THE HARTFORD COURANT
 DATE: Thursday, June 19, 2008
ByLinda Giuca
Courant Staff Writer

When Pam Oliver sets her mind to something — such as losing 100 pounds more than 20 years ago — she does it. Oliver, the weight-loss specialist, began drinking green tea for its health benefits but found she just wasn't wild about the flavor or aroma. She also decided that she could pack more healthful punch into a cup of the brewed tea.

After months of weighing, measuring, tasting and tweaking tea blends, Oliver — president of Body Transformers Inc. of Rocky Hill — is marketing Transformer Tea, a mix of green tea and antioxidants from dried fruits and vegetables. The tea shouldn't take the place of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, but the loose tea blends are a way to add more of their benefits to the diet.

The Fru-Tea, made with dried fruit, has a slightly sweeter flavor than the Vege-Tea and the Veg-Out-Tea, which has three times the vegetables as the Vege-Tea. Both teas also contain roasted rice, which adds a toasted flavor. For this time of year, Oliver suggests serving the brewed teas over ice and adding fresh berries to the fruit tea or sliced cucumber, cherry tomatos or sprigs of parsley or cilantro to the vegetable tea for added flavor and color.

The teas are packaged in 2-ounce portions, which make about 20 servings. The Vege-Tea and Fru-Tea cost $12.95; the Veg-Out Tea is $14.95. They are available at www.bodytransformers.com or 860-436-9405.

Reprinted with the permission of
THE HARTFORD COURANT
Copyright (c) 2008, The Hartford Courant Company
DATE: Thursday, June 19, 2008
ByLinda Giuca
Courant Staff Writer