When wet autumn days and blustery winter winds have you searching for internal sources of warmth, look no further than the perfect cup of tea.
Sure, any steeped tea bag could do the trick, but long Pittsburgh winters call for tea-based comfort in a variety of sip-ables and confections.
Here are 11 unique tea concoctions — edible and drinkable, hot and cold, alcoholic and not — from across the Pittsburgh region for any mood or occasion.
Redhawk Coffee Roasters takes one giant leap toward tea.
Redhawk Coffee Roasters is known for carefully sourcing its coffees and roasting them in-house to perfection, but buckle up: These “coffee roasters” are going all in on teas.
Working with Spirit Tea out of Chicago, owner Mary Gonzalez is curating a high-end tea menu including Mr. Kobayashi’s Kakuun Ceremonial matcha, which she calls “the best I’ve ever had.” And because Spirit is known for its “purist” practices — free from adding oils, flowers or sweeteners — Redhawk now hand mixes its Earl Grey with Spirit black tea, dried lavender and high-quality bergamot oil.
Two locations: Sharpsburg and Oakland
Shake your minty matcha.
It’s frothy and refreshing, and with a dose of collagen powder included, there’s an excuse to dive straw first into Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea’s Mint Matcha Shake. The syrup is made in-house. Nondairy options are available. Singing Metro Station’s 2007 dance hit “Shake It” while picking up your drink isn’t required, but why wouldn’t you?
3219 Fourth Ave., Beaver Falls
It’s ‘coffea.’ No, ‘toffee.’ Whatever. It’s cascara.
It’s not quite coffee, not quite tea. Cascara loose tea, available at de Fer Coffee & Tea, is dried coffee cherries. The longer you steep it — up to eight or 10 minutes — the sweeter it gets, with the fruitiness of stone fruits, such as plum and traditional cherries, and floral notes, like honeysuckle and rose. And if you’re worried that coffee cherries will leave you jittery until noon, don’t: At a maximum of 60 mg of caffeine, it’s about equal to a cup of coffee.
Available at three locations: Strip District, Highline and The Riviera
Nitro infusion for a tea odyssey.
You know about nitro coffee. Now, give the tea variety a go at Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange. A rotating and seasonal menu of brewed teas and extras — such as honey and hints of fruit — are infused with nitrogen and served on draft. Why? Because it blunts any bitterness in the tea and creates a Guinness-like consistency, that’s why. It’s pleasant for anyone and a must-try for adventurous tea lovers.
2005 Penn Ave., Strip District
Straddling the seasons with the perfect scone.
Blackberry and Earl Grey scones at Carnegie Coffee Company hold onto the last gasps of warm weather with fresh blackberries and look toward cooler months with Earl Grey’s coziness. Popularity will dictate how often they appear in the bakery case, so call ahead for availability.
123 E. Main St., Carnegie
Energetic shifts from more than caffeine.
Formerly Tupelo Honey Teas, Abeille Voyante Tea Co. specializes in hand-mixed loose teas, and some of those aim to get your kundalini rising. There are Ayurvedic blends for each chakra and dosha, plus tulsi (or holy basil) traditionally used in India for a variety of purposes, like aiding meditation. Nama stay and sip some tea.
211 Grant Ave., Millvale
Meet your matcha with matcha ice cream.
Even when you’re craving warmth from the inside out, ice cream is always in season. At Mosaic Leaf Matcha Tea Bar, you can grab nondairy matcha soft serve to steep your sweet tooth in creamy sweetness.
3511 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Just to say you did: tea beer.
Warmth isn’t always a temperature. Sometimes, it’s a feeling, like one created by the 6.0% ABV inside Dancing Gnome Brewery’s Primordial Ooze hazy IPA with Earl Grey, which gains its floral notes from the tea’s lavender and bergamot.
1025 Main St., Sharpsburg and find.dancinggnomebeer.com for distributors
When I dunk, you dunk, we dunk.
It’s difficult to imagine Italian confections without a steaming cup of coffee, but the folks at Enrico Biscotti Co. keep the tea-dedicated in mind, too, with lavender-orange blossom tea cookies. Though catching them in the store is pure luck, you can always order a batch ahead to enjoy these oh-so-dunkable, icing-free shortbread cookies at home.
2022 Penn Ave., Strip District
Clink glasses with a tea cocktail.
You’re a tea drinker, not a saint. The Go Red Heart Highball at Orbis Caffe gets its fizz from ginger ale and its punch from house-made hibiscus lemongrass rooibos tea vodka. Cheers to that.
675 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon
A splash of summer in the dead of winter.
Strawberry may not be a common flavor on a Pittsburgh cafe’s winter menu, but that’s the beauty of Ka-Fair Coffee and Cakery’s Strawberry Matcha Latte. The earthiness of matcha is complemented by sweet strawberry syrup, guaranteed to put a little summer in your step.
1806 Chislett St., Morningside
Abby Mackey: amackey@post-gazette.com, Twitter @AnthroAbbyRN and IG @abbymackeywrites.
First Published: October 11, 2022, 10:00 a.m.