Dear SS: Mr. KIA sides with the British who feel that tea is more civilized than coffee. Coffee is great in the mornings to give you that first boost, but after that, I’d rather drink tea if I need to sip on something hot because I think teas are easier to drink, and there are so many varieties. There’s fruity, herbal or caffeinated, and color-wise, there’s red, black, white and so many types of green (be careful when someone offers you warmish “yellow tea” though that has no bag or infuser in it), while coffee is just, well, coffee. Yeah there’s decaf or regular, with or without milk and sugar, and different blends, but they’re not so dramatically different. Here are some suggestions of some top spots to do your high tea.

Al Majlis Though it's known as a Moroccan tea room, this place serves teas hailing from other countries as well. It’s super cozy, and it’s fun to sit outside on their oversized beanbags; or if you want the full Fez-like experience, drink your teas inside the Moroccan style teahouse. It’s also a wine bar and a restaurant.

Agalico is the perfect place to be for tea (I should give up this column and be a commercial jingle writer.) The teahouse looks like it came from a page in a Jane Austin book—all decked out in white—the kind of place that little girls dream about when having play teatime parties with stuffed animals. Don’t forget to try their selection of tea’s best friends: cakes and scones.

Chaho is where green tea lovers in the know go. They have a variety of green tea drinks and they also infuse this green Japanese essence into almost all of their food items.