Not only is it warm like your cocoa, but it can be a health booster during the chilly months.

Most of us love our hot chocolate. It can be relegated to the status of "comfort food" for Americans who live with a winter season.

But a host of delightful teas can be a great healthy alternative to hot chocolate; and there are plenty of both herbal and caffeinated teas to choose from. But what about that comfort factor? It turns out that the olfactory system is a good guide to selecting a tea to provide that same feeling of comfort.

"Aromas have a lot to do with it ... when you start steeping (the tea) and the anticipation builds," says Gary Papendick, owner of Harmony Market.

So if you love vanilla, look for a tea rich with that scent. Or if you grew up with wonderful things made with cinnamon, then you might try a cinnamon tea.

Papendick says that making a conversion from coffee or hot chocolate to tea can be eased with a heavier tea like Teeccino, which perks in a drip coffee maker. "It's all herbal, but has the richness of coffee and cocoa as opposed to the thinner teas."

Another option for a full-bodied tea is Chai. "Chai in India means tea - but here we tend to think of it as the spiced teas." Mixing a spiced Chai 50/50 with milk, soy milk or rice milk meets that desire for a full-bodied warm drink. "People love it," Papendick says.

True tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant, and contains caffeine. But compared to coffee, which can have between 6 and 35 mg. of caffeine per cup, Camellia Sinensis has only between 6 and 9 mg. according to dietician Susan Szczechowski, R.D., C.D., at Memorial Hospital. "A lot has to do with how strong you brew it," she says, "but it is much lower than coffee."

Another benefit is that unsweetened tea - both black and green - is "non-caloric," according to Szczechowski; that means no fat, sodium or sugar. Additionally, "green tea is getting to be known for its antioxidant properties; it protects the cell lining from oxidated damage where plaque can accumulate," she says. But she cautions that persons taking blood thinners should not drink green tea, because it can counteract the medication.

Herbal "teas" are not a tea in a true sense. They come from the leaves, flowers and roots of a variety of plants other than the Camellia Sinesis, and sometimes include spices. They are dubbed teas, however, due to the tea-like process of steeping.

"The main advantage with most herbal teas is that they're not caffeinated," says Scott Taylor, staff member at Herbs & Such in Town and Country Shopping Plaza. And because they're not caffeinated, herbal teas assist your body's water needs.

"Herbal teas can be comforting," says Szczechowski. "They're naturally flavored - the taste, aroma, the whole experience of the warming sensation."

If you're opposed to caffeine but still want to enjoy antioxidant benefits, a good option is Rooibos (pronounced Roy-boss) a slightly sweet, aromatic South-African herb. "It has ten times the antioxidants of green tea," says Papendick.

If you're new to selecting teas, one option is a sample variety pack. Both Bigelow and Celestial Seasonings have good samplers in any grocery store. If you're trying to avoid caffeine, be sure to check ingredients. Some teas are a blend of both regular and caffeinated teas. Or visit a health food store and ask for recommendations.

While most of the local tea offerings are in the convenient form of tea bags, some health food stores carry bulk herbs for those tea lovers who like to brew the old-fashioned way. Garden Patch carries a few good selections, and Harmony Market carries a dozen or more bulk teas including chamomile, hops, dandelion, mints, as well as an assortment of tea balls, tea infusers and tea strainers.

What better way to pamper yourself than a nice hot cup of tea?