• Categories

  Select Category ACL  (55) Activities  (102) arts & crafts  (24) Austin, Texas  (244) Blog Love  (8) Celebrities  (20) Chicago  (30) Clayton Christopher  (9) Cocktail Recipes  (12) Distribution  (2) earth day  (7) Epiphone Guitar  (8) Events  (188) Food & Beverage  (124) Fun Fun Fun Fest  (2) Grannyisms  (9) Guest Blogger  (15) Intern  (41) Live Music  (160) Lollapalooza  (56) Los Angeles  (5) Mile High Festival  (1) Muddy Buddy  (6) Nestle Waters  (2) New Years Eve  (1) new years resolutions  (2) Organic  (18) recipes  (3) Relief Fund  (2) Social Media  (19) Survey  (1) Sweet Bikes  (19) sweet birthdays  (1) Sweet Consumers  (74) Sweet Contests  (80) Sweet Leaf Dogs  (11) Sweet Leaf Tea Company News  (30) Sweet Leaf Tea Sightings  (9) Sweet Pets  (2) Sweet-Spot  (5) SXSW  (32) teasnacky  (13) Uncategorized  (167) Unwrapped  (2) Vacation  (9)

• Search

  Search for:

• Archives

  Select Month February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008

• Tag Cloud

  12 Days of Christmas @sweetleafdanny @SweetleafJacqui ACL ACL-Fest ACL-Festival Austin Austin City Limits Austin TX Bicycles Chicago Citrus Green Tea Clayton Christopher consumers CONTEST free press summer fest Fun Fun Fun Fest granny Holidays Home Slice Pizza Houston iced tea interns Knuckle Rumbler Live Music Lollapalooza Mint-and-Honey-Green-Tea mixers Muddy Buddy music Phoenix Sweet Contests sweetleaf sweet leaf Sweet Leaf Tea sweetleaftea sweet stories Sweet Tea SXSW teasnacky Texas Tito's Vodka TX Whole Foods Market Zilker Park

  WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.

Growing up in central Texas I have learned to appreciate great food, music, and tea. When I first heard about the Texas Monthly Magazine BBQ Festival, I immediately added it to my calendar and knew that I had to be there. BBQ has always been a staple in my families gatherings. BBQ for birthdays, BBQ for family reunions, BBQ for football games, BBQ for Thanksgiving… you get the point.

Some of my most favorite memories of childhood were gathering the entire family and heading to the BBQ Capitol of the World- (in my opinion) Lockhart, TX.

Most will argue about which location in Lockhart has the best ‘Que. Hands down for me it was- and still is to this day- Smitty’s Market. You’ll know you’re there when you walk in to the building and pretty much step foot right into the fire pits that fuel the giant pits. If you happen to find your way to Smitty’s you must grab a delicious link of their sausage. I promise when you leave, you will want to take some back home to share in all the goodness with friends and family.

In a past blog, I recognized all the fine folks and also great BBQ (2^nd best – in my opinion) at Kruetz’s – which is also located in Lockhart, TX. Not only do they share a great history with Smitty’s, but they use recycled Sweet Leaf Tea glass bottles for salt and pepper shakers!

Now what are you going to do next time you’re in Lockhart, TX?

1. Stop by Kreutz’s BBQ and get you some world famous brisket and a Sweet Leaf Tea.

2. Head over to Smitty’s Market and chow down on some sausage and look all around for some great history reads and pics on the walls. (CAUTION – don’t forget about the fire pits!!!)

After all this BBQ talk – I hope to see you all at the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest that will be held on Oct. 29^th – The Long Center – Austin, TX.

While you’re there be sure to snag you some Homemade Goodness in a bottle to wash down all that Texas BBQ greatness!

UPDATED:

Huge thanks to EVERYONE that entered in to the contest! There were tons of fantastic entries and it was definitely a difficult task picking a winner, but….

CONGRATULATIONS to Layne Lynch you won 2 tickets to the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest with this post below!

“There’s nothing in the world that makes me smile more than a lipsmackin’ slab of BBQ except maybe …. going on a road trip with old friends mapping out all of at various BBQ joints across the state we want to stop at along the way to our destination. It’s not the BBQ that’s good; it’s the company you keep that makes everything in life taste so much sweeter.”

More contests to come, stay tuned and be sweet out there y’all!

-@SweetLeafDanny

This is the week that smoked meat lovers rejoice! It’s been 364 days to get back to one of [if not] the best BBQ events in the WORLD!  TEXAS MONTHLY BBQ FESTIVAL! 24 of Texas’s TOP BBQ joints from ALL over the state, converge in Austin for a meat stuffing event that is unbeatable. Sample BBQ from all the big names: Baker’s, Snow’s, Smitty’s, City Meat, as well as the newcomer Franklin’s.

We all know that people love their Kansas and Carolina Barbecue, but get real people, Texas is where it’s at. I’m going to state a fact [note: this statement has no actual references] BASED ON THE United States CENSUS: Texas has more GREAT tasting BBQ per square mile than any other state [nation] ever. Texas is also the biggest state that isn’t frozen most of the year, so it’s got a lot of amazingly tasty meat.

