Random Steepings

Tea type
Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Whiskey, Berry, Jam, Raspberry, Strawberry, Sweet, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Peppercorn, Hibiscus, Sour, Tart, Yogurt, Garden Peas, Smooth, Butter, Spinach, Vegetal, Maple Syrup, Meat, Smoke, Creamy, Vanilla, Buttery, Acidic, Black Currant, Bergamot, Cream, Rosehips, Citrus, Artichoke, Earth, Roasted, Tea, Floral, Lemon, Pepper, Honey, Malt, Metallic, Dark Chocolate, Chamomile, Licorice, Licorice Root, Bitter, Medicinal, Peppermint, Roots, Fruit Punch, Orange, Spices, Tomato, Apricot, Brandy, Brown Sugar, Drying, Fruity, Mineral, Perfume, Raisins, Stonefruit, Straw, Bitter Melon, Camphor, Caramel, Citrus Zest, Flowers, Forest Floor, Herbs, Marshmallow, Nectar, Nuts, Plum, Round, Spicy, Thick, Wet Rocks, Wet Wood, Wood, Bread, Grapes, Bright, Citrusy, Dark Wood, Earthy, Hot Hay, Leather, Musk, Rich, Saffron, Savory, Tobacco, Candy, Mulberry, Berries, Juicy, Plumeria, Pomegranate, Rose, Sweet Potatoes, Almond, Cake, Mango, Chocolate, Graham Cracker, Apple, Cranberry, Pear, Red Apple, Melon, Lime, Alcohol, Coffee, Dried Fruit, Cedar, Cookie, Peat, Salty, Lavender, Mint, Astringent, Burnt, Celery, Char, Cucumber, Petrichor, Wet Earth, Tangy, Green, Herbaceous, Lemongrass, Candied Apple, Pleasantly Sour, White Grapes, Menthol, Nutty, Roasty, Watery, Sugar, Burnt Sugar, Green Wood, Hay, Peach, Pineapple, Dust, Lettuce, Sawdust, Pumpkin Spice, Mushrooms, Pine, Roasted Nuts, Carrot, Passion Fruit, Sugarcane, Chicken Soup, Musty, Tannic, Smoked, Grass, Seaweed, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Rooibos, Grain, Rice, Toasted, Toasted Rice, Tannin, Marzipan, Cherry, Coconut, Stewed Fruits, Toffee, White Chocolate, Blueberry, Honeysuckle, Ocean Air, Ocean Breeze, Peat Moss, Sand, Toasty, Narcissus, Spearmint, Pastries, Roasted Barley, Tropical, Anise, Loam, Sage, Red Fruits, Ginger, Clove, Cocoa, Pecan, Wet wood, Dirt, Hazelnut, Milk, Orchid, Pumpkin, Umami, Chestnut, Green Apple, Mud, Autumn Leaf Pile, Peanut, Orange Zest, Muscatel, Taro Root, Powdered Sugar, Vinegar, Lychee, Custard, Nutmeg, Oats, Freshly Cut Grass, Kabocha, Silky, Spring Water, Soybean, Squash, Viscous, Eucalyptus, Oregano, Basil, Fresh, Grapefruit, Grassy, Thyme, Cooling, Evergreen, Wintergreen, Woodsy, Airy, Effervescent, Elderflower, Light, Linden, Meadow, Pollen, Soft, Cacao, Dry Leaves, Woody, Banana, Maple, Chrysanthemum, Osmanthus, Wildflowers, Resin, Tulsi, Rosemary, Buckwheat, Dill, Allspice, Twigs, Biscuit, Turmeric, Caramelized Sugar, Dark Bittersweet, Elderberry, Syrupy, Vegetables, Yams, Salt, Decayed Wood, Toast, Popcorn, Apple Skins, Lemon Zest, Plants, Asparagus, Potato, Artificial, Cherry Wood
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 45 sec 7 g 12 oz / 348 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

2 Images

3 Want it Want it

18 Own it Own it

  • +3

1869 Tasting Notes View all

From Various Artists

anything goes!

About Various Artists View company

Company description not available.

1869 Tasting Notes

39 tasting notes

I roasted a couple sessions’ worth of Teavivre’s Taiwan Monkey Picked Tieguanyin a little further a few days ago, just because. Here’s session #1; #2 will be in a couple months to compare after it’s rested a bit.

