grits, mac n cheese, biscuits and gravy, jambalaya, shrimp, omelet station, po'boy sandwich station, danishes, bagels, apple cobbler, cheesecake, bread pudding- it just goes on and on. You get awhile to eat and visit before the live singing starts. The musical acts rotate but we certainly couldn't have asked for a better group than the Prayer Warriors. They did a mix of gospel and contemporary songs and really were inspiring. We left the House of Blues having filled not only our bellies but our spirits as well.

All in all, a great time can be had in Cleveland if you are looking for road trips for the spring and summer.

Free Samples of Yogi Tea

We have previously raved about Yogi Tea's Sweet Mexican Chili blend and the dolls over there at Yogi Tea have included that in a free sample mix that you can request here.

Tea's Me

It's almost an embarrassment of riches that we have 2 fabulous tea houses in Indianapolis. Yes, we know that there are even more places that do a tea service, but these are spots that we feel like cool urbanites in, not like we're in the middle of a Beatrix Potter illustration. We've raved about International Tea and Coffee so we need to give equal time to Tea's Me. We go way back with Tea's Me Cafe. For a brief time, they had a tiny spot in the Fashion Mall that provided a much appreciated respite from the bustle of the mall. For awhile now they have been in a wonderful space in the absolutely charming Fall Creek neighborhood. You can't help but be impressed by the beauty of the cafe as soon as you walk inside. The gorgeous wood matched with the yellow walls creates a stunning interior. There is a TV and there are magazines to peruse if you wish. It is usually hopping when we are there and there are frequently groups of people seeming to have important meetings-even on Saturdays. They have a huge variety of tea and a nice variety of food too. You can check out the tea and food menus on their website at http://www.teasmecafe.com/ We love that we get our own pretty colored pot of tea and a clear cup with a saucer so we can admire the color of the tea. We love that the owner checked in with us to make sure we were enjoying our tea and apologized because there was a slight wait since the place was so busy. In short, we love Tea's Me. We only wish that we lived closer to it since we don't get there as often as we'd liked. Those adorable Fall Creek houses are looking more and more inviting...

Enjoy the Fashion Mall buffet (but buy some cheaper tea)

You might already be aware that you can generally nosh your way through the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing. There is always a dip for sampling at The Cheese Shop, there are frequently samples at Williams Sonoma (if nothing else they have their bread cubes and oils). However, you might have missed the amazing tea at Aveda (because why would you check Aveda for a beverage??). We were treated to a sample on a recent trip there and not only was it delicious but we both swore that we felt very mellow after consuming it. They do say, after all, that it is calming to the senses and promotes a sense of well-being. We decided we needed to buy some despite the exorbitant price (a box of 20 teabags is $14, $24 for a bottle of loose leaf). http://www.aveda.com/

Not too long after discovering it, we also purchased a box of Yogi Tea's Mexican Sweet Chili and we found it to taste pretty similar to the Aveda tea. It doesn't have the peppermint but it does have the tasty licorice root and, ringing up at under $5, we feel like it doesn't have to be a special occasion to drink it. http://www.yogitea.com/

International Tea and Coffee

We've previously mentioned the fabulous International Tea and Coffee in Fletcher Place but we had another great visit there yesterday and we have a photo to help you spot it at 630 Virginia Ave. We enjoyed the Roasted Yerba Mate (a strong flavor good for coffee drinkers) and the Dandelion tea (we are so desperate for spring we are even looking forward to dandelions). Make the trip here even if it is out of your way!

Tea's Me

The gorgeous Tea's Me teahouse is having a couple of events that sound like they should not be missed. We never need an excuse to go there but, on February 23rd at 6PM, they give us extra incentive. They are having their Winter Tea Tasting which means not only exotic teas but also a three course meal. Check out the different course options on their website http://www.teasmecafe.com/ It sounds like a bargain for $35.
If you like to mix your tea with sweet treats and a little history, head to the Morris-Butler house on March 8th from 1-3PM. If you haven't visited this historical house before, what a great way to be a tourist in your own town. The tasting is followed by a tour of all three floors of the 1865 home. All of this for only $25. Details are at Tea's Me website or the Historic Landmarks website at http://www.historiclandmarks.org/HistoricSitesToursEvents/MorrisButler/Pages/default.aspx
under Victorian Teas.

Great teahouse is back

For fans of the Moroccan Tea Company that was formerly on Boulevard Place, the same owners have opened International Tea and Coffee on Virginia Ave. It is in the Fletcher Place Neighborhood which is just before the Fountain Square neighborhood when coming from downtown. It is in a stunning old building with soaring windows and beautifully decorated with bright furniture and original art. It is impossible not to feel like a cool urbanite in this setting. On top of that, they have a wide array of teas and a great food menu. If your thought of a teahouse conjures up floral print tableclothes and precious teacups with saucers filled with the Lipton tea you had as a child, bury those preconceptions here. http://www.itcindy.com/