Steep Valley Tea

06/01/2026

Happy Pride Month from Steep Valley Tea!

Pride month is one of two months with focuses on LGBTQ+ people (October is LGBTQ History Month). This month focuses on identity and culture surrounding the experience of being q***r. This can mean the oppression and trials we have faced/are facing as a community; but also it can mean the joy and wholeness we find in our relationships with each other. Queerness, on some level, acknowledges the uniqueness of individuals' lives; questioning and subverting established categories and generalizations.

My grandmother passed in mid-May; amongst my inheritance was a prayer card that I thought was appropriate for today.

So this Pride, remain young, gay, and full of enterprise. (A suggested method is on the prayer card! 😉)

***rownedbusiness
***rchristian

05/29/2026

My sister just graduated from med school, and I am helping with post graduation logistics, so SVT's office is unstaffed! This means that if you order anything, the fulfillment will be delayed until Friday 6/5 at earliest.

BUT since I come back immediately into an event, it will likely get shipped out Saturday 6/6.

05/22/2026

Hi there!

Due to the likelihood of rain, and the likelihood that if it does NOT rain, the winds will be ridiculous for anyone who sells anything in a tent, the Night Market has been postponed to JULY 25th.

05/21/2026

May 21st is International Tea Day, a day designated by the United Nations to celebrate the cultural and economic importance of tea!
It is also a day to turn your attention towards sustainable and fair practices in the production of this delightful brew. Steep Valley Tea does its best to purchase through wholesale intermediaries who work closely with farmers to ensure ethics and fairness in the tea trade.

Our teas come from all over the tea producing world, currently featuring teas from China, Taiwan, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malawi!

Steep Valley Tea packaging includes as much credit information as we can give about each tea: the names of the people who make it, and where it comes from. In cases where our sources have not disclosed the specific people behind the tea, we do list the location where the tea was made.

This International Tea Day, enjoy a flat 15% discount on all orders, which does stack with our free shipping for orders over $30!

High Quality Loose Leaf Tea Sourcing and Service

05/18/2026

A little upcoming events guide for y'all! It's finals week here at the seminary, so I'm primarily focused on that! I'm not taking any summer classes, so stay tuned for announcements about where I'll be in the summer!

We've got three market locations coming up: one this coming Saturday at the Neighborhood Flea Night Market in Southside Works (I remembered lights this time so when it gets dark I won't be trapped), one on Penn Ave like at the beginning of May (still in process of finalizing a spot, but I'm hoping for the same spot as last time near People's Indian), and lastly I'll be at New Castle's Pride in the Park!

I'm so excited for this upcoming little sprint of events! I have tea samples in the mail along with restocks, as well as teaware in process!

Hope to see y'all out there!

05/04/2026

At the pop up at Unblurred on Friday, someone was wondering about if I had any high mountain oolongs. In fact, I do! Gaoshan Charteuse is one of my super-limited teas, since it is a piece of my personal collection! I don't know where to get more of this tea once I run out, which means that the ~130g is all that's left!

04/01/2026

Drinking some shu pu'er (ripe puerh) on this crisp, wet morning in Pittsburgh. It is warm and earthy. Ar the class on Monday, we drank Karst Spring, and I had forgotten how much I LOVE shu pu'er. It has a smoothness and comfort in it that is so pleasant.

It does take a moment to get used to if you've never had it before, as it is not a flavor often encountered in western spaces. One class attendee wondered if she could make soup from it!

03/23/2026

This bunny has been my personal tea pet for a while now! When I worked as a teacher, he was part if my small personal gong fu set up on my desk. You can see how over the years he's developed a gorgeous patina from the teas that have been poured over him.

Traditionally, tea pets are made of a porous clay and left unglazed so that they will absorb tea over time, like him!

03/16/2026

When I am doing something that requires more focus than gong fu allows, but I still want my good tea, I often gong fu brew into a mug.

Today I am reading an article on Paul, introspection, and western society for class while drinking some Thyolo Moto (the smoky Malawian red tea).

***rownedbusiness

03/09/2026

A "Tea With Me" session featuring Forever Spring Classic!

Enjoy this beautiful spring weather day with some tea that treats the world like it's always springtime!