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.

Cup of tea beside an open journal on a kitchen table for self-care reflection questions
Pour Into Yourself

10 Questions to Sit With Over Tea This Self-Care Awareness Month

The 10 reflection questions from my September box, one at a time, with why I ask each one and how to use them alone or with a friend over a pot of tea.

Pour Into Yourself

10 Questions to Sit With Over Tea This Self-Care Awareness Month

The 10 reflection questions from my September box, one at a time, with why I ask each one and how to use them alone or with a friend over a pot of tea.

The First Christmas After: Holidays When the Table Looks Different
Pour Into Yourself

The First Christmas After: Holidays When the Table Looks Different

A mom of five on the first Christmas after a divorce or a loss. What we kept, what we let go, and the small ritual that got us to January.

Pour Into Yourself

The First Christmas After: Holidays When the Table Looks Different

A mom of five on the first Christmas after a divorce or a loss. What we kept, what we let go, and the small ritual that got us to January.

Cup of chai tea with milk swirling in, beside cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and cloves
Know Your Tea

What Is Chai Tea? September's Featured Tea, Explained

Chai is September's featured tea. Where it comes from, what actually makes a chai a chai, whether it will keep you up, and how I brew mine.

Know Your Tea

What Is Chai Tea? September's Featured Tea, Explained

Chai is September's featured tea. Where it comes from, what actually makes a chai a chai, whether it will keep you up, and how I brew mine.

Caffeine-free loose leaf tea sachets and tea gifts from A Tea Party In A Box
Know Your Tea

Caffeine-Free Teas for Guests, Kids, and Late Nights

Somebody at your table cannot have caffeine. Here are the six herbal blends I pour, who each one is for, and how to brew them so they taste like more than hot water.

Know Your Tea

Caffeine-Free Teas for Guests, Kids, and Late Nights

Somebody at your table cannot have caffeine. Here are the six herbal blends I pour, who each one is for, and how to brew them so they taste like more than hot water.

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.

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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