Steep Stories

Tag: sheng

  • 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 Series of Single Origin Tea Sonnets

    In the Spring of 2017, I met this eccentric chap.

  • 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…

  • Dark Tea from Thailand

    Well over a year ago, Tony “World of Tea” Gebely posted a photo of a dark tea on Instagram. It was an aged moacha (i.e. the rough stuff used to make puerh cakes) . . . but it was from – of all places – Thailand. For obvious reasons, it grabbed my attention.

  • A Different Dark Tea on Black Friday

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 27: “A Different Dark Tea on Black Friday” As I’m writing this, it’s the night of Black Friday. To most tea people with a pun gland, though, it’s Black Tea Friday. So, in honor of that, will I be talking about another unique black tea? Forget it, I’m going to talk about dark…

  • Pa Sa Puerh and More Tea Pet Hijinx

    NanoTeaMo, Day 14: “Pa Sa Puerh and More Tea Pet Hijinx” As of tonight, I am two-thirds the way through my NaNoTeaMo goal of doing one tea blog a day for a month. Much to the joy of a few of you, and annoyance to the rest. This has mainly been about establishing some sense…

  • An Autumn Puerh Pairing

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 3: “An Autumn Puerh Pairing” We are now Falls deep into Autumn, and every tea drinker is cuddling up to their favorite color-changing brew. Everyone has their favorite autumnal cuppa. For many, it’s masala chai. For others, it’s something equally burly or floral. It varies from person to person, but everyone has a…

  • Old and Clean – A Pu-Erh Perplexion

    Okay, learning time. Everyone knows about black tea, green tea, oolong, and so on . . . but I’m sure there are some newbies passing by this article that don’t know what pu-erh is. Well, I’ll tell you, but I’ll keep it brief. In short, it’s heicha (dark tea). Or rather, tea that’s meant to…

  • 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,…

  • 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…