Slide over, latte. Stand aside, espresso. Trendsetters are increasingly ordering oolong, Darjeeling and chai.

“The tea industry is hot, and we’re hoping it will get even hotter,” says Allison Barksdale, who in 2005 opened Allie’s Tea & Flower Garden, a combination teahouse, tea shop and flower shop in Bala Cynwyd.

And on the Main Line, the trend is receiving a boost not only from the growing taste for tea, but also from the burgeoning teahouse industry, which has scattered quaint cafes and scone crumbs across the region.

“We are getting more and more tea drinkers, and more people willing to try different things,” says Karin Mason, who with her mother, Kathy, has owned Cambridge Tea Room in West Chester for nine years. In March, they will open Simpson House, another teahouse in Eagle, near Exton. “The American Revolution is finally over, and we’ve given up the ghosts of the past by drinking more tea,” Mason quips.

Indeed, the wholesale value of the U.S. tea industry has soared from $1.84 billion in 1990 to $6.16 billion in 2005, according the Tea Association of the U.S.A., which has named January “hot tea month.” In 2005, Americans consumed more than 50 billion servings of tea, or more than 2.25 billion gallons.

The trend is partly steeped in the health benefits. Tea, particularly green tea, contains flavonoids, which are said to have antioxidant properties that help neutralize the free radicals implicated in chronic diseases from heart ailments to cancer.

Moreover, drinking hot tea is a soothing way to de-stress. Antoinette Day Spa and Salon in Paoli has been drawing customers to its tearoom for 20 years now. The spa recently added several tea bath options to its pedicures, says Jean Passo, the spa director. The muslin bags contain herbs and teas with body-softening qualities.

Admittedly, it is more common to sip tea than soak in it. A Taste of Britain in Devon, which has been brewing up a cuppa for customers since 2001, serves the standard British fare. Clients receive a pot of water infused with loose-leaf tea, and they pour the tea through a strainer. The restaurant serves afternoon tea, including five kinds of scones, made on-site, and all the typical tea trimmings. It also features British dishes such as steak-and-kidney pie, as well as soups, quiches and salads. “It’s cozy and relaxing. People can sit here for three hours if they want,” says Tara Buzan, who purchased the shop in 2004.

At Cambridge in West Chester, the menu also runs toward British fare: 20 types of tea sandwiches start the list. Allie’s, which boasts more than 30 varieties of tea, regularly sells scones, desserts and sandwiches. For parties of six or more, book ahead to arrange a tea party with tea sandwiches, biscuits or scones, petit fours and other pastries.

The Radnor Hotel in St. Davids will also organize teas for events, like picture-perfect bridal showers, although tea parties at the Radnor aren’t confined to adults. For five years, the hotel has offered special teas for children ages three to eight. Along with holiday teas, there is a Valentine’s tea, a Halloween tea and an Easter tea. “They’ve become quite a tradition with families,” says Anita Sayers, director of marketing. Adults can nibble more traditional tea sandwiches, while children dig into peanut butter and jelly, turkey and American cheese, or strawberry and apricot cream. Some children try the tea, but most prefer apple cider.

But tea doesn’t have to be a formal event. More and more purveyors are creating unusual blends, adding fruit juices and other ingredients. Remedy Tea Bar in Philadelphia is known for its mar-tea-nis, like their “cosmopolitan,” a mix of passionberry iced tea with cranberry and lime juice. And at Allie’s, Barksdale has offered tea freezes, chai blended with ice cream or mango water ice.

But no whether it’s served hot or cold, tea is something to savor.

“Tea is such a small, simple pleasure, a small luxury — it’s a nice contrast to our society where everything is rush, rush rush,” Barksdale concludes. “So take a break and enjoy the small pleasures in life, like a cup of tea.”

Tact, to a Tea

Before you hit the nearest teahouse, brush up on your tea etiquette: Never slurp, no matter how hot the tea, says Karin Mason, who has received certifications in tea and etiquette from the Specialty Tea Institute of America. Also avoid clanking the spoon against the cup or glass. Select either milk or lemon. (The lemon will curdle the milk.) Sophisticated tea-drinkers use milk, not cream, and they add the milk only after taking a sip of tea. “Otherwise you don’t know how strong it really is and how much to add,” notes Mason, co-owner of Cambridge Tea Room in West Chester. And, contrary to countless movie scenes, the pinky finger remains curled downward with your other fingers. Poking your pinky in the air is perhaps a byproduct of the days when cups lacked handles. But today, she says, it is considered rude.

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