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.

10 Fall Journal Prompts to Sit With Over Tea This October
Pour Into Yourself

10 Fall Journal Prompts to Sit With Over Tea This October

10 questions for October, with a line from me under each on why I ask it. Pour something warm and take them one at a time.

Pour Into Yourself

10 Fall Journal Prompts to Sit With Over Tea This October

10 questions for October, with a line from me under each on why I ask it. Pour something warm and take them one at a time.

What to Say and Send When Someone Loses Their Mother
Tea Gifts

What to Say and Send When Someone Loses Their Mother

3 short card lines that help, the phrases to skip, and why the gift that lands best is the one that arrives after the first week.

Tea Gifts

What to Say and Send When Someone Loses Their Mother

3 short card lines that help, the phrases to skip, and why the gift that lands best is the one that arrives after the first week.

Fall tea party table on a Texas porch with teapots, mismatched china and a bowl of apples
Host a Tea Party

Harvest Tea Party Ideas: A Fall Gathering With Apple, Chai and Fireball

3 pots of tea, a dessert board instead of dinner, and 1 round of questions that gets the table talking. How I host a harvest tea party in October.

Host a Tea Party

Harvest Tea Party Ideas: A Fall Gathering With Apple, Chai and Fireball

3 pots of tea, a dessert board instead of dinner, and 1 round of questions that gets the table talking. How I host a harvest tea party in October.

Tea Party Themes for Every Occasion: 12 Ideas From a Host Who Runs Them
Host a Tea Party

Tea Party Themes for Every Occasion: 12 Ideas From a Host Who Runs Them

12 tea party themes I actually host, with what to pour at each one, how much work it is, and what to do when you do not own enough teacups.

Host a Tea Party

Tea Party Themes for Every Occasion: 12 Ideas From a Host Who Runs Them

12 tea party themes I actually host, with what to pour at each one, how much work it is, and what to do when you do not own enough teacups.

Cozy fall self care ideas kit with 2 tea boxes, a mug, ginger snaps, a book and a blanket
Pour Into Yourself

Cozy Season Starter Kit: What to Pair With Your October Box

5 pairings, a blanket, a book and a playlist. Here is how I build October into something that feels like a blanket instead of a to-do list.

Pour Into Yourself

Cozy Season Starter Kit: What to Pair With Your October Box

5 pairings, a blanket, a book and a playlist. Here is how I build October into something that feels like a blanket instead of a to-do list.

Guests passing a tea tin around a table while playing a conversation game for adults
Pour Into Yourself

Talk Time: The Game That Gets Every Table Talking

The game I run at every tea party, written down at last. Pass a tin, let the music stop, and watch a quiet table start talking.

Pour Into Yourself

Talk Time: The Game That Gets Every Table Talking

The game I run at every tea party, written down at last. Pass a tin, let the music stop, and watch a quiet table start talking.

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.

View all