Steep Stories

Tag: Oolong

  • The Nilgiris in Winter

    I’ve written about the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu a couple of times, now. But there’s one period of time I haven’t yet quite covered. Mainly because . . . it’s not really a growing season, in the traditional sense. In fact, the issue of seasonal “flushes” in the Nigiris gets a little confusing, especially come…

  • The Fairhope Tea Plantation

    As I’ve said many times, it often takes a mere photograph to grab my attention, and to remind me of something I’ve neglected. For instace, this one. This was posted in August by blogger compatriot (and all-around great guy) Eric of One Man’s Tea Journey.  In the spring of 2019, he paid a visit to…

  • Vietnamese Oolongs Made from Wild Assamica

    Vietnam has an unfortunate reputation in tea circles. Not entirely undeserved. Like countries such as Thailand, one of the ways they’ve tried to establish a tea growing/producing identity is by emulating the practices of others. Their greatest influences—naturally—are their neighbors. In this case, China and Taiwan. From China, they aped the style of Yunnan shou…

  • The Invoices of Autumn

    While most of the world above the equator is currently complaining about winter, my mind is still stuck in autumn. At least, that is, from a tea perspective. Of all the seasonal flushes in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, autumn is considered a dumping ground. It’s a chance for gardens to make up for any…

  • The Ruckus over Ruan Zhi

    Ruan Zhi—or “soft stem”— is a particular cultivated variety (or cultivar) of tea plant originally hailing from China, before making its way to Taiwan, and then migrating further along to Thailand and Myanmar . . . I think? I say “I think?” because, well, information is not all that clear about the cultivar’s origins. As…

  • A Tie Guan Yin Flight from Taiwan

    Tie Guan Yin is one of the most interesting takes on oolong ever developed. Despite its ancient-sounding name—invoking the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Guan Yin— the “Iron Goddess of Mercy” only dates back to the 19th century. Hailing from Anxi county, in Fujian province, China, this complicated style of oolong originally began its life as a…

  • 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 Leaf on the Wind

    In the hierarchy of tea businesses, monthly tea subscription services are like man-buns. Unless you have a really good reason for starting one—or your name is Toshiro Mifune—it is usually best not to. Since 2014, there has been a veritable surge of tea start-ups, and the route they’ve all chosen? You guessed it, the monthly…

  • Rethinking Tea Categories

    Editor’s Note: This is merely a thought exercise by the author. The opinions reflected in the below narrative do not reflect the opinions of the teaware on staff . . . or this editor, for that matter. Seriously, I just work here, guys. A thought occurred to me over the years. No one has come…

  • A Hundred Years is “Oolong” Time

    Last weekend, I drank an oolong that was—quite possibly—a hundred years old.