Photos: Art of Tea

The Mandarin silk tea is a mellow oolong with a citrus finish.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

Clockwise from top left: Bao Zhong, Mandarin silk, Early Grey Creme, plum oolong, Happy Tea, Garden of Eden, Jasmine Pearls, French lemon ginger, Welcome and Amore teas are just a few of the teas offered. The teas created by Art of Tea are sustainable and organic.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

Schwartz tests the Amore white tea in the lab at Art of Tea. Amore is a blend of white tea with rose petals, mint and lavender.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

Master blender Gerson Rivera, left, and his assistant, Jaime Lopez, hand-blends a green tea. Art of Tea, which now has 24 employees, operates in a bare-bones building between downtown and Monterey Park.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

Happy Tea is one of the many teas blended at Art of Tea. It’s a combination of sweet strawberries, tangy hibiscus flowers and jasmine in guayusa tea that is supposed to create a slightly stimulating effect.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

Welcome, from left, Mandarin silk, plum oolong and French lemon ginger teas are a few of the many blended teas at Art of Tea. Schwartz and his employees taste all the teas they make in a test kitchen.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

Schwartz started his business 10 years ago in his living room, he says. Today, the company provides teas to restaurants, hotels, cafes and individuals.  (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)