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Steep Right Up™

It's always time for tea!

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The Brew

We’re particular about how we brew our teas, as are most tea enthusiasts.  And for each tea enthusiast, there is a favored way to brew.  This is mostly according to your particular taste.
Let’s begin……..

It all starts with your TEA!!!! I know, strange right? You want to begin with a good quality tea. Your brewed concoction will only be as good as the tea you select. We use only LOOSE LEAF tea (no pre-bagged tea for us). Why? Because pre-bagged teas generally (notice I said generally, there’s an exception to every rule) contain “dustings” or “fannings” rather than full leaf. The dustings and fannings are what’s left after the premium leaves have been sorted out. It’s the bottom of the barrel. And if it’s not the “dustings” it may be a later harvest in the season which yields a lower quality of tea leaf. So go with loose leaf every time.

But the tea you select is not where it ends.  Let’s look at the Water you’re using next.  There are differing opinions about this.  But here’s our take on the subject.  We prefer DISTILLED water because it is “empty” water.  Meaning, it can extract more of the tea constituents. There is nothing in the water to prevent the best infusion.  No minerals, no sediment, no added chemicals, nothing.  With that said, just make sure your water is not just plain old tap water.  It should, at the very least, be filtered.  Some people prefer spring water.  Bottom line, if your water does not taste good or is of poor quality it will translate into a poor tasting cup of tea.

​Next, let’s look at how much tea you are using.  Ideally, you would weigh out your loose leaf tea.  2-3 grams per 8 oz cup of water is what you will want to use.  This equals approximately 1 teaspoon.  Most will use a teaspoon just because it’s easier than weighing it out.  Should you want a stronger infusion, use a little more (don’t steep longer…..more on that later).  So, 2-3 grams (1 teaspoon) per 8 oz water.

Temperature is another important factor in making the perfect cup of tea.  Each type of tea should be steeped at the correct temperature.  All of our teas have suggested steeping temperatures on the label.  As a general rule of thumb……Black teas steep at approximately 212° F, Green teas at 175° F, White teas at 175° F, Oolong teas at 195° F, Blooming presentation teas at 212° F, and finally Herbal/Mate/Rooibos at 212° F.  There are tea kettles that have these temperature settings already built in and with the press of a button you can get the correct temperature every time.  We use these types of kettles in the store.  It takes out the guesswork

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Timing…..it’s all about the timing.  If you steep your tea for too long it will become bitter.  The amount of time will once again be determined by the type of tea you are brewing up.  Black teas steep for 3-5 minutes, Green teas for 2-3 minutes, White teas for 2-3 minutes, Oolong for 2-3 minutes, Blooming presentation teas for 4-5 minutes, Herbal/Mate/Rooibos for 5+ minutes.  We give guidelines for each of our teas.  This timing is what is referred to as “Western” style tea making.  More on this in another article.

So, to recap……Tea Quality + Water Quality + Tea Amount + Proper Water Temperature + Proper Steeping Time = Your Cup of Tea!!!  Of course, this is the simple and quick explanation but I think you get the picture.  Below is our basic Tea Brewing Guide.

About Me

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Hello! Welcome to Steep Right Up. Go grab a cup of tea, sit back, and browse our site. Feel free to message us if you have any questions about any of our teas.....or about tea in general. And be sure to connect with us on social media. Thank you for visiting and shopping with us.

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tealady@steeprightup.com
919-562-5440

Not tea related but wanted to share,,,,,, A new bo Not tea related but wanted to share,,,,,,
A new book that I just had published and wanted to share for those who may be beauty professionals.
Thank you all for your support through 2022. We ar Thank you all for your support through 2022. We are looking forward to another great year and n 2023 with many new things to come. 

We hope you all have a very blessed Christmas and New Year. 

We will be closed for restocking until January 10th. So we’ll see you all next year. 😊
I’m here all set up at the COR Museum Sip n Shop I’m here all set up at the COR Museum Sip n Shop. Lots of vendors here tonight. Come see us. 6-9pm. 

