Strike up the band. Alert the media. This just in. Tell your friends.

Pardon us, if we’re sticking our chests out with a little pride and firing off some celebratory fireworks, but it’s like the Fourth of July around here, as we’ve just received the great news that four of our Art of Tea selections have been chosen for the finals at the upcoming World Tea Expo at the end May in Las Vegas.

We are so pleased to have multiple tea candidates competing and all four choices have gone through very rigorous prejudging tastings to get to this stage. We will be represented in three categories.

Our HALO, a bulb shaped white blossoming tea that opens into a rainbow ring of jasmine and amaranth flowers that are accented with blueberry and peach essence has been honored in the Hand-Tied Flowering Category. If you’ve never seen a flowering tea, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. Imagine slow motion, time-lapse photography and you’ll get the idea behind this incredible tea as it’s leaves open infusing the water with a delicious taste.

We’ve got two entries in the Blended/Flavored Category, our MANDARIN SILK oolong will hopefully steep its way into the hearts of the judges and our green Hojicha de la Creme will have them asking for another cup. No fighting you two, we’re all family here at The Art of Tea. Our oolong’s Pouchong tealeaves are blended with lemon myrtle , flowers and natural essence and deliver a smooth rich flavor with hints of creamy vanilla and a stimulating orange finish. The green’s hand roasted tea leaves and twigs are combined with fresh essence of vanilla and vanilla blossoms to brew a scrumptious toasted marshmellowy and hazelnut taste. We can’t pick a favorite in this one, we love them both the same, like all of our teas.

Last but not least, we’ve got an entry in the Herbal/Mint division with our sweet enticing Velvet Tea. It’s chocolate swims in a velvety base of organic rooibos and mint leaves and will give all those other tisanes a run for their money. It’s really the perfect dessert tea and has a finish that’s smooth and complimented by just a touch of vanilla. Chocolate fans will be standing in line for this one.

So, if you’ve always wanted to experience the real world of tea, hop in your car or head to the airport and join us in Las Vegas for the World Tea Expo. If you’re a fan of tea or want to do something in Vegas other than gamble, this is a show that we’re sure you will enjoy. It’s May 30 - June 1, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. And if you do come to Vegas we’ve got an added treat to announce. Our own founder and Tea Blender Steve Schwartz will be conducting a don’t miss seminar on the art of blending teas. Learn the secrets of a respected Tea Blender and create your own tea blends. If you can’t join us in Vegas please try some of our nominated teas that are available on our website and conduct your own taste test. Let us know which one is your blue ribbon winner.

Art of Tea Introduces its Eco-Mug:
Los Angeles, CA- December 5, 2007— Art of Tea launches their new mug made out of 100% US renewable corn plastic. The bio-plastic is a substitute for petroleum based products. The resin and the mugs are manufactured in the states means less emission into the environment from transport.

“Being a specialty tea company that focuses on organic teas, we have a reputation for caring about the environment. This new product emphasizes our concern for global warming and greenhouse emissions” said Steve Schwartz, FOUNDER/CEO of Art of Tea. “We believe in doing our part in offering our customers products with an environmental conscious.”

The microwave safe eco-mugs will be available on the site for all to purchase for $4.95 each, and make a great gift set with Art of Tea’s unique hand blended teas.

Located in Beverly Hills CA, Art of Tea imports and wholesales both domestically and internationally. Besides some of LA’s finest cafes, restaurants, and spas, Art of Tea is featured in a myriad of venues across the country, from the upscale spas in Vegas to the fine dining scenes of New York City. Exploring the 5000-year-old tradition of brewing loose-leaf tea, Art of Tea custom hand blends and crafts organic teas and botanicals from around the world. The teas are carefully selected directly from growers, offering a unique story to each one. When infused, the teas have a beautiful display, and some even blossom.

Art of Tea was recently awarded 1st and 2nd place, respectively, for best commercial black and green iced tea in the nation at the World Tea Expo in Atlanta, GA in June 2007. Art of Tea was also featured in the Nov 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times.

For more information or to purchase products from Art of Tea, log on to www.artoftea.com.

Sunday, August 19, 2007. A blazing sun was in stiff competition with the brightness shining in the faces of the over 1500 guests at the SGI-USA LA North Region Family Fun Festival. SGI-USA is one of the largest Buddhist lay organizations in the United States, practicing the teachings of Nichiren, a 13th century Buddhist reformer. Fortunately, Art of Tea was there to help quench the thirst of this happy throng!

My involvement with the Family Fun Festival was extensive. Over 100 amazingly dedicated, creative, generous and energetic Bodhisattvas worked tirelessly to plan and execute this festival and in just six weeks, pulling off what I believe was the most explosively joyful and truly successful event in Los Angeles this summer. The 1500+ attendees had a wide range of exhibits to explore. Two stages featured performances ranging from traditional Japanese fan dancing to rock bands, beautiful musical numbers and youth bursting with raw joy and confidence, krumping their hearts out.

The surrounding festival’s theme was “Transform Myself, Transform the World.” Our goal was that every single person who attended would come away from the day inspired by their ability to transform their lives. I can tell you, without a doubt in my mind, we achieved total victory! Everyone was so unbelievably happy!

Last, but certainly not least, there was FOOD! You would not believe the spread we had, all of which was contributed by the members. This year, I chaired the Food Committee, which was no small task, let me tell you! Our committee’s theme was “Happy Tummies, Happy Families” and if you could have seen the smiling faces, you would know we lived up to our theme!

