The Steeping Chronicles

I'm Erica. I'm a tea sommelier here in San Antonio, a mom of five, and this all started at my own kitchen table in a season when a hot cup was about the only thing I could manage. Then my kids started sitting down with me. We talked. This is where I put the things people actually ask me: how to host a tea party without losing a whole week to it, what to send when you don't know what to say, and why your green tea tastes like regret. Pick the part you came for.

Hispanic Heritage Month party ideas: a merienda tea table with pan dulce, teacups and hibiscus
Host a Tea Party

Hispanic Heritage Month Party Ideas: Host a Merienda Tea Party

Pan dulce from the panadería, a pitcher of hibiscus and a question about home. The easiest Hispanic Heritage Month gathering I know how to host, at home, at work or at church.

Host a Tea Party

Hispanic Heritage Month Party Ideas: Host a Merienda Tea Party

Pan dulce from the panadería, a pitcher of hibiscus and a question about home. The easiest Hispanic Heritage Month gathering I know how to host, at home, at work or at church.

A single cup of tea on a quiet kitchen table, a sympathy gift instead of flowers
Tea Gifts

Sympathy Gifts Instead of Flowers: What Actually Helped

Flowers arrive all at once and are gone by the weekend. Here is what people who have actually grieved say helped, what quietly became a burden, and why late is still welcome.

Tea Gifts

Sympathy Gifts Instead of Flowers: What Actually Helped

Flowers arrive all at once and are gone by the weekend. Here is what people who have actually grieved say helped, what quietly became a burden, and why late is still welcome.

Pitcher of ruby agua de jamaica hibiscus tea with lime and cinnamon on a Texas table
Know Your Tea

Jamaica, Canela and Manzanilla: Tea Traditions From Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America

Jamaica, canela, manzanilla and mate: 4 drinks that live in kitchens across Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, and one hibiscus iced tea to pour this weekend.

Know Your Tea

Jamaica, Canela and Manzanilla: Tea Traditions From Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America

Jamaica, canela, manzanilla and mate: 4 drinks that live in kitchens across Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, and one hibiscus iced tea to pour this weekend.

Halloween tea party table set with mismatched teacups, candles, and small pumpkins
Host a Tea Party

Halloween Tea Party for Grown-Ups (and the Kids Who Crash It)

Four candy-flavored teas, a dark tablecloth, and the Mad Hatter contest I run every October. A Halloween tea party the adults love and the kids can crash.

Host a Tea Party

Halloween Tea Party for Grown-Ups (and the Kids Who Crash It)

Four candy-flavored teas, a dark tablecloth, and the Mad Hatter contest I run every October. A Halloween tea party the adults love and the kids can crash.

September monthly tea subscription box moment with a cup of hibiscus tea, sugar cubes, a cookie and reflection cards
Pour Into Yourself

Comfort and Culture: Inside the September Tea Subscription Box

Three teas, a recipe, a cookie, sugar cubes, reflection cards and a seat at the virtual tea party. Order by the 8th, ships the 10th, and why September is Comfort and Culture.

Pour Into Yourself

Comfort and Culture: Inside the September Tea Subscription Box

Three teas, a recipe, a cookie, sugar cubes, reflection cards and a seat at the virtual tea party. Order by the 8th, ships the 10th, and why September is Comfort and Culture.

Gifts for tea lovers being wrapped at a kitchen table with a teacup, ribbon and a kraft gift box
Tea Gifts

Gifts for Tea Lovers: What to Send Someone Who Loves Tea (From a Tea Party Host)

Tea guides keep telling you not to give a tea lover tea. After years of hosting tea parties, here is what I send instead, sorted by what you want to spend.

Tea Gifts

Gifts for Tea Lovers: What to Send Someone Who Loves Tea (From a Tea Party Host)

Tea guides keep telling you not to give a tea lover tea. After years of hosting tea parties, here is what I send instead, sorted by what you want to spend.

Questions I get asked

Who writes The Steeping Chronicles?

I do. Every word. I'm Erica Powers, the tea sommelier who packs the boxes and sets the tables. The blog shares its name with my newsletter and it has the same 2 sides: the sweet side, and the real side where the honest stories live.

What kind of tea party do you write about?

The kind you can actually pull off on a Saturday. Bridal and baby showers, birthdays, church and senior groups, office gatherings, Galentine's, watch parties, and a table set for one on a Tuesday. I write for the woman hosting it, not for a magazine shoot.

Do I need china and a teapot to host a tea party?

No. You need hot water, something to steep in, and a table people can sit at. My own collection started as mismatched cups I picked up one at a time. If you want the vintage look without buying 40 of them, I rent china around San Antonio and my team washes every piece afterward.

Where do I start if I have never brewed loose leaf tea?

Start in Know Your Tea. Water that is too hot and leaves left in too long are what turn a good cup bitter, and both are easy to fix. Then pick 1 blend and brew it 3 times before you decide how you feel about it.

Send Someone a Tea Party

I started packing these boxes so I could send my kitchen table to people I could not get to in person. Every one holds loose leaf tea and something to do while it steeps, because the part that matters is the hour you sit down for. Pick the one that sounds like the person you are sending it to.

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