In the first few infusions, the nuttiness of this tea is definitely intensified by the roasting, but it also changed from a more generic roasty, nutty flavor to a specific almond note. There’s something almost Dancong-like in this that I can’t identify. While the tea wasn’t spicy at all before, there’s now a hint of spice in the finish. It’s not strong enough to tell what it is. There’s also a mild sweet potato note. The creamy mouthfeel doesn’t seem to have changed.

It seems to lose flavor sooner, which is the opposite of what i expected. Brewing for at least a minute produces a cup of creamy sweetness with little flavor except roast by the fifth infusion. Hopefully as the new roast settles this will improve.

Flavors: Almond, Plum, Roasted, Spices, Sweet Potatoes

derk

How did you roast the tea?

RyanG

Oven at 200 (as low as mine goes) with the door slightly open to keep it from getting too hot and burning the tea. I can’t remember how long I roasted it, I paid more attention to how roasted it smelled and looked than time.

derk

I haven’t had the desire to re/roast any tea until I read your review. I might have to give it a try next time I’m in the woods for a few weeks. Cast iron wok over a low heat, low smoke fire.

RyanG

What are you planning on roasting? I’m finding that 200 degrees works well, and leaving the door open was unnecessary. 200 for 40 minutes has become my standard roast for this tea and especially Teavivre’s Huang Guanyin, which became exactly what I wanted after the roast. That’s how I’ll do the rest of what I roast of those two. I tried roasting some of the Huang Guanyin for an hour and a half and it was too roasted and mostly lost the chocolate. I don’t know how any of this information would translate to your method and whatever you want to roast (obviously it depends on how roasted it is to begin with and how roasted you want it to be), but hopefully this helps some.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

735 tasting notes

Thinking about abandoning my account here.
Fake accounts have messed up the rankings and the discussion boards.
We haven’t had a quality of life update in six or seven years.
Several features are broken and I don’t think they’ll ever be fixed.
I’ve been here for ten years and have watched this site slowly decline. It has fallen behind the times pretty terribly. I dunno. I just have no motivation to keep going.

eastkyteaguy

I know several of us have been discussing a lot of the issues with the site for some time now and how frustrating it is that they are all going unaddressed. I don’t know what has happened to the site’s owners and developers as no one has had any contact with anyone on the admin team in at least a month and prior communication has revealed a lack of willingness to expand moderator duties, bring in new admins, or update the site in any way. No one understands why they (I say they, but I think it’s just Jason at this point) won’t allow the more active community members to take on a larger role in the maintenance and management of the site if they are unwilling to give up ownership. I, myself, am thinking about abandoning my account here as well. I’m going to be spending some time this weekend backing up my reviews just in case I do bounce sooner rather than later. Are there any other communities or platforms like Steepster out there? I’ve thought about starting my own blog and have been encouraged to do so, but I have heard from several other people that it is hard to attract readers and less rewarding than contributing to a dedicated community. I have also heard that activity on TeaForum is starting to pick up, so I may create an account there. Is there anywhere out there that you would recommend trying? I’m very open to suggestions.

Tabby

I wish I knew where to go. I’ll definitely check out TeaForum. Maybe we can all migrate or something. But I know it won’t be the same.

Leafhopper

Steepster definitely has its issues, but I’d be sad if everyone left. Most social media platforms are all about the pictures and don’t lead to much discussion. I like having a text-based forum.

Roswell Strange

I’d be sad to see you leave. As much as there are definite issues with the platform and the decay is certainly noticeable, I still find a lot of value in the community that is still present. Without greater moderator ability there isn’t a lot that we can actively try to fix – but community engagement and presence is something that is well within our power! I know I’ve been trying to make a more conscious effort this week to comment and interact with people in their tasting notes and on the discussion board. I may not being to fix the spam problem, or change the rating gaming that happens – but being a part of the active community of people here is something I have full control over.

Leafhopper

Absolutely! I’m glad to have a place to post reviews without the work of creating a blog, and I appreciate interacting with other Steepsters. Also, maybe if the owners see that we’re engaged, they’ll do something about the spam.

Kawaii433

I was just telling tea-sipper that I haven’t been able to update my profile for months nor can I post in the forums for months. I get a time-out error. Definitely frustrating.