You may be asking yourself, [Southern accent] “Hot pig links Danny, this sounds great and all, but I heard that this event is sold out.”  It IS sold out, BUT Sweet Leaf Tea has the hook up for you! We’ve got 2 tickets to this event and we want to award the person who wants it most to get in there and enjoy a smoked rib and some Sweet Leaf Tea! For real, this person needs to bleed mesquite smoke.

“What do I have to do?”

In that little comment box below, you need to tell us:

There’s nothing in the world that makes me smile more than a lipsmackin’ slab of BBQ except maybe ….

Now, we know an ice cold Sweet Leaf Tea always makes for a good smile, but what really makes you happy?

Make us laugh, make us smile, keep the love flowing. We will pick a winner on Wednesday! Click here for the BBQ joints at the festival!

FINE PRINT: This contest is only for fans in the Austin, Texas and surrounding areas. [Sorry folks, we'll have more giveaways in the upcoming weeks for all to play.]

Entry must be in by Wednesday morning by 9AM.  Good LUCK!

Here at Sweet Leaf, we love to get involved in community events and happenings around town. It’s great to be able to share a little ‘sweetness’ with our friends and fans… After all, what’s more refreshing than an ice-cold sip of tea?

I was thinking about this as I reviewed some photos from Austin Fashion Week (we had given some tea to a few fashion shows and local designers) and one designer, Laisa, took the notion of ‘refreshing’ to a whole new level. The photos speak for themselves, but her account of the process really hit home:

During Fashion Week,  I had an event where I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by Sweet Leaf Tea.  They did not have a recycling post for all of the empty cans, so I took them home with me to recycle. A couple of days later, I was asked to participate in the 20th Anniversary Celebration for the Texas Campaign for the Environment, where they would be having a “Trash Makeover” Challenge for fashion designers.

I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to up-cycle (instead of recycle) the Sweet Leaf Tea cans! My theme for the show was Conserve, Preserve, and Deserve. I rinsed out the aluminum cans, cut off the top and bottom of each one, then used a star shaped hole punch to make hundreds of aluminum stars.  Then I created a bodice and placed the stars one by one onto the bodice, sewing a swirly pattern so that they looked like they were shooting up into the sky. I did this over and over, layering the lines until the entire bodice was completely covered. Then I used an old bed sheet to make a silvery grey skirt that was my interpretation of a cloud.  Full Sweet Leaf Tea cans were used in the hair (by Deborah at Russ & Company) to create giant rolls with stars shooting out of them. So the model (Anya Brill) represented the Air/Deserve idea, meaning once we all “Conserve Water”, and “Preserve the Earth, then we “Deserve fresh Air and Sweet Leaf Tea!” Lol

You can see from the photos below that her craftsmanship and attention to detail elevated and up-cycled the Sweet Leaf cans from trash into couture. Laisa’s one-of a kind creation is a work of art, and as such, is on display this weekend at Austin City Hall during this Sunday’s Green City Festival (it’s also for sale during the event, with all proceeds going to Texas Campaign for the Environment).

The temperature is dropping here in Austin, Texas and we are LOVING it!  It’s finally cool enough to make it out to some great outdoor events!  AND if you live in Orlando or Austin you are in luck for this weekend!

ORLANDO

Wiggle Waggle Walk!

This is a pet walk to benefit the Seminole County SPCA!  You could make a difference in the life of an abused or abandoned cat or dog by donating a minimum of $25! Then you can bring your pup (or cat) on a walk to show your support for the SPCA! (If you can walk your cat, send me a picture. I’ll be jealous!)  Information on timing and location can be found HERE.  When you finish walking there will be some Sweet Leaf Tea Homemade Goodness waiting for you.

AUSTIN

UMLAUFALOOPA!

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum here in Austin, Texas!  Come out and eat great food from some local trailers, check out some loca artists, enjoy the sculptures in a lively environment, and grab a Sweet Leaf Tea! This is a two day family friendly festival! Deets here!  It’s gonna be a great time! Enjoy this weather!

Here at Sweet Leaf Tea, we go do a lot of things to help the environment. Using recyclable packing for our products, having reusable cups and plates in the office kitchen to reduce paper waste, having recycling bins at each desk, LEED certified office space, etc.etc.etc.

We also try and support events that promote green practices, and YOU’RE in luck if you live in the city of the ALAMO!

Live Green Fest is THIS Saturday at the Olmos Basin Park in San Antonio! Want to learn some techniques and tips on how to live a greener life with a smaller footprint? Learn to garden organically, eating healthy food that support green efforts, as well as learning about alternative power sources.

BUT it’s not ALL educational, there will be BANDS, FOOD, and of course only the best tea avaliable on the market today (SWEET LEAF TEA)!  And probably the best part, it’s all free!

See you out there from 10am – 4pm on October 15th (SATURDAY!).

keep looking »