Steep Stories

Category: Tea Features

  • My Day as a Warrior Tiger Monk

    I was first contacted by Temple Road Tea back in late-March. They were a relatively new outfit specializing in Taiwanese high mountain oolongs. The foremost oolong they wanted me to yack about was their Tiger Monk Roasted Oolong. My first inclination was to decline because…roasted oolongs weren’t really my thing. That and I really didn’t…

  • The Scoop on a Black Fusion

    I want to introduce you all to the oldest tea tool in my arsenal. This li’l guy has been in my tea retinue for the better part of five years. That’s longer than any teacup, gaiwan, electric kettle, tin or pot. He first turned up in bag of Chrysanthemum Silver Needle I purchased in 2009,…

  • Grown in Michigan

    Like any good tea drinker, I occasionally frequent teashops. There is one in particular that I’ve gone to for the better part of three years (or more?). It has a bar. Note to future teashop owners: Get a bar. People like me will hang out there. Or don’t…if you want to avoid that sort of…

  • Nan Nuo Revisited – Still My Favorite Mountain

    Of all the tea blogs I’ve written, none have possessed the traction that my Nan Nuo Mountain coverage displayed. And I don’t mean in terms of viewership. (Let’s face it, what viewership?) But rather the enormity of vendors that specialize in single origin teas who’ve contacted me in its wake; I think the count is…

  • Playing with Purple Tea before a Tandem Taiwanese Tasting

    So, the events herein are from a couple of weeks ago, but the work week from Hades prevented its etching onto this holiest blog-tomes. But…here it is now. Late. As expected. As always. Big Brass Butiki-s, Round 2: “Playing with Purple Tea before a Tandem Taiwanese Tasting” (How’s that for a long-arse title?) March’s Tandem…

  • Do Tea Drinkers Dream of Electric Kettles?

    Back in January, I was contacted by JalamTeas to try another one of their pu-erhs. This was different than their Nan Nuo offering because it was a loose, young sheng as opposed to a beengcha (tea cake). Well, of course, I said, “Hell yeah!” Or something akin to it. JalamTeas had a pretty good eye…

  • Good Afternoon, Vietnamese Pu-Erh!

    In 2010, back in my review days, a Vietnamese cooked pu-erh happened upon my desktop. By then, I had developed a predilection for weird teas and new origins. So, the idea of a pu-erh, from somewhere other than Yunnan, excited me. That is, until I tasted it. Let’s just say, I wasn’t a fan. But…

  • “Taiwan’s Wild Side” – Big Brass Butikis, Round 1

    Big Brass Butikis, Round 1: “Taiwan’s Wild Side” I have a confession to make: I’m in love with Butiki Teas. They are one of five (maybe six?) companies that have my kind of business model. That being: What’s that? Is it weird? SWEET! I’ll buy ALL of it! It’s like they took a piece of…

  • “All’s Fair in Love and Wolves” – An Open Letter to the Tandem Tea Tasters

    “All’s Fair in Love and Wolves” – An Open Letter to the Tandem Tea Tasters   To my dearest Tandem Tea Tasters – Rachel, Jo, Nicole, Darlene, Jackie and Julia… I regret that I was unable to attend last Sunday’s Tandem Tea Tasting, and I equally lament that I never got to make the real(-ish)-time…

  • “The Subtlety of Smoke” – The Changing Face of Lapsang Souchong, Part 2

    This is Part 2 of a trilogy of posts about Lapsang Souchong. For Part 1, go HERE. The Changing Face of Lapsang Souchong, Part 2: “The Subtlety of Smoke” The branding and categorizing of tea can get a little fuzzy, especially where China is concerned. The main reason being, a lot of the origin stories…