Something’s Brewing: The Tea Scene Heats Up January 17, 2013

  If another cup of barista-curated latté is leaving a bitter taste in your mouth right now, you're not alone. It's time to put aside the java and herald a new sheriff in beverage town. It's official: coffee's quieter, dorkier older brother is having a moment in the spotlight. And with specialist stores like Montreal-based DavidsTea springing up all over North American Shores and cafés like New York-based Press Tea excluding coffee from their menu altogether, this humble, hot drink is digging in its heels for slightly longer than fifteen minutes of fame. But don't take the trendsetters' word for it. Here are four extra reasons why we're giving the modest teabag a big thumbs-up.   1. It's had a serious makeover.
Great designers are working hard to turn heads with new brews. We love this series by Tea Bar.   2. You can make pictures out of it.
Armén Rotch, an Armenian visual artist based in Paris, makes teabag paintings resembling strange, pixelated landscapes - they apparently smell incredible too. But Armén isn't the only one experimenting with tea as a creative form of ink. Alejandra Villasmil makes soothing, minimal prints and Ruth Tabancay dyes hers all colors for a patchwork quilt effect.   3. You can even sleep in it - kind of.
Sorry, Tracy Emin. It's all about the tea bed now.   4. It's got a sense of humor.
Tea types come with no shortage of hyperbolic promises. But tea knows when to laugh at itself, too. We're sold on these snarky "Cynical Tea Bag" varieties, available here. Are you feeling as tea-total as us? What's your favorite brew? Tell us in the comments.