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.

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.

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.

It’s called the green-tea daily.

You can subscribe and read it here.

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.)

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.