Today Downtown Indianapolis welcomes a happy new addition, the Tea Cozy. Having made the leap from kiosk (Glendale Mall) to small mall space (Washington Square Mall) to large, light space in one of downtown's historic landmarks, the William H. Block Building, owner Delores Epps promises "the complete tea experience."

In the shop, you'll find around one hundred loose teas, teapots, tea sets, tea jewelry, cozies, books, tea-scented candles and body lotion. The friendly staff will happily brew you a cup of your choice: Hot or cold? Decaf or zinging with caffeine? Sugar in the Raw or faux sweetener? White, green, black, oolong, rooibos, you name it.

It's not all about the leaf, though. You can also enjoy scones and other breakfast items, salads, sandwiches, soups, pot pies (!) and dessert. There's even a special menu for the junior tea drinkers. If you don't fancy a spot of tea, you can order a smoothie, lemonade, fruit juice, cocoa or coffee although I tend to think that's like ordering a hamburger at a Chinese restaurant.

My drink of choice today was "night of the iguana chocolate chai," pictured lower left above. One sniff and I was a goner. The aftertaste was sublime and the drink matched perfectly with my to-go order of English toffee pudding. I'm trying to figure out the significance of the name of my tasty beverage and have to admit I keep coming up blank.

The Tea Cozy promises tea parties and tastings in the future and hopes to educate us all about the joy of tea. Someone once said, "Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company." And that's the truth.