Steep Stories

Tag: Austin Hodge

  • Should Sheng Cha Be Considered Heicha?

    In May of 2017, I asked tea peers on social media a simple question: Is Vietnamese sheng puerh style heicha a thing? At least . . . I thought it was a simple question. That query sparked a minor debate about the nature of heicha, and whether or not sheng puerh (or sheng puerh-style tea)…

  • A Tea Pairing from One Wuyi Artisan

    For those that have tuned in to my li’l corner of “the In-Tea-Net”, folks can tell I have an affinity for talking about where the tea comes from. I have focused a lot of text-space to estates, gardens, factories, and the farmers that supply their wares to them. Less frequent, though, are my forays into…

  • A Tea Pairing in the Sky

    Let me tell you a little about my “Tea Uncle”, Austin Hodge. Why is he wearing a Zhong Shan Zhuang, and how did someone convince me to wear a suit? I’ll get to that.

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • “Silver and Smoke” – The Changing Face of Lapsang Souchong, Part 1

    This is the first installment in a trilogy of posts about Lapsang Souchong. The Changing Face of Lapsang Souchong, Part 1: “Silver and Smoke” Tong Mu Guan is a village on Wu Yi Shan (read: “mountain”) in Fujian province, China. It is considered the birthplace of modern day black tea. As legend has it, the…