Mastress Alita

Oh, you aren’t alone, Tabby. Have you not been reading the “State of Steepster” thread in the forums? I feel all these things. I’ve been trying just to get the ability to help delete the damn spam with absolutely no help at all from Jason for a month now, despite getting e-mails back saying this would happen. It makes me feel like no one at all cares about this site. And it makes me feel bitter and upset, since I was trying to help out.

I already started out on a blog and moved off of there to Steepster, and already know that didn’t work out for me. I like the community here, but I see this as a sinking ship. I wish there was another platform like this to move to that was being maintained and updated and haven’t been able to find anything like it. TeaForum is just a forum, not a platform for reviews/logging and networking with tea friends. RateTea has the reviewing/journaling aspect, but still doesn’t let you “friend” people and easily read what they are drinking and follow their tea journeys. I feel all the other options are very disjointed. I already have all my data backed up since I already write my reviews off-site and copy/paste them in, so if I knew of a place all my tea-friends were migrating to, I’d happily move along with them. I’m not happy with the lack of love to the site, I’m only here because I love the people using it.

Kittenna

It breaks my heart a little to see posts like this, though of course I understand the feeling! I just think Steepster has so very many positive memories for me that I’ll be kind of crushed if it dies. Just know that there are people reading (and enjoying!) your reviews, and still writing about a fair number of teas. At least, for now!

Martin Bednář

I am sad that I have joined this website in time when it is in agony. I have same problem as Kawaii433. Can´t do anything. I would like to admin it at least a bit, at least deleting those spam posts.

r/Tea is good, but hey, sometimes bit toxic.

I feel here it is just great. Everybody speaks with everybody, there are swaps between members, it is not overwhelmed with biased reviews and so on. I really like that you can add your tea easily and don´t have to wait till some admin accepts it.

I will stay – at least I will try. It is sad story though.

mrmopar

This is the best of all the forums I am in. I would hate to see anyone leave here. I have made more online friends here than anywhere else.

gmathis

This community is as much about the people as it is the tea. That’s what makes it unique and why I encourage folks to continue communicating!

Leafhopper

For now, Steepster seems to be reviving. I had over twenty notes on my dashboard when I checked it this afternoon! I hope we can keep it up!

tea-sipper

I hope you stay, Tabby! I’ll be one of the last that sticks with Steepster, until I’m the last in a dusty vast internet wasteland. But if everyone migrates, I hope someone tells me. :D

El Monstro

I use this to keep track of all the teas I’ve tried, hopefully it’ll stick around.

gmathis

Things always get slack in the summer … my dashboard has been pretty brisk since this fall!

fermataleaf

I totally concur! I was very disheartened to have discovered that this site is basically the same with no improvements since nearly 7 years ago when I went on a hiatus… I was surely expecting a mobile app given that one was rumored to be in the works so long ago…

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

1004 tasting notes

Today while packing I was drinking another tea from the group buy conducted by Liquid Proust. This one was a semi-aged sheng labelled as “Dat TW stuff”. It was an interesting tea to try for sure, especially given my lack of experience with aged pu’er. I suppose this particular one has seen a relatively humid storage, but I can only guess given the information I have.

The tea was very strong on the camphor and mint notes, but also had a lot of fruity ones. In particular, I noticed plums and, surprisingly, also orange. The orange note completely escaped me initially, but once I noticed it, it captured my attention.

The most memorable aspect of this tea was the qi for sure though. Super dreamy and no rushy feeling. I was drinking the tea from flask also in the bus on the way to the airport, with mist and hail outside, listening to some vaporwave music and it channeled me into pretty eclectic lucid dreams, while also making me feel relaxed and in-peace-with-the-world.

derk

I have none of Dat TW stuff in my box. Sounds wonderful :)

Evol Ving Ness

I miss our Liquid Proust and his experiments and his group buy opportunities and his insights.

tea-sipper

I thought I saw Liquid Proust ‘like’ a tasting note the other day, on the ‘explore’ feed….

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

28 tasting notes

Last night I drank a sample I got from Liquid Proust, labelled only with “1998 dry-stored xiaguan”:

1 rinse, smells like smoke and forest

5 mississippis: smells overwhelmingly smoky, tastes like smoke and the way tobacco ash smells and light bitterness, what the heck is this stuff oh hey the aftertaste gets cool fast. I like this and don’t understand why.

10s: More distinctly charcoal smell and initial taste. I just found myself singing “what the f***… is this s**t? I don’t understand / but I think I might be happy!” I feel the charcoal down my throat. It’s lingering for ages, coolness in the throat and light charcoal breath on the exhale.

