Steep Stories

Tag: Assam

  • Smoked Chai for the Momma’s Boy

    It’s been a weird and busy month. In the span of three weeks, I had driver’s license difficulties, car troubles, multiple projects, and some minor financial headaches. Yet all of these things didn’t affect my mood any. Reason being? My Mum had my back. As if it wasn’t quite obvious, I’m a total momma’s boy.…

  • A Bourbon-Scented, Tea Seeding Saga

    Back in June, one of the many wonderful things I came back with from World Tea Expo…was tea plant seeds. The Camellia Forest Nursery in North Carolina had donated some to the Tealet booth as gifts for passersby. Of course, I was one of those who jumped at the chance. Who wouldn’t want to grow…

  • Assam Green Tea?!?!?!?

    Let’s rewind back to April of this year. I noticed a new follower of my “Twit”-arded updates. Their handle was about as descriptive as it needed to be to perk my interest – “@AssamGreenTea”. Green tea. From Assam. Assam green tea? That’s a thing?! I thought to myself. I’m convinced that – biologically – I’m…

  • Tea, Tact and the Art of Blending Badly

    This was originally going to be an entry on some crappy blends I concocted over the last month or so, but the focus has changed in light of some recent events. I won’t go into detail as to what those are, nor will I post links that illustrate the example. However, I will give a…

  • Tea Pairing with Job Hunting

    The idea for this entry was suggested by my mother, as great ideas often are. It never occurred to me to pair tea with job hunting until she posed the idea after reading my tea-fueled rant. This reflection has – in no way – any science to back it up, just anecdotal “evidence”. Trial and…

  • Tea Wiles in the Wilds of Wyoming

    In case it wasn’t evident in my last post, I’m on vacation. Said week-long constitutional has been in the blissfully backward, urbanely anonymous region of Cody, Wyoming. In a peculiar sort of way, I dig the hell out of this high-plain nowheresville. Granted, it’s an historic town. But let’s be honest, it’s historic in the…

  • The Revenge of Finbarr’s Persian Princess in 1910

    This review is actually a sequel of sorts. To read its predecessor – for context – go HERE. Don’t you hate it when you wake up in the morning and end up in another time period? So do I. As far as I know, it’s only happened once – today. I found myself awake at…

  • Guan Yins, Tigers and Lords, Oh My!

    For context, READ THIS FIRST. For once, I thought I’d get a full night’s sleep. The work week had been murder, and for some odd reason, I couldn’t stay in bed for more than six hours. Well, this time I had an excuse. A loud roar jolted me from sleep. When I opened my eyes,…

  • Lazy Tea Prep (with Video)

    The art of tea blending is one that has always eluded me. I know of people that consider themselves experts in the field, but I often wondered how much skill it really took to create a blend. Playing with different herbs and teas wasn’t a new thing to me. I did it all the time…

  • Tea Time in Real Life

    Ever since I picked up tea as a hobby, there has been an inherent problem. No one else was really into it. My real life friends humored my off-kilter pursuit, and even came to me for recommendations, but – for the most part – it was a geek-ish lean that was entirely solitary. If it…