If you haven’t heard all the buzz yet, our much-loved, signature Ginger Lemon Tea is now available in bottles! They’re at all three of our locations and they’ve been getting rave reviews. All the same natural ingredients and no preservatives. The exact same treat you’ve been enjoying all along in our cafes but in a convenient bottle. Insider’s tip: one bottle holds more than a triple iced Ginger Lemon Tea, so it’s a great deal too!

To welcome our newest addition, we’re inviting you to get involved. You can get a FREE sample, a FREE bottle, and a chance to win a $100 Sweetwaters card.

Within the next two weeks, start looking around town for lemons that look like this hanging from trees.

How to get a FREE sample of Ginger Lemon Tea:

Bring your lemon to any of the Sweetwaters locations. Also fill out your information on the back for a chance to receive a $100 Sweetwaters card.

How to get a FREE BOTTLE of Ginger Lemon Tea:

Post a picture of you with the lemon on Facebook, and tag “Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea” (you need to like us first). We’ll send you a coupon for your free bottle!

Don’t miss out and keep checking our Facebook page for some fun Ginger Lemon t-shirt giveaways too!

Some background on the bottling process…

This project has been in the works for some time now, and we’re very pleased to finally unveil the bottles. Past customers who moved away have been calling in to see when bottles of Ginger Lemon deliciousness can be sent their way. We’re excited that one of our favorite drinks can now be shared with locals and globals alike

Check out some photos from our local Michigan bottler:

Long-time friend of Sweetwaters, local photographer Myra Klarman displays beautiful prints of her work this month at our downtown location. Be bedazzled by these stunning portraits and community shots during your next visit to Sweetwaters!

More on Myra!
Website: http://myraklarman.com/
Blog: http://relish.myraklarman.com/
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/MyraKlarmanPhotography

While attending Chicago’s CoffeeFest we tasted so many coffees.  The stand out by far was Burundi.  So much so, that although we had originally scheduled a different coffee to be featured in March and April, I immediately emailed all the stores to put a halt to the original plan and order Burundi instead!

When Wei tasted the Burundi his immediate reaction was, “Wow, this coffee has no bitterness. It’s velvety and refreshing with a very clean finish.”  We had to bring this ultra-smooth coffee to our Sweetwaters customers to brighten the dreary, gray days of March.

One of my favorite first comments from a downtown customer:  “I love the Burundi.  As a student, any old coffee would do.  But now, I’m more selective.  I only want to drink really good coffee and this one is it – I can taste the difference and it makes me feel good.”  – Andrea, a longtime downtown customer.

Come in and have a taste. It’s what “grown-up” coffee should be.

Sweetwaters brings you our NEW in-house espresso and drip brew: 4|12 Blend.  Featuring beans from India, Brazil and Sumatra with European inspiration.  A sweet & lively yet rich roast.  We’re thrilled to introduce this new blend to you!  There are a couple ways for you to help us welcome it in – and get some good deals along the way:

• Sign up for a complimentary taste-testing
  • The first 5 to participate get a FREE 4|12 Blend T-shirt
  • At Sweetwaters downtown only
  • Contact kt_swc@yahoo.com to sign up
• Bring in a photo of yourself in India, Brazil or Sumatra and get 30% off a cup or whole bean package of 4|12 blend

On your next visit, be sure to give it a try!  We’d love to hear what you think.

For more information click here.

Thanks to all of the 1,000+ people who voted in AnnArbor.com’s annual Community Choice Awards contest.  Sweetwaters came out on top for best coffeehouse in AA!  We appreciate the support, and we love providing great drinks and treats to great customers.

Check out the full listing to see Sweetwaters as well as the other winners: http://www.annarbor.com/about/annarborcom-announces-the-winners-of-its-community-choice-awards-contest/

Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School and The Michigan Department of Education presented this certificate to Sweewaters for sharing professional experience with Taylor, one of our youngest and brightest baristas! Taylor is enrolled in Pioneer’s Occupational Education Program and we are proud to say that she has received straight A’s in the program.

At Sweetwaters we appreciate the importance of career and technical education and are proud to support and mentor our local students.

Blue Tractor in Ann Arbor has created a stout using our coffee!  Sweetwaters Java Stout, is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and roasted malts with a wee bit o’ oats and a coffee malt made from our House coffee. Head over to the Blue Tractor or Cafe Habana on Washington St. just past 4th Ave. and try a pint.  Reviews are in and from customers to staff they’re all lovin’ it!

To see a fun taste-testing video, click here.

AnnArbor.com published a great executive profile on one of Sweetwaters’ founders, Lisa Bee. Read about what makes Sweetwaters fun and what’s the best part of being in the coffee biz.

Executive Profile: Lisa Bee, co-owner, Sweetwaters Cafe

People— they’re the best part of the job and the most challenging part of the job for Lisa Bee, co-owner of Sweetwaters

Café in downtown Ann Arbor.

“I get to meet so many different people,” Bee said. “Not just the customers, but also the staff.” Bee said that  former Sweetwaters employees move away after college, but often come back to let her and her husband, Wei, know how they area doing.

Bee said that while customers are loyal and have made many useful suggestions, they’re also the first to let her know when they don’t like something or want something to be changed, from adding new beverage selections to repairs or remodeling work on the shop.

“I’m really thankful for those people, though,” Bee said. “Our customers set a very high bar for us. They make us who we are.”
full entry »

It’s easy to boast on and on about the great benefits of drinking green tea. So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do! The Chinese have been using green tea for its medicinal benefits for over 4,000 years. Green teas are said to fight cancer and heart diseases. They are also thought to lower cholesterol, burn fats, prevent diabetes and even strokes.

Why is green thought to be so healthy? Green tea has powerful antioxidants that swarm the free radicals in your body looking for problematic things like blood clots and diseases. Because green tea is so minimally processed, its antioxidants are more powerful than most other teas which are fermented.

There are even studies to show that drinking green tea regularly may help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes the dental plaque. Research has shown that drinking green tea, is more effective than taking supplements.

Learn more about green tea:

WebMD

Wikipedia

University of Maryland Medical Center

“Happy New Year” in Chinese:

In Mandarin – Xin Nian Kuei Le – phonetically [shin-nian-kwie-le]

In Cantonese - Gung Hai Fat Choi – phonetically [gong-hey-faat-choy]

Celebrate the Year of the Tiger on Feb 14th at Sweetwaters with an Imperial Milk Tea or a Dragon Eye!

Sweeten the day for someone special with our Chinese New Year inspired Red Pockets! Fill with the traditional Asian gift of money or sweeter yet…a Sweetwaters Gift Card!