15s: Mostly same, except I think there’s something else trying to peek out from behind the charcoal, I just can’t figure out exactly what it is. Some sort of dark fruit, maybe?

20s/25s: I feel like I’m drinking the fire out [under the open grill at my parents’ beach house] once it’s down to smoldering coals and [my grandmother, who passed away a few years ago] is just sitting there watching the corn husks blacken into the night.

30s: A trace of something lively is coming in. I don’t think it’s bitterness? More of a texture thing maybe, a very mild astringency. This is not a sneepy tea despite its age – this is an alert tea. Not manic, just alert. Wish I’d tried it in a morning instead, but 20 years old felt so safe for late at night!

35s/40s: Smelling something.. sweet?… peeking out. Wat. Maybe straw? But not quite. God I’m so confused. The smoke has receded a bit.

45: A bit simpler. Back to tobacco maybe. Bet I could push it much further, but I gotta get to bed and it’s already been a lovely journey, full of charcoal and happiness. I really wish I could buy more of this, but it’s basically a mystery sample.

Preparation
Boiling 6 g 3 OZ / 80 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

1264 tasting notes

Tomorrow I finally close on my condo and move! HUZZAH! It’s felt like such a long time coming! A stray cat showed up at a coworker’s house about a week ago and because her cat is a “one-cat household” sort of cat, she asked me if I “needed a cat” and I was like, “Yes, but I still don’t have my house yet!” I told her I would in about a week to two weeks and she said she couldn’t wait that long and was going to take it to the shelter, but then she discovered that it came from a very abusive household on her street, so she decided to foster it in her backyard until I’d have my home, and then I’m going to rescue it. It’s a completely black shorthair, presumed female (could possibly be a neutered male?) with green eyes. My coworker says they are extremely cuddly/affectionate and putting on weight well, but does have the stray cat issue of overeating to the point of vomiting. I can’t wait until I can have a comfort animal again!

So this was the other free tea I got from the Tao of Tea booth at Tea Fes PDX. It was a green tea blend, and since I didn’t take a picture of the booth I have no idea what was in the sachets, as it wasn’t one of their sold blends. I’ve just been soaking the sachets as iced tea while my tea collection has been boxed up. I assumed it was probably a Moroccan Mint sort of thing, but it didn’t smell minty, and I thought that might have been because the green tea bags were in the same freebie bag as their hibihip tea bags, which had a much stronger aroma. But this doesn’t taste minty at all. It tastes much more citrusy, and there is something very green, quenching, and refreshing tasting… and I’ve only tasted that particular taste once, when I tried a moringa blend. Could this have moringa in it? Seems a rather strange ingredient to include in freebie teabags, so I doubt it, but the flavor does remind me of it! So a bit like fresh pond water, a vegetative, earthy/plantlike quality, and a bit of citrus, perhaps a bit of herby lemongrass and a little of the punchiness of tangerine. Nicely quenching.

I feel like I still have so much that needs thrown into boxes here at the 11th hour that I’ve had out as living necessities for the last two months, but just no energy with the constant migraines to deal with it. Meh.

Flavors: Citrus, Green, Herbaceous, Lemongrass, Orange, Vegetal, Wet Earth

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 4 tsp 32 OZ / 946 ML
AJRimmer

I love cats so much! I’m so glad you’re going to give that kitty such a loving home (:

gmathis

Black cats have the sweetest temperaments! (I’m a little biased; we have two.)

hawkband1

Congrats on the closing and the move!

Kawaii433

Looks like things are going well :D. Yay for taking in a stray <3.

ashmanra

Oh, that sounds like it was just meant to be! If you are like me, you are as excited (more excited?) about the new fur friend than the place to live! Ha ha!

Roswell Strange

Hooray for a new house and a new cat! Any name ideas yet?

Kittenna

Awwww, I can’t wait to hear about the new kitty! And good luck getting the remaining housing stuff sorted out – I’m glad it’s finally happening!

mrmopar

We have picked up a couple of little ones as well. They are feisty!

tea-sipper

I’m so glad the house worked out for you. Congrats on the new home and your (soon) new buddy!

