Claim this page
The Steeping Room's logo
Shop

The Steeping Room: Austin Tea Company Since 2007

The Steeping Room curates Japanese matcha for ceremonial and culinary use, including Saemidori, Tsuyuhikari, and a creamy Yame blend.
Official website

Who is The Steeping Room?

The Steeping Room is a Austin, Texas tea company curating Japanese matcha for ceremonial and culinary use. Its range distinguishes regional and cultivar-specific matcha, including creamy Yame blends and single-cultivar selections.

Founded in 2007 by certified tea specialists Emily Morrison and Amy March, brand sources from Japanese tea regions with focus on regenerative farming. Matcha production uses tana shading before harvest and ichibancha first-flush leaves, then steaming to preserve color and aroma.

Website Phone Email Facebook Instagram Twitter Shopify Google Maps
Products

The Steeping Room products

The Steeping Room has 4 products on the platform.
The Steeping Room logo
The Steeping Room

The Steeping Room Organic Genmaicha with Matcha

The Steeping Room organic genmaicha with matcha combines Japanese green tea and toasted rice in a savory, toasty blend available in two formats.

$10.40 $13
The Steeping Room logo
The Steeping Room

The Steeping Room Japanese Matcha Hand Sifter

The Steeping Room matcha hand sifter is made in Japan and helps reduce clumping for a lighter, smoother, fluffier bowl of tea.

$9
The Steeping Room logo
The Steeping Room

The Steeping Room Chashaku Matcha Scoop

The Steeping Room chashaku matcha scoop is hand-carved from one piece of bamboo and measures about one gram per scoop for usucha.

$5
The Steeping Room logo
The Steeping Room

Osada Kogamo Organic Matcha

Osada Kogamo organic matcha from Tenryu Shizuoka has sweet creamy and lightly toasted notes with mild astringency for usucha or lattes.

$14.40 $18

The Steeping Room in details

The Steeping Room emerged in 2007 when certified tea specialists Emily Morrison and Amy March set out to elevate tea culture in Austin, Texas. Their mission was clear: position tea alongside craft beer and fine wine as a beverage worthy of true connoisseurship. With backgrounds spanning holistic health, gourmet natural cooking, and Eastern energetics, they built more than a business—they created an educational movement around premium tea.

Curated Excellence from Japan’s Tea Regions

What distinguishes The Steeping Room in the matcha landscape is their meticulous sourcing strategy. They offer carefully selected varieties from Japan’s most esteemed tea-producing regions, including prestigious Yame blends and single cultivar matchas like Saemidori and Tsuyuhikari. Each selection tells a story of terroir and traditional craftsmanship, from the tana shading ceremony performed 20 days before harvest to the silky smoothness achieved through stone-milling processes.

Their matcha collection spans ceremonial grades perfect for traditional usucha preparation to robust culinary varieties engineered to stand out in baked goods and smoothies. The Saemidori Single Cultivar delivers cocoa and buttery notes with a creamy mouthfeel, while their Osada Culinary Matcha presents bold, assertive flavors reminiscent of dark chocolate and spring earth.

Regenerative Agriculture Commitment

Beyond product quality, The Steeping Room champions sustainability through partnerships with suppliers practicing regenerative agriculture. Their tea farms employ traditional techniques while actively regenerating ecosystems through soil management, biodiversity integration, and natural pest control. Some cultivate azolla, a nitrogen-fixing aquatic fern, as natural fertilizer—demonstrating that premium quality and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.

18 Years of Tea Expertise

With nearly two decades of experience, Morrison and March have built a reputation for tireless tea tasting and uncompromising standards. They avoid artificial ingredients and flavorings, favoring strong relationships with small producers and growers. Their expertise extends beyond retail—they’ve developed wholesale programs serving partners across Texas and maintain an online tea shop that brings their curated selection to tea enthusiasts nationwide.

For matcha lovers seeking authenticity, regional diversity, and sustainable sourcing, The Steeping Room represents a bridge between Japanese tea traditions and modern American tea culture—backed by certified expertise and an unwavering commitment to quality.

About the The Steeping Room Matcha

The Steeping Room curates premium matcha by region and cultivar for both ceremonial and culinary use.

Ceremonial cultivars

  • Saemidori — naturally sweet with cocoa and buttery notes, medium bitterness and a sweet, sweetgrass finish over a clean, creamy mouthfeel.
  • Yame blend — Yabukita and Saekakari from Yame, nutty and creamy with vegetal, mineral notes and a clean finish.
  • Tsuyuhikari — intense green and umami-rich, balancing sweetness with a savoury bitterness reminiscent of steamed edamame.

Culinary blends

Osada Culinary Matcha is a bolder proprietary blend with lingering astringency built to stand out in baked goods and smoothies, while a lightly sweetened latte blend comes pre-balanced for effortless preparation.

