derk Send Message

Finished a bag of the 2024 harvest today. This remains one of my favorite Chinese green teas for its ease of drinking and sweet and lively, lightly vegetal profile. The way it’s processed allows it to hold up well to time, which is a plus for how slowly I move through teas nowadays.

I want to type an expression of pure wonderment and love but have no idea where to start. Where is the spark? Life sure is strange.

I check my mail now as often as I check in to Steepster, every week or two. Never often enough. I think about how much time we all spent here back in the early 2020s, a few years after I joined, coping with some weird collective reality. And I know Steepster was much busier before my time here, before something happened to the site… was it between 2016 and 2018? I can’t imagine the number of friendships that were fostered back then.

gmathis, I wish I could meet you. Travel to Missouri with your handknitted shawl draped across my shoulders. Explore the area you call home. Have a cup of Constant Comment and go to Walmart for some groceries. For now, a handmade card will do. Always a pleasant glimpse into life at Turkey Creek. A little bit of what you experience, a little bit of what you taste. We’ve never met, but I can feel what you put out into the world and I deeply appreciate it. Thank you.

Visited Seven Cups two days ago on our road trip to Cottonwood, AZ. It was an incredible visit and I promise a real note when we we’re back home in CA next week.

A sipdown from long ago. A tea for which I can’t find any written notes. My memory of it is almost exactly as described by Thés du Japon. Sublime aroma and aftertaste that was intensely honeyed, floral and fruity. Rivals, and I’d say exceeds, any 2nd flush Darjelling I’ve tried. An afternoon tea I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again.

June 24th 2021 harvest

To my surprise, I drank this 4 years ago. Reading that note, I feel the same now as I finish a box purchased a few months ago. This is surprisingly smooth given the combination of hibiscus and schisandra. I do wish I tasted more of the fantastical zing of schisandra, the “five flavor fruit”. I like the combination of red tastes with the nutritious leafy green of nettle. Don’t go over 8oz water to 1 bag or else it will be watery.

This can expired 9 May 2025 but there’s nothing in here that would spoil. MCT oil lasts forever.

Less offensive to my palate than the plain nitro cold brew, however, still much too overwhelming. Took only 3 small sips of this one, too, before pouring out.

Fun fact, the nutrition facts show 24g (86% daily value) of dietary fiber. Between the caffeine and the fiber content, I’d be afraid for my britches if I were to drink a whole can!

Gift earlier this year from one of our customers who invested in Katú, a yerba mate company. Sipping on a can of this cold-brewed roasted yerba mate on 15 Oct 2025 that was best before 28 Feb 2025. It tastes exactly the same as when we received it. And it is so strong and so smokey I can’t finish it. It is absolutely overwhelming, as it was before, a real bruiser in taste and caffeine.

Comments from several coworkers in the office include:
“swamp water”,
“ash tray”,
“OMG WTF”,
“fuck no”,
“hm not bad”.

Mr. “hm not bad” eventually went back to the mini-fridge for another can but the stock has remained untouched since earlier this year. I should probably drain the cans today and make room for tastier things. Ugh, 3 sips and I feel sick like last time, not due to the expiration date, but because my body just can’t handle strong yerba mate.