Mastress Alita

Move didn’t go quite so smooth as I’d hope (do they ever?) Couch couldn’t fit in the front door so I have to get two now, the place is in some major need to up the blind game (big deal for me having chronic migraine), and there was one teaware casualty (my fault; I grabbed a wad of bubbble wrap thinking it was “topping” and a lid fell out and shattered; that particular piece I had bought myself for my birthday this year and the vendor has it backordered until the end of September so I can’t even buy a replacement right now, I’m gutted. Trying to use silicone waterproof sealant in in the interim until I can finally re-buy the teapot, will probably use the original pot as a flower vase after that). But I am moved in and the Internet got reinstalled today!

LuckyMe

Congrats on moving and the kitty. Sorry about the teaware casualty. Unfortunately breakage is an unavoidable consequence of moving

Todd

Things are coming together! I look forward to meeting your kitty!

derk

So happy for you, Mastress Alita <3

Todd

Spoiler: Chiya the cat is awesome!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

95
46 tasting notes

Went to a Japanese’s tea ceremony today. It was a great experience. Learned a lot. The type of tea was a matcha green tea. The tea itself was quite bitter. But the experience was very nice.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

64 tasting notes

A review of tea. As presented to me by L. Proust, Esq.

The lineup:

a 2012 Haiwan amuse-bouche
2004 BYH Manzhuan
1980s some sheng, rather wet stored
2004 Tejipin palate cleanser
2017 CLT LBZ upside the head
2006 Wistaria Silver Medal Banzhang, 18g in a vessel that wasn’t rated for 18 (but it was mighty fine regardless)
1965 Jing Gu brick for afters
Cigars and brandy…. ahh, who am I kidding? More tea! Lp’s favorite Kunlu and a very fine oolong I can’t recall anything about because at this point they were picking my brain matter off the floorboards a la Pulp Fiction.

Review:

It was quite tremendous. I would recommend it. In fact, I did. See upper right.

Amounts are approximated and may bear little resemblance to fact.

Preparation
60 g 338 OZ / 10000 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

82
21 tasting notes

Drinking a Gushu Hong Cha #2 from the same vendor in Minsk that I got the georgian hongcha from. I think this is sourced from TeaSide but I am not sure, so I’ll log it here. Supposed to be from trees 100-200 years old. Wish I had bought more than just a 20g sample!

Leaves are long and twisty, gold and black.
2.5g in 300ml for 3.5 minutes.
Strong but not bitter or astringent. Reminds of Taiwan Wild Boar (strong but not bitter) but more complex with a fuller body and better mouthfeel. Really enjoyed it, good for starting the day. Some malt and wood. Sweet after taste.

Makes me wonder if I need to give Indian Assams another chance but you know, I already have 25+ hongcha ordered that I need to try.

Second steep was meant to be 5 minutes but I oversteeped. Still good and not astringent.

Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Malt, Sweet, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 2 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
Rasseru

25+ hongcha? Wow

Sqt

Well it’s an intentional effort to try different hongcha from different terroir and different processing. I know it isn’t fancy, but I really enjoy hongcha and its what I drink the most of during the day when I am working. I find it comforting and relaxing and it fits my day better when I am working, whereas sheng demands more attention and energy and I save that for early mornings and evenings.

Sqt

I probably average about 10 cups of hongcha in a day in addition to other teas.

Rasseru

Yeah i get you about the attention thing. I prefer to be on my own when drinking my favourite sheng so I can really give it 100%.

Interested in reading your findings

Valerii Levitanus

Yes, this is our tea. The trees there are even older, an average of 300-500 years. We sell it under the name dian hong:
https://tea-side.com/dian-hong-black-tea-ancient-trees/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

56 tasting notes

This probably doesn’t count but I just wanted to yell into the void that I put some lemon vodka in a bottle of “Pom” brand pomegranate honey green tea and it’s doooope

Fjellrev

Some? Are you sure it wasn’t half the bottle? :p

fluffduck

It was the WHOLE bottle… one of those cute lil sampler bottles, probably amounts to about a jigger. I’m a sucker for tiny samples. And the word “jigger.”

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

289 tasting notes

Tried the 2016 Yibang Mao Cha from chawangshop today. This tea was in very limited supply and is now sold out. It was quite expensive at $1 per gram. I got a 12g sample. It was an outstanding tea. Very complex; fruity, bitter, wild tasting. It gave me hot flashes, which is very unusual. Took me by surprise. Does that happen for anyone else?

Cwyn

Well yes but I have physical reasons to rule out.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.