It’s not often that you get to walk into one of the hottest night clubs in L.A. without waiting in line. Yet there I was walking through the side entrance of Social, right past the large, ear piece wearing security guys with nothing more than a cool nod.

Ok so it was actually 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning – which made the scene all the more surreal. I had arrived at “A Soolip Wedding” to show off Art of Tea to those looking for creative, beautiful, and unique wedding ideas.

I made my way past rooms full of photographers, dressmakers, bakers and stationary experts. Then I noticed a small sign on the entrance to a room that simply read “Tea Room & Lounge”. The room had a pool table in the middle that was being draped with a white table cloth. Around it were low cocktail tables and plush lounge chairs for people to relax. At the back of the space was a six foot table draped in green. “Perfect”. We had our own room – an oasis in the storm if you will.

With no billiard balls out to play a game, I could only sit and wait for my guru, Steve Schwartz, to arrive with the rest of our supplies. He is often a few minutes late for things. His world doesn’t revolve around Grenich Mean Time like the rest of us. Steve lives in a calm and peaceful time zone that I call Tea Time. It never matters because he is always ready. This is a guy that has found “it” in his life and I try to absorb “it” whenever I am around him. Today would be full of extra “it”.

He had an unusually happy grin on his face as he pulled a small round orange stick out of a box. It was about eight inches long and had the letters T N T on the side. “What are you doing?” He looked at me and laughed. As he handed me the “stick” I quickly noticed under the dangerous moniker it said “Happy Tea”. “What’s this – a joke?”

Steve assured me this was no joke and that I was one of the first people in this country to hold this particular stick of TNT. He explained that on a recent trip to the East he met a seventh generation Chinese medical practitioner. This woman was developing a new line of teas that are based on generations of her families’ experience in herbal medicine. The product was different than anything I had ever seen. The stick contained 20 small round pressed disks. Each disk was a mix of organic herbs, fruits and flowers. The disks would brew half a liter of tea each and could probably be brewed a second time. We quickly heated some water a brewed a pot of Happy Tea. Steve poured a cup of the orange elixir for me and just smiled. The flavor was fantastic. It was soft on the palate and very fragrant on the finish. It lingered in my mouth kind of like taking a bite of a really ripe peach. Organic, caffeine free, positive health benefits and delicious – this stuff was Steve’s newest “it”.

I was honored to be with him as we introduced TNT to the attendees at Soolip, and America, right there in the billiard room at Social. Not a single person at the event had anything bad to say about it. We poured TNT along side our Rooibos based “Citrus Blossom” and “Blooming Bliss” – the fantastic jasmine scented blooming tea. Despite the popularity of these two, most everyone agreed the TNT was something truly special and exceptionally delicious.

The end of the day brought some bad news. I wanted to know when I could take TNT out with me to share with my partnering restaurants around town. Steve informed me that the four sticks we had on the table were sent as samples only, so for now there is no more to show. The good news however was that Art of Tea will be receiving TNT in about six weeks and our shipment will include more flavors. With names like “Chill Out”, “Tea for Her”, “Tea for Him” and “Happy Tea” here Steve has defiantly found a new “it” for all of us to enjoy. Stay tuned it should be an explosive summer………

Mengyang, China, also known as land of plenty and land of the song and dance. Mengyang enjoys all four seasons and is a prime source of raw tropical land rich in fertile soil.  In the whole town there governs 8 village meetings, 50 different ethnic villages, 58 village groups in a national territorial area of nearly 100 square miles.

There are natural springs in the area boasting water temperatures up to 185 F. These waters cross into the a powerful river called Dragonriver which provides electricity reserves for the city center and neighboring villages.

 Recently governmental funds and fair wages on the production of tea have created such an infrastructure for modern construction such as clean water, electricity, paved roads, telephone communications, and cultural education. Mengyang is setting a new pace for rural parts in China creating a five tier system which includes education, sustainable living, governance, a blend of natural sciences and technology, and a balance in the ecosystems environmental construction.

If you have allergies, or haven’t noticed, its one of those times of the year that pollen content in the air is very high.

This has people with scratchy throats, sniffling noses, and uncomfortable sinuses.

Several years ago, Japanese researchers conducted laboratory tests, and found a compound in green tea that actually blocks certain cells from producing allergic reactions.

This compound is found in Green Teas, the less processed form of teas. White Tea, what many refer to as raw tea since it is the youngest form of the tea leaf, is prized for its high antioxidant properties, and is often chosen over Green Tea for avoiding colds

Maybe a balance between the two will help allergy sufferers through the season. To read a synopsis of the research, visit the ACS Website.

Dave Lindenbaum is Director of Operations at AOT. Before working with Steve Schwartz, Dave was a Financial Analyst at an Investment Bank, a Program Director for University of Pennsylvania, and a West Coast America Tour Guide, amongst other things. He came to AOT to combine his love of helping and educating others in health and wellness and his enthusiasm for developing and contributing towards an already successful business.