#shoplocalbusiness #smallbusiness #womenownedbusiness #shoplocalraleigh #shoplocal #shoplocalfirst #smallbusinesssaturday #looseleafteashop #smallbusinessowner #looseleafteas #CORMuseum #cormuseumsipnshop
We had an awesome day at the Women Supporting Wome We had an awesome day at the Women Supporting Women event for Small Business Saturday.  #wendellfalls #smallbusiness #smallbusinesssaturday #wendellnc #shoplocalfirst #smallbusinessowner #shoplocal #shoplocalwendellnc #womensupportingwomen #looseleafteashop #shoplocalwendell #wendellwomansclub #shoplocalbusiness #womeninbusiness #womenownedbusiness #shoplocalraleigh
Come out to the Wendell Woman’s Club today. 10-3 Come out to the Wendell Woman’s Club today. 10-3. Women Supporting Women vendor event. All handmade items.
We will be participating in this event next weeken We will be participating in this event next weekend. There will be at least 20 local artisans participating. Come out and support your local artisans. 

#shoplocal #shoplocalfirst #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalraleigh #shoplocalwendellnc #shoplocalwendell #wendellnc #wendellfalls #wendellwomansclub #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #womenownedbusiness #smallbusinesssaturday #smallbusinessowner #smallbusiness #looseleafteas #looseleafteashop
Drop a pic of your favorite teacup in the comments Drop a pic of your favorite teacup in the comments below!!!!

I’m currently enjoying a cup of our Phenomenal Woman tea in my favorite tea mug from Pumpkin Center Pottery sweetened with honey from Hank E. Panky Farm & Soap Shop

#hankepankyfarmandsoapshop  #pumpkincenterpottery #favoriteteacup #phenomenalwoman #looseleaftea #tealover #teacup #blacktea
Empow[her] & Phenomenal Woman are two tea blends c Empow[her] & Phenomenal Woman are two tea blends created in response to goimagine.com 's February Theme Challenge which was to Celebrate Women! International Women’s Day (March) is a day celebrating the historical, cultural, and political achievements of women around the globe. 

With this in mind we created both blends using a base of Organic Rwandan Black tea because it is produced by a co-op of 4,500 farmers who primarily employ women.  It has candied flavor notes and walnut which blends so well with the inclusions we selected.  We know women love strawberries, chocolate, and spicy notes of cinnamon and clove.  But we also wanted to add some rose petals.  Empow[her] & Phenomenal Woman labels both incorporate the power color RED and a quote from Maya Angelou (an actress, producer, writer, speaker, and civil rights activist, to name a few of her accomplishments). Be sure to google Maya Angelou for more information on this Empowered, Phenominal Woman!!!

Enjoy your tea…..honor the women in your life…..surround yourself with PHENOMENAL women!!!

both of these blends are now available to order at: www.SteepRightUpNC.com 

#phenomenalwoman #empowerher #womansday #celebratewomen #goimagine #blacktea #rwandanblacktea #chocolatetea #strawberries #rosepetals #fruittea #looseleaftea #handblendedtea #handmade #supportsmallbusiness #supportwomenownedbusiness #womanowned #shoplocal #raleighnc #wendellnc #knightdalenc #claytonnc #tealover
Journal your tea adventures!!! Are you a tea love Journal your tea adventures!!!

Are you a tea lover?  Do you love trying a variety of teas? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to keep track of what you liked and what you didn't like?

We are now stocking "Taste of Tea Journey"!!! It's a 208 page paperback book that is designed to be used to keep track of the teas you've tried.  Keep record of the teas, the companies they come from, flavor notes, prices, and more.  And there's even a recipe section in the back of the book with a few starter recipes to try along with space to make note of and keep track of any recipes you create. 

Keep track of your favorite teas.  This book is available for purchase at www.SteepRightUp.com 

#teajournal #teaadventures #teajourney #tasteoftea #tealife #tealove #teatime #timefortea #tasteofteajourney #steeprightup #blacktea #greentea #herbaltisane #herbaltea #teablends #tearecipes
NEW TEA!!!!! I am so excited to introduce this new NEW TEA!!!!! I am so excited to introduce this new tea.....it's called "Creativi-Tea". This new tea has been inspired by PANTONE's color of the year for 2022: Very Peri. 

This one is special for sure.  It is a PURPLE tea (as opposed to black, green, oolong, white, etc). It comes from the same plant just a different varietal.  The leaves have a purplish hue rather than being green.  It has a very delicate flavor.  Less caffeine than green tea but just slightly more than white.  It pairs really well with fruity flavors so would make a great dessert tea. 

You can find this tea at (and read more about it): https://steeprightup.goimagine.com/home-and-living/pantry/creativi-tea/

#purpletea #looseleaftea #veryperi #creativitea #kenyanpurpletea #tealife #fruitytea #teatime #goimagine #goimaginesellers #goimagineshops #goimaginelife #goimaginehandmade #goimaginemaker
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