Steep Stories

Author: lazyliteratus

  • A Forward Foreword to a Fermented Puerh

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 29: “A Forward Foreword to a Fermented Puerh I have a confession to make, but I’m going to do it in the most roundabout way possible. Don’t worry, I’ll get to a point (eventually), and I’ll somehow try to segue into tea. But I warn you, it won’t be pretty. And neither is…

  • A Bug-Bitten Beauty of a Black Tea

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 28: “A Bug-Bitten Black Beipu Beauty of a Tea” If you’ve spent any time around hardcore Taiwanese tea drinkers, you probably ran into the term “bug-bitten”. And probably thought of this. No? Just me? Anyway . . . “Bug-bitten” refers to teas that come from tea plants where pest involvement is encouraged. In…

  • A Different Dark Tea on Black Friday

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 27: “A Different Dark Tea on Black Friday” As I’m writing this, it’s the night of Black Friday. To most tea people with a pun gland, though, it’s Black Tea Friday. So, in honor of that, will I be talking about another unique black tea? Forget it, I’m going to talk about dark…

  • Obligatorily Weird Thanksgiving Tea Post

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 26: “Obligatorily Weird Thanksgiving Tea Post” I think it’s mandatory that if one is going to post a blog on Thanksgiving Day, they actually have to give thanks to something or someone. And, trust me, I will do just that. But not right this second. You see, I have a weird Camellia species…

  • Cáscara Té Amo

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 25: “Cáscara Té Amo” When I first started doing “NaNoTeaMo” at the beginning of this month (i.e. a tea blog every day in November), I also chose use it as a hashtag. What I didn’t know was . . . the hashtag was already in use for something else. And I had no…

  • Three Words: Puerh Tea Paste

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 24: “Three Words: Puerh Tea Paste” Cha Gao is weird. No . . . weirder. The concept behind it is weird. The backstory is weird. The whole damn experience is just . . . weird. And this is coming from a guy that thrives on all teas weird. But I’m getting ahead of…

  • My Love/Hate Relationship with Wuyi Oolongs

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 23: “My Love/Hate Relationship with Wuyi Oolongs” I remember the first time I heard the word “yancha”. In an unlikely move, I was attending a local gathering of fellow tea folks. I was nowhere near as knowledgeable as I am now (which – admittedly – still isn’t much). In order to be social,…

  • AKA Spike My Ceylons with Jessica Jones

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 22: “AKA Spike My Ceylons with Jessica Jones” Before reading the ramblings below, it’ll probably help you to visualize it being read by Humphrey Bogart. To set the proper mood. If that’s too difficult, or way to serious a voice . . . then picture Garrison Keillor as Guy Noir reading this aloud.…

  • Getting Tea Drunk on Giddapahar

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 21: “Getting Tea Drunk on Giddapahar” The Giddapahar tea estate rests near the center of the Kurseong Valley. The name translates to “Eagle’s Cliff”. While still considered high altitude in most respects, it represents one of the lower altitude gardens in that region. One of the most unique aspects of the estate is…

  • A Look at Lumbini Tea

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 20: “A Look at Lumbini Tea” I’ve talked about World Tea Expo 2015 a lot the last few weeks, and that’s because . . . well . . . there was (and still is) a lot to talk about. Case in point: Lumbini Tea. Robert “Lord Devotea” Godden tweeted all the Expo-attending bloggers…