Q: As a kid, you grew up eating pretty healthy. Why is that, and how has that affected where you are today?
A: I didn’t really have a choice. My mom was always into nutrition and eating healthy. But it came from the way she was raised from her parents as well. Healthy eating growing up was more of an intuitive process than it is today where people are counting calories and making sure they have enough blueberries or whatever is big in the media. Please note, that I love blueberries and they are in fact one of the best foods you could have for their antioxidants and fiber content but in my family it was more of my Mom would make sure we had one or two vegetables per meal and things like soda and cookies were few and far between oatmeal and carrots. My dad was the big potato chips and candy eater but fortunately through the years he has compromised with my mom… over 30 years of marriage will do that J
Q: Tell me a little about your involvement with music, dancing, where it came from, and where it has gone.
A: I began taking piano lessons when I was around 10 years old. I hated it initially because when all my other friends were out playing basketball, I was learning the C Major scale. It wasn’t until when I picked up the guitar that music had a powerful impact on my life. Since the age of 16 I have been playing in bands and writing my own songs, mostly comedy. One of the things I love about music is that it is truly the only universal language. I have seen people in a bad mood or shy and if a song connects with them, BHAM! they open up and start dancing. I love dancing as well, but for me dancing is just a way to express what I’m feeling when I’m listening to music. Definitely one of the perks at Art of Tea, is that we listen to a lot of music while blending teas. Sometimes we even dance. In fact Steve and I have been known to bust a move or two during an event! People see these two smiley guys dancing and having fun and they will come up to us and say, “I’ll have whatever you guys are drinkin”, then we show them our cup of our Plum Oolong or Citron Mate and they can’t get enough. This actually happens!

Q: Tell me a little about why you visit assisted living communities.
A: I remember going with my Dad to visit my grandma in her assisted living community when I was pretty young and not really sure what to make out of it. The general sence of the place was a little depressing when you walked in. But as soon as you made eye contact with one of the residents and said hello, they would light up! It was quite amazing. I didn’t realize what an impact it had on my life until recently when I moved out to LA and started going to Assisted Living Communities to lead an exercise entertainment class, Stretching and Kvetching. The residents tell me that they look forward to the class all week, but what they don’t realize is how great they make me feel when I see them and interact with them. We were told groweing up to respect your elders, but it should go deeper than that. We should learn from our elders. We should sing and dance with our elders. We should have fun and enjoy our elders. That is what should be taught. I am more alive after visiting an assisted living community than walking in. Plus all the Ninety year old woman think I’m cute and want to set me up with their grand daughters, so that’s nice for the self esteem J

Q: We hear that you like to make your own Kombucha. Tell me about that, and why you it.
A: Well it all started about 8 months ago when Steve and I went out to a restaurant that had Kombucha. He introduced it to me and thought I would like it. It was like nothing I have ever tasted before! I think for about two weeks I was buying at least one bottle a day. After those two weeks and witnessing first hand some dramatic benefits from the tea, (for me the main benefit was the control of my acid reflux and better digestion), I began researching like a mad man anything I could get my hands and eyes on. After reading several books on the topic I decided to start brewing my own. Initially I was a little weary, but my first batch came out pretty good. Soon I began sharing the kombucha tea with my friends who encouraged me to make more. Now after months of experimenting with different ingredients and conditions, I am very proud of my brewed Kombucha tea, and would encourage everyone to obtain a Kombucha Culture to begin brewing their own.

Q: What is your favorite wake-up tea? And weekend tea?
A: Wow, this is like a three pager. I will say what I am currently drinking every single morning. A full baked Puehr Tuo Cha. Puerh is a special fermented aged tea that has a slightly musty earth taste quality to it. Like all tea it is packed with healthy flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidants, however Puerh also processes a special healthy bacteria property that has been scientifically proven to cut cholesterol, oxidize blood, and help metabolize fat. Any one of these characteristics are reason enough to drink this wonderful tea every morning. But the reason why I love it so much is because full baked puerh are very forgiving towards over steeping. In fact, a normal suggested steeping time is 5 to 7 minutes. This works great because as soon as I wake up I brew a cup and I can brush my teeth and shower while the tea’s steeping. Tuo-cha’s are individual bowl shaped pressed Puerhs and they are great because they come pre measured. Plus you can resteep Puerhs several times so I always re-steep with fresh hot water at least once or twice for the drive into work. Weekdays and weekends share the same current Puerh morning ritual .

Q: Why do you drink tea in 10 words or less?
A: Unlike other beverages, the more I drink = better I feel (I used an equal sign instead of the word “the” to adhere to the rules… “=” is a symbol)

Q: List one thing that you do everyday to speaks of who you are?
A: I make a complete stranger laugh. It might take sever attempts or several complete strangers, but everyday I make someone who I never met before and maybe never will meet again smile or laugh. I never really thought of how this speaks to who I am but I will say this: no matter what we pursue in life, we should enjoy it. Making someone smile or laugh reminds me of this everyday.