Steep Stories

Tag: Tea

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Three Words: Puerh Tea Paste

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 24: “Three Words: Puerh Tea Paste” Cha Gao is weird. No . . . weirder. The concept behind it is weird. The backstory is weird. The whole damn experience is just . . . weird. And this is coming from a guy that thrives on all teas weird. But I’m getting ahead of…

  • AKA Spike My Ceylons with Jessica Jones

    NaNoTeaMo, Day 22: “AKA Spike My Ceylons with Jessica Jones” Before reading the ramblings below, it’ll probably help you to visualize it being read by Humphrey Bogart. To set the proper mood. If that’s too difficult, or way to serious a voice . . . then picture Garrison Keillor as Guy Noir reading this aloud.…

  • A Mellow Yellow Tea Tasting

    Most people cultivate a close group of friends – those that share common interests, or that they feel most comfortable being around. One of the unfortunate drawbacks to being a tea blogger is . . . most people within my close-knit group reside in several different locations across the country. Or outside the country. As…

  • What Makes a Moonlight Tea?

    What makes a tea a “Moonlight” tea? It’s a question I’ve asked myself several times over the last six years, and the one answer I’ve always returned to is, “I don’t care as long as it tastes good. “ But perhaps that was foolhardy. I originally assumed that when the name “Moonlight” was applied to…

  • Colombian Grown . . . Tea?

    I hate to admit it, but I know very little about Columbia Colombia. Even how to spell it right, apparently. As a good Colombian tea blogger colleague of mine (Ricardo Caicedo) informed me, it’s “Colombia” – with an “O”. Not to be confused with a certain district in the U.S. . . . where the…

  • The Battle of Five Tea Rants

    There’s an unwritten rule in the tea community – that if you can’t say something nice, think it over after a few cups of tea. If then – and only then – you still feel that way, you can voice said grievance . . . politely. For the most part (at least in writing), I’ve…

  • The White Pu-Erh for the Right Time.

    At the end of June, Portland, Ore. was dealt one of its most severe heatwaves in recent memory. And I got the flu during it. A mere week ago, we were dealt another STRONGER heatwave . . . and I got the flu again. That’s eerily coincidental. Luckily, I caught this one in time and…

  • The Road to Eugene Is Paved in Tea

    The Road to Eugene Is Paved in Tea – Teashop Adventure Week June was a shitty month. Between two deaths in the family, a work-related back injury, and a two-week bout of influenza to cap things off, I think it’s safe to say it was the shittiest month I’ve had in nearly a decade. There…