Tea, so cool

Philadelphia's coffee culture is going full steam, but as days get longer and stickier, our cool-me-down and pick-me-up beverage options are moving beyond the bean. Heads up, iced coffee: Local drinkeries are giving more love to the leaf.

"People are starting to appreciate teas more," said Courtney Rozsas, 26, owner of Lotus Farm to Table in Media. "There is a higher demand, so we can experiment with flavors."

When she envisioned opening her BYO restaurant in her hometown in 2009, she wanted the emphasis to be on cups of tea as much as plates of food. She's happy to have created some converts. "We have some coffee drinkers that now only drink tea."

Hotter temperatures don't sway her philosophy one bit. When an order from her thoughtful ice tea menu is placed, Rozsas, with her California-girl looks, heads straight to the restaurant's back counter and mixes, weighs, adjusts, and muddles with the concentration of a chemist.

The results are drinkable works of art, like an oolong tea, made pink with fresh strawberry puree, rhubarb, and a touch of lemon. Blue hyssop, flowering and minty, is mixed with cucumber slices, grapefruit, and rosemary syrup, for an herbal drink that also happens to be begging for a splash of something a little more potent. (Wink, wink.) The subtle, earthy jasmine and green tea concoction with honey and lavender is the perfect accompaniment for some soul-searching in a Japanese meditation garden, or any commute that involves taking 76. Thankfully, you can get the drinks by the cup to go, or Rozsas sells the ingredients so you can brew a batch at home.

Tea pushers are known to talk about sustenance as much as flavor. Which seems only right, because as tasty as these treats might be, there's no ignoring the holistic benefits. Rozsas' menu says these drinks can help with weak immune systems, viruses, high cholesterol, and seasonal allergies.