Steep Stories

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • The Passing of a Tea Shaman

    In 2009, I met an extraordinary man. A legend, really. He had just opened his newest operation, Steven Smith Teamaker – aptly named after himself. He had reason for such bravado, having co-founded two of the largest tea companies ever. Stash Tea Company and Tazo (pre-Starbucks) were his brainchildren. The man had earned his stripes.…

  • Russian Green Tea Roulette

    Full circle, man. Let me explain. About a year and a half ago, I did a write-up on Russian grown tea, specifically a black tea from the Krasnodarskiy brand. My verdict was, “Eh.” However, I didn’t disregard the Dagomys region of Krasnodar completely. According to some sources, the tea gardens in the region were stepping…

  • A Young Yiwu Pu-Erh Afternoon

    It’s an honest question. For years, I was taught that, sure, a young sheng (raw) pu-erh could be good, but it had yet to reach its full potential. After all, pu-erh was meant to be aged – to mature over time. Particularly the raw variety. However, I’m starting to rethink my stance on that. Sometimes,…

  • A High Mountain Happy Accident

    The late Bob Ross used to close his show with the line, “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.” His philosophy – if it can be called that – holds true for a lot of things. Oolong, for starters, was a happy accident. As legend has it, the style came about because a leaf picker…

  • A Swift, Southern Caffeinated Kick in the Teeth

    Have I ever mentioned that I’m sensitive to caffeine? Like “Deanna Troi” sensitive. Upon my first exposure to yaupon holly – yerba mate’s sweeter, ‘Merican cousin – I hadn’t prepared for the absolute caffeine zing! it imparted. It took three melatonin pills just to slow my heart rate enough to sleep that night. For a…

  • Scottish Grown Tea and Mystery Lasses

    This all started with a forum topic. Tea Trade’s resident Smiling Frenchman – Xavier (of the Teaconomics blog) – had posted a discussion starter. It was aptly titled: “The First Scottish Tea is White and Smoky” That immediately held my attention. In the discussion, Xavier posted a link to an article about a new outfit…

  • Fujian Face-Off! Lapsang Souchong Vs. Jin Jun Mei

    I think I’ve made my point rather clear that I love Lapsang Souchong. Many of my blogs here, or on my manlier Devotea-backed side-project – Beasts of Brewdom – have extolled its virtues (and lack of subtlety). Maybe it was the campfire taste, or the trail of forest-fire it left on my tongue in its…

  • Indi’s Awesome Mustache (and Tea)

    Imagine a college student discovering tea for the first time, and finding a teashop to frequent. After many visits during his college tenure – and following many dialogues with the owner – he mentions in passing, “I’m going to make a trip to India.” The owner of said teashop then says to the college student,…

  • Bug Bites, Tea Huts, and Sipping Wisdom

    Early on in my tea writing “career”, there was one name that always popped up – Lindsey Goodwin. She was one of the tea writers on the scene, managed her own consultation website, and was the resident caffeine guru for About.com. And at one point in time, she was also a Portlander. As one might…

  • New Tea on New Year’s Eve

    It was New Year’s Eve . . . and I slept in. No major surprise there; I always sleep in on my days off. The only plans I had for that day were helping my brother with some housework and a friend’s party later on. In the meantime, I had a moment to myself to…

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