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I have a confession to make. Prior to meeting my southern husband, I have never heard of Sun Tea before. When he found this out, he had the most quizzical expression on his face as if he saw something in my teeth and couldn't decide whether to laugh or cringe.

And so I got the lecture.  "Sun Tea", he proclaimed, "is part of what bonds children with their mothers, is what makes childhood memories everlasting, it's what no child should ever be deprived of, otherwise its a childhood not worth having..."  OK, maybe I am exaggerating the lecture a little bit. 

So in order to save my marriage, I embarked on a Sun Tea journey to discover everything I can about this mysteriously fascinating summer liquid. I phoned the in-laws of the south for ole' fashioned recipes,  I scoured the Internet for variety of recipes, I researched recent safety concerns in the making of Sun Tea and experimented in my own backyard to bring you this very thesis on Sun Tea.

To begin, here are some basic ground rules in preparing to make Sun Tea:

1. Watch Out for Bacteria.  If you ask the new-timers, the process of making Sun Tea can form a bacteria that can be harmful to your health. If you ask the ole-timers, a lil' bit of bacteria ain't hurt no body! The issue is that using the sun's rays to make tea can facillitate bacteria called alcaligenes viscolactis, according to the Center of Disease Control. Tea steeped in a jar on your porch won't get any hotter than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to truly kill germs, water needs to be heated at 195 degrees F for 3-5 minutes.

To appease both the old school and the new school of thought, it's best to avoid risk yet without stripping yourselves from fond childhood memories by doing the following:

a) Use a sterilized glass container (more about glass below)

b)  Use a strainer after steeping Sun Tea to rid of any aliens in it.

c) Simply toss the tea away if you see foamy, syrupy substances or any weird-looking strands.

2. Use a Glass Pot. According to recent studies, plastic containers may be adding harmful chemicals to the liquids they contain. The procedure speeds up if the liquid bottle in plastic is left in the sun for a long time. Bottles exposed to the sun in the research showed traces of carcinogenic and neurotoxic substances.

3. Use Filtered Water.  Tap water typically contains unknown substances that without a full boil may be harmful to your health. Another cleaner and safer method to make Sun Tea is to use filtered water instead. This will also enhance the flavor of the tea itself.

4. Use Loose Leaf Tea.  Even though most of the traditional recipes utilize tea bags, I prefer to use fresh ingredients wherever I can. Tea bags to me are akin to buying pre-ground coffee in a can where the freshness is compromised. 

5. Be Creative.  Add your favorite citrus rinds and/or garden herbs to your own batch of Sun Tea.   

5. Refrigerate immediately after use.  Throw out any leftover tea after 3 days.

What's fabulous about LA is that you can wake up in the morning, have your breakfast, and decide to spend yourhard earned day offat the beach... in no time. This past weekend we ventured out to sunny Malibu for our third stair-climb, gaining one step closer to conquering our Mount Whitney feat. Continuing our exercising with tea adventures, our featured tea of choice was Silver Needle white tea, no sweetener, chilled.

Parking on Pacific Coast Highway was polite, possibly because we discovered a way to cheat the parking gods. Since the stair climb is throughout the residential neighborhood of Malibu, we figured to park uphill on a windy street where our climb would weave through, and it worked. We squeezed our car on a tight roundabout where parking was permitted on non "red flag days" (has anyone figured out what that even is?)

Walking by an SUV with an open trunk we see blond haired, sun-kissed kids in swimsuits looking too young to be drinking enjoying the views of the ocean on a beautiful weekend. Down a flight of stairs and crossing the overpass of PCH to the west side we stayed true to the stair count and began our journey with sandy feet.

Charles Fleming,the author of the LA stair climbs andnow our guide, describes a set of lingering, steep stairs along this trail as the "stairwell to nowhere." These nowhere stairs are exactly that, but they add a very nice level of difficulty if you decide to scale them a couple of times during each round of the Castellammare hike like we did. We're not sure if these steps were included in the article's count, we added it to ours anyway. After all, it couldn't hurt to throw in another 66 steps one way to spice up the mix.

Passing through homes which make you want to play that game of "which house would you want," we see evidence of neighborhood unification: handwritten blue signs every few feet warning drivers to "slow down" and "watch out" for "children at play."

