Mark Ukra

For nearly two decades Mark Ukra, “Dr. Tea” has traveled the world to pursue his studies of tea and is considered to be a leading authority on the subject. He owns the original Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium in Los Angeles, and is the author of The Ultimate Tea Diet: How Tea Can Boost Your Metabolism, Shrink Your Appetite, and Kick-Start Remarkable Weight Loss (Collins Lifestyle). A passionate speaker about the joys and healthy benefits of tea, he has given “Good Health” seminars produced by The Learning Annex in major cities across the country, and lectures on the high seas, at tea expos, and hospitals across the country.

Wearing his signature orange coat (meant to mimic the exact shade of the Dalai Lama’s robes), Dr. Tea has appeared on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Access Hollywood, E!, Mike & Juliette Show, Good Morning America Now, featured guest on Martha Stewart Living Radio, recurring tea expert on Good Morning Dallas, featured recurring tea expert with Dr. Michael Roizen (You books author), and  several TV and radio shows across the country, and has appeared frequently in magazines such as People, US Weekly, Entertainment Today, and Shape. The History Channel did a five-part series on The History of Tea, in which Dr. Tea was prominently featured as a tea expert, historian and representative of the contemporary movement of tea in our country. Also, he hosts a series of programs called “Dr. Tea Minutes” on drinking tea, cooking with tea, and losing weight with tea on Sirius Radio. “The Dr. Tea Show,” a monthly one-hour Internet radio program, is featured on HealthyLife.net.

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, and its popularity has dramatically increased in the U.S. over the past several years. According to the Tea Association of America, the tea industry will reach $10 billion by 2010, and Americans drink 2.2 billion gallons of tea each year. Its many health benefits are just beginning to be discovered. In The Ultimate Tea Diet Dr. Tea shows how tea can help us lose weight and have better overall health. Tea’s natural ingredients will not only stimulate weight loss, but will reduce cravings for sweets, suppress the appetite, increase insulin’s effectiveness, lower cholesterol, and stimulate thermogenesis, which helps the body burn fat for energy. All of this from a cup of tea!

Dr. Tea’s family has been in the tea business for nearly 200 years. And, even though tea might be in his genes, his father became a tax accountant and Ukra, himself, began his career in business, before returning to his roots in the tea trade. Being a connoisseur of fine foods, wines, tobacco, and most of all, teas, Ukra began to purchase rare teas at auctions and meet with fellow enthusiasts during his world travels. As his passion grew, he began looking to establish a place for teaching and learning about teas in Los Angeles. He and his wife purchased the Tea Garden and Herbal Emporium, where he looks to first provide the world’s finest teas and then to educate on its history, its health benefits, and proper brewing techniques. Dr. Tea also has a line of products – teas, cups, and tea pots – available online and in national chains such as Dean & Deluca and on Walgreens.com.

It’s at Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden that “Dr. Tea” was born. During one of its ‘Teas for Tots’ programs, he was speaking to a group of eight year olds about tea when one child commented that he looked like a doctor and another child responded, “he’s Dr. Tea.” The name stuck and from that day forward his staff and visitors began calling him, “Dr. Tea.”

He excites the crowd wherever he speaks. No pinkies up when Dr. Tea shows up!

Tea 101 – How Tea Can Change Your Life

Tea and Weight Loss: “The Ultimate Tea Diet” How Tea Can Boost Your Metabolism, Shrink Your Appetite, and Kick-Start Remarkable Weight Loss

Dr. Tea Spills the Beans on Coffee

Dr. Tea Motivates: “If you say you can you will!”