Matcha from Japan

Japan

The Steeping Room sources from Japan's most esteemed tea-producing regions, with a focus on regenerative agriculture that restores and enhances farm ecosystems.

Shading and harvest

Production begins with the ancient tana shading, covering plants about 20 days before harvest to raise chlorophyll and natural sweetness. The finest leaf comes from ichibancha (first flush), hand-picked young and tender, then steamed to halt oxidation and preserve vibrant color and aroma.

Yame region and cultivars

Yame supplies the signature blend using Yabukita and Saekakari cultivars, known for nutty, mineral character. Single-cultivar offerings feature Saemidori and Tsuyuhikari. Suppliers use cover cropping, composting and nitrogen-fixing azolla to build soil health, with efficient irrigation and rainwater harvesting to conserve water.

The Steeping Room History

The Steeping Room was founded in 2007 by certified tea specialists Emily Morrison and Amy March in Austin, Texas, with a mission to elevate tea alongside craft beer and fine wine. That year they opened their first tea room at The Domain, an educational hub offering tastings and workshops.

In September 2022, after fifteen years, the founders closed their physical location and pivoted to a digital-first model, expanding online and wholesale operations and their monthly tea club.

January 1, 2007

The Steeping Room Founded

Emily Morrison and Amy March, both certified tea specialists, established The Steeping Room in Austin, Texas with a mission to elevate tea appreciation and position it alongside craft beer and fine wine as a beverage worthy of connoisseurship.

January 1, 2007

Domain Tea Room Opens

The founders opened their initial tea room at The Domain in Austin, creating more than just a retail space - it became a vibrant educational hub featuring tea tastings and workshops designed to transform casual tea drinkers into connoisseurs.

September 1, 2022

Physical Location Closure and Digital Pivot

After fifteen years of operation, The Steeping Room closed their brick-and-mortar location and strategically pivoted to a digital-first approach, expanding their online store and focusing on wholesale operations while strengthening their monthly tea club program.

September 1, 2022

National Expansion Through Digital Strategy

The transition from local tea room to nationally recognized online purveyor was completed, with their monthly tea club becoming a key instrument for delivering curated selections and expert insights directly to tea aficionados across the country.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers.

What's the difference between The Steeping Room's Saemidori Single Cultivar Matcha and their Yame Matcha Blend?

The Saemidori Single Cultivar Matcha features exclusively the Saemidori cultivar, delivering cocoa and buttery notes with a sweet finish and hints of sweetgrass. This ceremonial grade matcha offers a creamy mouthfeel without being overly vegetal.

In contrast, the Yame Matcha Blend combines Yabukita and Saekakari cultivars from Japan's Yame region, creating nutty, fresh, and creamy flavors with vegetal notes and a mineral hint. The blend provides more complexity, while the single cultivar showcases the pure characteristics of the Saemidori variety.

Why did The Steeping Room close their Austin Domain location in September 2022?

The Steeping Room's closure of their physical Austin location after fifteen years wasn't a retreat but a strategic pivot toward digital expansion. Founders Emily Morrison and Amy March recognized the limitations of brick-and-mortar retail and chose to focus on their online store, wholesale operations, and monthly tea club.

This transformation allowed them to reach tea enthusiasts nationwide rather than being limited to local Austin customers, expanding their educational mission beyond the original Domain tea room.

Which Steeping Room matcha works best for baking - Osada Culinary or Tsuyuhikari Single Cultivar?

The Osada Culinary Matcha is specifically designed for baking and culinary applications. It features a bolder, more assertive flavor profile with lingering astringency that stands out in baked goods and smoothies.

The Tsuyuhikari Single Cultivar Matcha is better suited for usucha (thin tea) preparation, as it's celebrated for its intense green hue and delicate umami-rich profile. Using the culinary grade ensures your baked goods maintain strong matcha flavor without the premium cost of ceremonial grade.

How does The Steeping Room's monthly tea club work since they went digital-first?

The Steeping Room's monthly tea club became a key instrument in their digital expansion strategy following their 2022 pivot from physical retail. The club delivers curated tea selections and expert insights directly to subscribers across the country.

This subscription service allows the certified tea specialists to continue their educational mission, providing the same expertise that once filled their Austin tea room through carefully chosen monthly selections and detailed tasting notes delivered nationwide.

What makes The Steeping Room's Lightly Sweetened Matcha Latte Blend unique compared to their other matchas?

The Lightly Sweetened Matcha Latte Blend is The Steeping Room's only pre-sweetened matcha option, featuring a proprietary blend that harmonizes matcha's natural bitterness with added sweetness for effortless latte preparation.

  • Pre-balanced formula eliminates guesswork in sweetening
  • Designed specifically for quick latte preparation
  • Uses a proprietary blend rather than single cultivars
  • Ready-to-use convenience without sacrificing quality

Their other matchas like Saemidori and Yame Blend require separate sweetening, making this blend ideal for busy mornings or consistent latte results.