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.

A must to experience is this Darjeeling 2008 First Flush tea which comes from one of the last family owned tea estates in Darjeeling, India. The Makaibari estate in the Darjeeling hills of Northeastern India is home to the finest high grown Darjeeling teas and leader of biodynamic and organic permaculture. This high altitude tea is grown on picturesque steep slopes up to 4000ft, surrounded by fresh air and pure mountain spring water. Our select high grown tea is hand picked, artisan processed and provides a bright and brisk cup much lighter than other black teas because of its high altitude. This “champagne of teas” is a first flush tea which brews a pink, light amber color, fresh floral and apple like character, with a slightly astringent finish. It serves better when brewed at a cooler temperature of 180F. It is rare to experience a pure 100% Darjeeling outside of India. This is your passport to experience this rare and golden opportunity of a truly prized luxury.

When my sister came to visit for the Holidays this year, she confessed an addiction to green tea.  For a snack she went to the local Japanese grocery store and purchased three different items made of green tea: green tea candy, green tea cookies, and green tea poky sticks.  When I told her Art of Tea carries the beautifully vibrant ceremonial matcha tea and I could easily whip up some green tea desserts for her, she was ecstatic.
I started with a quick search on the internet to reference the different recipes there are available.  There were green tea tiramisu, cookies, cakes, and countless others. Out of pure laziness and for the sake of time, I only used the recipes as a reference as to how much matcha powder to add to a baking mix I’d just purchased at the store.

The first thing I made( and by the time I was done, I’d end up making a couple of different versions of my green tea creations) was Green Tea-Lemon Cupcakes.  I added the ceremonial matcha I’d told my sister about(about 4TBSP) to a lemon cake mix.  All recipes I used called for about 2tsp of green tea powder, but my sister the green tea lover was standing next to me the whole time and kept prompting me to put more in. I then made a frosting with matcha powder, powdered sugar, cream cheese and butter.

For the second batch of green tea goodies, I worked with a spiced cookie mix.  I added about 1 TBSP ginger matcha to a small batch of mix (for about 12 cookies).  I shaped the cookies into leaves, and used a butter knife to make the veins. I finished with a green tea drizzle (consisting of ceremonial matcha I used with the lemon cupcakes, and hot water) on top.

Finally, I added ceremonial matcha powder (4TBSP) to a yellow cake mix and made it into cupcakes. l just followed the directions printed on the box to back my modified little green creations, and then made a frosting for them.  This time, though, I mixed it up and made a frosting out of cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar.  On top of that I added the green tea drizzle (sugar, ceremonial match powder, hot water).
And how was everything received once I was finished?  The lemon cupcakes I brought to a party, and every single one vanished in no time. My friends loved them, though of course my sister, the green tea lover, commented that there wasn’t enough green tea flavor to them.
The cookies went over well too pretty.  The spiced cookie mix went well with the ginger matcha, but next time I think I’ll keep them in the over a bit longer and use less water in the glaze to make it set just right.
As for the cupcakes were with the yellow cake mix, they had a buttery green tea flavor that my sister just loved.  It gave her a green tea caffeine boost and satisfied her sweet tooth at the same time.

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.

Tyler, one of our fellow tea enthusiasts here at Art Of Tea, recently wrote about our Ti Kwan Yin as an “all day tea”. As a writer I spend alot of time at my computer, juggling characters and story lines and who knows what else. So the simple idea of a tea that I could sort of prepare once and then just add hot water to throughout the day was more than a little appealing.

Now, I haven’t branched out into Oolongs like the one Tyler was describing yet, but I’ve definitely been busy consuming every variation of green tea I can get my hands on. And recently, I’ve become a huge fan of the Gyokuro Uji. This beautiful Japanese tea, with its clean refreshing taste, is perfect for sipping through a long day of writing - or pretty much anything else.

As a bonus, I’ve found that just a single teaspoon is more than enough for hours of multiple brews. The tiny blade-like leaves blossom into this gorgeous, dense lush green when I pour hot water over them in my individual tea infuser at home. The first cup is a strong, classic “green tea” but with every subsequent steep, you get wonderful bits of subtle, crisp flavor that beg further exploration.

I’ve since begun experimenting with several teas for this same all day effect and, for my own taste, I’m finding some definite standouts. My other favorites in the “all day” category right now are the Green Pear(with just a hint of sweet that I love so much I can literally go on about it for days), and the Moroccan Mint(hands down, my favorite mint tea of all time).

A word of advice: With all tea, you want to be careful how long you steep the leaves when you brew. This is especially true of green teas, which can become bitter when over-steeped. With everything I’ve mentioned above, 3 minutes per brew is all you need.