Tea Down Under

Since I’ve traveled to Australia, there has been plenty of opportunity to scope out the popularity of tea in a new part of the world.  Though there aren’t nearly as many bottled tea options in Oz grocery stores, there’s plenty of loose-leaf and bubble tea around.

With all of the public transportation that I’ve been taking around the city and suburbs, it was great to discover my favorite iced tea shop – EasyWay Tea. There’s plenty of options for flavor, add-ins and sizes, depending on what you need to quench your thirst.

I love the pineapple iced green tea with pearls! So yummy after a hot day out on the beach. Quick, easy and tasty.

Green Tea Confessions

Sometimes all you need is the company of a friend and some tea to get it all out – what’s heavy on your heart, what you need help with, and how you want to move forward.

My roommate and I just needed some girl time to confess what was going on in our lives. With busy schedules, we haven’t been able to catch up with one another lately. Has that ever happened to you? You live in the same household as someone, but between the work schedules, running errands, gym time, and sleep, it just seems like you just never see one another?

I hate that.

So we made a tea time out of it. This morning we drove over to d’lish coffee house on Scottsdale Rd, right before Thomas intersection.  Their pomegranete iced green tea is amazing! I highly recommend it to cool off in the summer and spark your metabolism for the day.

The side patio is a perfect place to pull up with a close friend, spill out your heart confessions, and leave refreshed for the day.

You tweeted what about green tea?

For some reason the acronym GTML: “Green Tea My Life” isn’t as catchy as FML…but some of the below tweets that mention green tea could be aggregated into a site of their own. Yeah – kinda jaw dropping, shoulder shuddering, or knee slapping.

Since i have an obsession with green tea, well I follow any tweets related to the topic on a daily basis. Then I got to thinking…why not share with you so of the ones that really stick out? Here’s a few of the random ones I saw today:

wow. well that’s, well that’s kind of depressing? eek.

 

cAN yoU sense the EXCITEEEemenT?!?!

 

desperation at…um…well at its healthiest

 

so cravings. ummm. she’s definitely craving opposites.

 

gettin hood. this would sound so much better if it was signed off from another “gee” *hint: @gtea.

 

yes it’s true…the bieber’s got gtea fever.

Ha, even re-reading these made me smirk. Hope you enjoyed them a bit and maybe lightened your mood. I feel like there’s more great random green tea tweets to be discovered. This may need to become a regular posting theme – just sayin.

Stay Updated about Green Tea News

Through my Twitter account (@gtea) I’ve created a daily newspaper that aggregates the breaking news/media related to the tea industry.

It’s called the green-tea daily.

You can subscribe and read it here.

Best Canned Green Tea I’ve ever Had!

After a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas for New Years…I bought Peace Tea from a gas station. I didn’t get a chance to enjoy this can of unsweetened green tea until this weekend in Arizona. But let me just tell you, wow - it’s the best canned green tea I’ve ever had! Cost me only 99 cents and has NO calories! I still have yet to find it in any Arizona gas stations or convenience stores, dang-it.

You can follow the company on Twitter here or join their Facebook here.

Once I got to the top of Squaw Peak in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday…I thought I’d do a little commercial debut. (Click here to watch it for some laughs.)

January is Hot Tea Month

Time to celebrate Hot Tea Month. You may be thinking: Why January?

Well during the beginning of the year, you probably see plenty of people going crazy with gym memberships, diet pills, and making other weight-loss or heath-related resolutions.

Little do people know the potential benefits of adding tea to their daily diet. Or how simple and cheap it is.

Lose weight.

Several studies show that drinking green tea every day helps speed up your metabolism and provide energy for people to complete and recover from their workouts. Why spend hundreds of dollars on supplements? Purchase loose-leaf tea that will last you a few months and save money.

I highly recommend checking out teavana.com or republicoftea.com as places to order yourself a good amount of  loose-leaf tea. My preferences are something with a fruity or minty blend. The flavor can then be heightened when you add a bit of sugar-free sweetener. Yummy!

Fight the flu-bug.

Research has shown that tea drinkers have more ability to fight off viral infections like the cold or flu than non-tea drinkers can. I recommend black tea or oolong tea help strengthen your immune system because they are loaded with antioxidants.

Tah-Dah! Green Tea Video Complete

I was thrilled to see that the Sip of Success contest was extended through Nov. 29, in order for the Tea Council of the USA to recieve a larger quantity of quality video entries. There were a total of 21 entries submitted and the winner will be announced in January (crossing my fingers)!

I had a ton of fun filming mine – Enjoy! Help me win, by “liking” the video on youtube (10% of the contest is based on popularity).