We incline up to experience a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean dotted with sailboats on the left and a decked out, Italian style mansion called Villa de Leon, once belonging toLeon Kauffman, a wool magnate famous in the1920's lies straight ahead.

Perhaps it was the large, wide and smooth stones with ornate detailing that gave this villa its authentic, transcendent exterior. A sprawling lawn overlooking the ocean makes you stop and stare...one can only imagine the frolicky horseplay at this mansion's 'hay-day'.

Up and around the bend we come back down to PCH for another two rounds. A lookout into the ocean reveals swarms of what appeared to be orangey-brown sea kelp which we couldn't help but think of the view of the oil-ridden Mexican Gulf.

Altogether, we conqueredthe Castellammare's 396steps three times plus the 'Stair's to Nowhere' 132 times three, giving this workout a total of 1584 steps. Silver Needle White Tea was the perfect selection for this journey. Its naturally airy-sweet taste complemented the soft, oceanic breeze upon our skins. The chilled version of the tea felt more replenishing like a Gatorade, but with added immune building strength and no sugar sticking to your teeth and clogging your throat. I'd definitelychoose Silver Needleagain as a workout companion. Not to mention we are both noticing an increased endurance drinking tea with our cardiovascular workouts versus working out without tea.

If you're trying tea with your workouts, comment here and letus know or write us about it. We'd love to hear about it.

On their own, both tea and exercise have many benefits to one's health. But did you know that there are identical and specific results from tea drinking and physical exertion? And by drinking tea—as opposed to just plain water—during exercise, these results can be doubled?! Take a look at the list below of the similar effects tea and exercise can have on your mental and physical health, and start using tea as your beverage of choice during your cardio or strength workout routines!

•    Increases metabolic rate
•    Increases endurance
•    Boosts mental alertness
•    Boosts immune system
•    Lowers cortisol, the stress hormone
•    Improves cardiovascular health

Just in time for Father's Day!

Say, "Thank you Dad!" with a tea flight made just for Dad.  Skip the tie and scotch.  This year give Dad a healthy, delicious gift of gourmet loose leaf tea.  The Father's Day Tea Flight includes:

- Gunpowder green tea which helps prevent cancer, lowers cholesterol levels and promotes weight loss.

- Golden Monkey Paw black tea, one of Will's favorite black teas with a smooth malty taste.  Black tea reduces stress and the signs of aging.

- Lapsang Souchong black tea, a unique, naturally smokey flavored tea, that reduced stress and fights cancer.  This tea is delicious hot and can also be used as a rub on steak and chicken for a delicious, natural grilling flavor enhancer.

- Big Red Robe Oolong tea, the finest Oolong tea available anywhere.  This delcious tea is sure to hook your dad on loose leaf tea while promoting weight loss and healthy skin.

Get all of this with $12 OFF available only during this special promotion. Visit the 'Tea Gifts' page and scroll down to the Father's Day Flight!

 Happy Father's Day!

Follow this quick guide to living a healthy and balanced life:

• Have 1500-1600 calories per day based on physical activity

• Have 300-500 calories each for breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Have up to 200 calories each for 2 snacks per day

• Find only 50-100 calories to cut per day if weight loss is the goal

• Ideal waistline is 32 inches for a woman, and 35 for a man

• For depression, eat foods or take supplements with omega 3 fatty acids

• Eat foods with less than 4 grams of saturated fat, and less than 9 grams of sugar, per serving

• Apples, carrots, and nuts are good snacks

• Red Pepper and Cinnamon help fight  fat

• Have 1 to 2 cups of your favorite tea every day

• Walk for 30 minutes per day - Aim for 10,000 steps per day

• Lift weights for 30 minutes per week

• Sweat for an hour per week

• Stretching is important to prevent injury

• Fidgeting helps burn calories

Did you know that your food cravings may be able to determine your mood?

• Meat could mean you're angry
• Sweets might be a sign of depression
• Ice cream might mean you're anxious
• Salty snacks could mean you're stressed
• Pasta might signal loneliness or sexual frustration
• All of the above might mean you're just a little bit jealous

And finally, avoid these ingredients for a healthier lifestyle:

• Hydrogenated Oils
• Sugars
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup
• Enriched Flour
• Bleached Flour