Welcome to discussions, introduce yourself!

One will come to know me thru what I share – my words are what define my thinking and progression of thought and being. Just like a first date…one doesn’t tell all the dark secrets…“Tea is more than a drink” as Carolyn so eloquently stated early in the string. I come to the alter of steaming water mixed with pure pleasure and joy hoping that we can just enjoy one another’s company and smile one cup at a time.

Alright, I’ll bite. I’m Bethany. I’m 23 and live on the far north side of Chicago. I’m originally from Pittsburgh, but I moved to Chicago for college five years ago and decided to stay for at least a few years after graduation. I have a Theatre Management degree, which basically means I’m equipped to do administrative/management work in nonprofit organizations. I’ve moved on from theatre, but I’m still working in the cultural realm – I work at a children’s museum, where I’m the grant writer in our fundraising department. I’ve always loved to write, and I’ve loved working in nonprofits, so it’s a perfect combo of those things.

Other than tea, I really enjoy beer (I’m not nearly as involved with that as I am with tea, but I freaking love a good brew), cooking and eating, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, reading Russian literature, and any and all forms of Internet humor.

Just learned about this place from someone on another forum, and have dipped toes in the water, rating a tea I was already discussing elsewhere, and already have some questions about this place. Is there a FAQ available?

Thanks for the welcome. I tried searching a bit but quickly got bogged down in pages of reviews and not really what I was looking for.

The first question came up in regards to a tea I posted about, one new to the board. I gave it an 85 rating, which obviously was the first one. The ‘steepster score’ was less than mine. Does the steepster score cut back from my rating because I am the first person rating it?

And then the steeping clock isn’t infinitely variable, but has set points—plenty flexible for ‘western style’ brewing, but not for gong fu cha. How do you handle it when you’re describing a gong fu cha session with steeping times that might be 10", 10", 20", 20", 30", 30", 45", 45"?

thanks for the tips

I suppose I’m supposed to introduce myself?
my name is Cory, I’m an art student just relocated to Baltimore from Chicago, though I’m planning on heading back to Chicago for the summer. I’m majoring in painting and minoring in gender studies. I’m a vegan, which makes it hard for me to take anything else with my tea besides sugar, (does anyone do stevia or agave nectar here, and is that recommended?) but I’m okay with that. :) I LOVE a good cup of tea, however, I don’t know very much about tea yet. (I’ve read a book on the subject and it seems really intense, and something that I would love to know all the information about.) I’m sure I’ll find all I need here. Until then, I’ll keep up with my 3+ cups of tea that I drink a day, which proves a welcome distraction from writing papers and burying myself in oil paint and solvents.
I hope you’re having as good a day as I am—just found a tea forum and tea log. :)

I think I’ll finally introduce myself! (I’m supposed to be working on a term paper so what better way to procrastinate a bit longer, right?) I’ve been hanging around the website for a while, got caught up with my work, and just recently came back and decided to start tracking my teas and making some posts.

For myself, I’m a 23 year old graduate student in Connecticut, just starting the long road for a biology PhD. I moved this past summer from California (San Jose, in fact, I noticed someone else from the same town posted? Shall I add ‘Go sharks!’) so its been great to find an online niche for my tea habit. Most of the people I’ve met here aren’t big tea drinkers and I’m still working on converting my new friends ;).

I’ve been really into tea for a few years now, and back in California did regular shopping at Teavana and Lupicia, as well as this super cute little tea lounge (Ku Day Ta) that’s sadly closed now. I also will usually pick up any unique or interesting tea when I travel somewhere. My favorite type is definitely oolong, although I have learned to like all teas except white tea. I’ve recently been introduced to yerba mate which I’m very excited about! Too bad its very tough to get the real Argentinian brands here in the US (I don’t know how “real” guayaki is?) but that’s what is the power of the internet right? I love learning the history behind each type of tea, I try to drink tea “the right way” from whatever culture it comes from, and love to learn about different tea customs. I’ve also recently (still shy-ly) been experimenting with improving my cooking, and have had fun making “tea food,” like earl grey cupcakes, etc. Its been fun.

I would definitely say that tea (and all it encompasses) is my main hobby. I’m always attracted to anything related to tea. I don’t drink coffee, not because I don’t like it, but just to avoid starting a coffee habit, and tea helps me do that also. For the rest of my life, I have two super cute pet turtles, and I ride a motorcycle and drive a stick-shift. I miss California tremendously, but am loving the East Coast so far.

My name is Adham and I’m happy my friend introduced me to this community of tea lovers. I’m originally from Northern California and that still feels like home to me in many ways, but I’ve led a peripatetic life for a long time now and currently find myself in Northern Virginia, working for the “gummint”.

I love tea because it’s the one substance in which I can actually taste the differences people talk about, as opposed to wine (two-buck Chuck is fine with me!), coffee (blech, never been a coffee drinker), etc. I also appreciate the ceremony of it, even if it’s just me making a pot for myself mid-afternoon. I’ve been fortunate to have visited beautiful tea estates in Nepal and Sri Lanka, which has just added to my appreciation for this wondrous plant.

I’m looking forward to getting tips on and trying lots of new varieties of tea from the folks here…

I guess this is my re-introduction. I joined Steepster, then disappeared, then came back, and left again. I was having a hard time finding a time to fit it in. But it’s such a great resource and I love the new features. Time to try again!

I’m in my late 30’s and I’ve been blogging about tea since 2007. My number one job is stay-at-home mom to three kids (4 months, 4 yrs, and almost 6.) My other job is as a freelance writer who specializes in writing about tea and other food topics, food allergies, parenting, and New England. My first book is coming out in the Fall (hooray!) and I’ve started work on the second. In my past life I was a non-profit administrator and studied biology and public health. I’ve been in love with tea for about 15 years and my other major interests are knitting and reading.

Looking forward to connecting with everyone!