Video Inspiration: Top Ten Benefits of Green Tea
Thanks to the awkwardness of the Progressive lady, the factoid signs in the truth campaign, and the humor of “I’m just here for the wifi” commercials, I was able to create a narrative story about a nerdy college guy (Greer Palmer) and a gorgeous college girl (Allison Devane), who start their days out getting ready for a date. Little do they know that the Green Tea Lady will be showing them how to change their lifestyle for the better with a little sip of success - green tea.

Top 10 Benefits:
1. Green tea helps keeps your gums and teeth healthy
2. Green tea can help you lose weight.
3. Green tea helps you stay alert and awake.
4. Green tea keeps your skin clear 
5. Green tea helps your endurance and post-workout recovery.
6. Green tea can prevent cancer.
7. Green tea helps improve your memory.
8. Green tea can help prevent cardiovascular disease.
9. Green tea saves you money.
10. Green tea helps improve your eyesight.

Browse through the video gallery here.

Is that a tea internship contest? Yep.

Not sure if it was by divine intervention, but all thanks to Twitter I discovered @TeaCouncil today and discovered that the organization is running an internship contest called: “Sip of Success.”  The contest combines the best of two worlds that I am the most passionate about: public relations and tea!

Contestants are asked to create a 2-minute video showing their creativity and passion for tea, along with their knowledge of its health benefits.

The prize: Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prepare for a career in the worldwide tea industry!  The winning video submitted by a college student or recent college grad, will go on a tour through India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and the U.S. to experience a training and internship program with The Tea Council of the USA, Inc.’s partners.  The winner will also get to participate in the U.S. portion of the Dream Job internship at SalonTea, owned by nationally renowned entrepreneur Tracy Stern.

Entries are judged on the following criteria:

• Health-related message (50%)
• Creativity (20%)
• Individuality (20%)
• Popularity (10%)

Due by 11:59 p.m. on November 19…so that means I better get started!

My Chinatown Green Tea Experience

I recently took a week-long trip to New York City, on a whim with one of my friends. With the combination of cheap airplane tickets and hotel rates – we thought…why not? Probably one of the best decisions of my life.

Of course on our list of places to visit was Chinatown. While there’s plenty of meat to get at the market and black market designer handbag sales going on at the corners, I had to go straight for the tea shops. No brainer.

Stepping through those doors gave me the same feeling in my stomach as a child who had one too many cookies – overwhelmed.  What kind of green tea to buy? Not only were there different flavors. There was different packaging – bags, tins, candied…There was bagged, loose-leaf…oh what to do?

Well after running around in circles between the ancient tea room in the back and the shelves in the front of the China Tea Shop, I decided to invest my dollars in a bag of green tea candy (yum!) and canned loose leaf. So yummy!

Top 5 places to enjoy green tea this summer

It’s officially summer in AZ (though the desert temps make it kind of a permanent season here) and I’ve been making some trips to fun places around the Phoenix area, while enjoying green tea. Thought I’d share my “Top 5 List” for favorite places to enjoy green tea this summer

1. Barnes and Noble Cafe at Tempe Marketplace

If you can get there bright and early on a Saturday morning before the shopping/dining crowd hits this outdoor shopping mall, it’s a perfect place to listen to iTunes, read a book or magazine and sip on the B&N Cafe’s iced green tea and coconut blend without interruption. For about $3 you can sip on what tastes like a Hawaiian vacation.

2. Tea Infusion at Tempe Marketplace

This cute tea bar has more than 96 different kinds of tea (including my favorite Pink Pomegranate Green Tea). Meet up with your friends at this place and enjoy the drinks while playing one of the board games on their shelves. Mancala and Scrabble are a couple of the options that they have ready for your childhood cravings.

3. Dutch Bros. Coffee Drive-Thru

Oh, don’t be thrown off by the coffee title. This place has a better green tea blend than Starbucks could ever wish for. The friendly and attractive baristas seal the deal. Enjoy a drink out on their patio while listening to the dutch tunes and basking in their misters.

4. Tempe Town Lake w/a gallon of Arizona Diet Green Tea from Fresh and Easy

When the sunshine sparkles on the water over Tempe Town Lake, you can’t help but smile and thank God for His Beauty. The people watching is great and there’s normally some sort of event going on at this park. Plus a gallon of Arizona Diet Green Tea from Fresh and Easy runs only about $4!

5. Sushi 101

This place obviously is a hot-spot for its regular and reverse happy hours with students on a budget, but aside from the saki – try their iced or hot organic green tea! It’s bomb.