For me personally, it was an extraordinary experience of personal growth. I know that growth is a life-long process, but I feel more capable now than I ever have in my life, and I’m certainly the happiest I’ve ever been. This joy stems not only from the main event itself, which was spectacular, but also from all of the effort, care, determination and unity that went into its creation. I am filled with gratitude for this opportunity to expand my capacity and to contribute to the happiness of so many people.

What good fortune that Art of Tea was able to contribute to the Art of Happy!

Art of Tea shakes it up at the World Tea Expo in Atlanta, GA. Amongst 60+ entries brewing their best, Art of Tea was awarded 1^st and 2^nd place for the best tea in America. The awards were honored by the World Tea Expo, Tea Association of America and the Specialty Tea Institute.

Prior to going, we signed up to participate in a shake off. If you recently read our article about how to make Shaken Iced Teas, you will appreciate this.

After hours of shaking ice in front of a crowd, and showing off our creative new packaging for Iced Teas, Art of Tea garnered two achievements:

First place was awarded in the Black Tea Commercial Iced Tea Competition with our Organic Classic Black and second place was given in the Green Tea Commercial Iced Tea Competition to our Green Pomegranate.

We are ecstatic over the opportunity to have two of our custom hand crafted organic teas compete in this competition and get great recognition for both taste and quality.  It is a strong statement for the organic sector to move forward with confidence knowing that quality and ethics can be a winning combo. 

Check out our new Iced Tea Kit if you are interested in shakin’ it up yourself!

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………

In 1981 Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated year-round to the development of independent artists, celebrities, and visionaries willing to exhibit their creative film works to pitch to movie buyers, movie enthusiasts, persuaders and fundraisers.

Since its inception, the continued efforts of pioneering creative risk-taking, and passion for ingenuity continue to drive the momentum of Sundance, which by the way is located in Park City Utah and is hosted in the middle of winter. This is quite fitting as the goal of Sundance is summed up as…if you want to act or be in the “industry” and you do it because you love it then…join the fun at 10 degrees below zero and see if you mean it.”

Art of Tea contributed this year as we were asked to put together a cutting edge teabar to fuel the crowds with our warm and unique hand crafted teas. Meeting with celebrities and film enthusiasts drove attention and freshness from our Art of Tea Teabar.

Our selection of tea was met with gracious thanks by elite folks from Nick Nolte to the director of Who killed the Electric Car, along with Justine Timberlake, Emma Booth from Clubland (featured left), stars from the L Word, along with Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite and many more. We were featured in a green room along with other companies with a mission based in organics and sustainability such as RC Green Organics who custom designs stunning organic furniture with reclaimed wood, and Sambazon featuring their Acai products.

I figure that the green room, where we were invited to set up at Sundance for our teabar was a balance and retreat for the high energy of the visitors at Sundance. The Art of Tea teabar was a chance for the those at Sundance to have some peace and tranquility, and a moment to reflect on their experiences. Meeting like minded businesses and unique artistswho enhance public awareness on products that are good for you and the planet, made the trip well worth the adventure.

Steve Schwartz is CEO and Founder of Art of Tea. Steve didn’t start AOT 10 years ago, but was inadvertently creating the foundation for it. In New Mexico, he studied Ayurveda, the science of life and art of healing, and fell in love working with teas and botanicals. In his travels overseas he would come back bringing tea for friends and family, and word quickly got out that he was sourcing rare and unique teas and botanicals such as Silver Needle, Ancient Forest and Blooming Bliss. With his background in preventative medicine he soon realized the value that tea could have in teaching health over time, as well as a great means for daily enjoyment. This quickly spawned into the field of hospitality, with boutique restaurants, cafes and spas seeking fine teas. Steve works with dozens of tea growers around the world, working with them to create special blends, find the perfect teas, and bring fair-trade and organic teas to the U.S.

Q: As a kid, you spent time creating food dishes. Tell me about a dish you remember making, and tell me a little about how has that shaped your career as a tea purveyor and tea craftsman?
A: Stuffing - I remember getting my hands in the stuffing and loving mixing everything together in one big bowl. To this day I still love mixing and blending everything by hand.

Q: As a kid, you were into soccer, and later on hiking, biking and yoga. At what point did you gravitate towards the outdoors and holistic exercise? And why?
A: About 12 years ago, while taking care of my Mom while she was struggling with cancer I found Yoga as my salvation. We are constantly defining gravity and in yoga it is not like you are moving or climbing or racing against something. There are no goals, like tea, it is a constant process of focus and agility that brings you in the moment with each breath you take.

Q: Traveling always has a big impact on kids, and adults, and their view of the world. How have your travels impacted your world of tea.
A: Tea being the second most consumable beverage right behind water is used as a binder within a family gathering or community. It is enjoyed at the end of a meal or as an afternoon refresher and each culture has their own signature tea and each family has their own way of brewing. Through my travels I have been inspired to share these cultures and unique concoctions in their simplicity to others.

Q: You’ve spent a lot of time at different events talking to people about your business, your passion, and inspiring them about the world of tea. Tell me about an experience you’ve had, or been part of, that you were a big part of, that wasn’t about you or tea.
A: I volunteered for one year in a peace corp type program in the Middle East. Without knowing the language I taught horticulture and yoga to high school and middle school children. It is amazing how much I learned from their willingness to learn.

Q: Why do you drink tea in 10 words or less?
A: It’s a new experience within every cup.

Q: List one thing that you do everyday to speaks of who you are?
A: Everyday I look up at the sky to gain perspective and appreciate life. It is easy to lose that sense of nature in our society but the sky is a precious gift that can remind us of the vastness of our universe and our tiny but significant role in it.