At the Tea Table with Geoffrey Norman of Steep Stories

My final guest at the tea table for 2018 is more than a blogger; he’s a story teller. Geoffrey Norman is the Lazy Literatus behind Steep Stories. It’s the go-to blog when you’re looking for a review that does more than just inform you how good or bad a tea might taste. He will take you along for a ride down tea tasting avenue. Whenever he publishes a post I head right to the kettle because, like a good book, his stories are best read with a cup of tea in hand. At the tea table Geoffrey talks about his first encounter with tea, his favourite tea shops in Portland, and he gives us a tour of his tea and writing space.

The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?

Darjeeling second flush. No clue why, but I’ve been on quite the Darjeeling kick for MONTHS, now. Like, the entire Fall.

I’ll never say no to a Darjeeling tea! How did your relationship with tea begin?

Ummmm . . . it’s not the most appropriate story, but I’ll try to keep this PG. The polite version goes like this: back in 2005, I was really concerned about . . . men’s health. Or rather, my health, specifically, and in specific areas. (I was in my late-20s, and—thusly—had some dude-bro tendencies.)

Wandering around a local GNC, I noticed that a lot of their *MAN-X-TESTOSTERONE* (or whatever) products all had common ingredients. One of them being green tea extract. After consulting with a Persian girl friend of mine at the time, I asked, “Shouldn’t I just drink this tea stuff, instead?”

She returned with a nonchalant, “It couldn’t hurt(?).”

And the rest is history.

Take me through your writing process and how tea plays a role.

As you can see in the photo, my gongfoolish set-up is right next to my computer. I’ll brew the tea, stage the photograph shots I need, snap ‘em, drink ‘em, and then jot down the first taster notes that come to mind. I’ll usually do the taster notes first, and then follow that up on another day by writing the framing story for the post.

If I’m doing multiple teas for an article, most of the time I’ll just soldier through all of them in one epic tasting session. Although, admittedly, the taster notes from such sessions can get a little weird. Sometimes downright esoteric. Tea drunk is real!

You have a knack for finding unique teas. A couple of years ago you brought my attention to an aged oolong from Thailand! Tell me about one of the most interesting teas you have ever tasted.

I have two experiences that are just about tied.

Early 2017 was a great period of time for unique teas. In the span of three months, I was able to sample two teas that were nearly a century old. One hailed from the days of Japanese-occupied Taiwan, and had a rolling technique that was uncharacteristic of oolongs today. The other was a Lui An heicha that we drank out of cups harkening back to the Ming dynasty. Pretty sure my palate traveled back through time.

Take us on a tour of your current city’s tea shops and cafes. What are your favourites and what would you typically order?

Portland is a great tea hub, and there are many tea shops/rooms/houses to choose from. At the moment, I’d say there are four that frequent . . . if I ever leave the house.

(1) The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants (because it’s the closest to where I live).

(2) Smith Teamaker for the black tea blends (and for chats with my mother).

(3) A new tea house run by a friend of mine, called Enthea, which has the best ambience around.

(4) The Red Robe Tea House for the gong fu and Chinese food.

Speed Round:

Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
Dead-heat tie between black and oolong right now. Red oolong when I can’t decide.

Hot, Iced or Cold?
Scalding.

Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
I’m a gaiwan guy.

Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Straight or au lait.

Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
. . . Can it be both? No? Fine. Cheese.

Who has been your greatest teacher in tea?

This was a tough one. I think one of my earliest contacts—from the old “Tea Twitter” days— might’ve had a part in shaping my palate (for good or ill). Robert “The Devotea” Godden. We’re each other’s biggest fan.

Find Geoffrey Norman:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ABOUT THIS SERIES: Tea tells stories and when connected with humans, more are created. That’s where the idea for this blog series, At the Tea Table, originated. With this series, The Cup of Life asks tea lovers around the world to take us inside their tea lives to share their favourite steeps, spaces, routines and more. Meet some of your fellow tea drinkers here.