The Steeping Room
The Steeping Room presentation
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.
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Matcha produced by The Steeping Room
The Steeping Room offers a carefully curated selection of premium matcha varieties, each representing distinct Japanese tea-producing regions and cultivar characteristics. Their collection showcases the artistry of traditional matcha production while catering to both ceremonial and culinary applications.
Ceremonial Grade Matcha Collection
Saemidori Single Cultivar Matcha represents their ceremonial grade offering, crafted exclusively from the Saemidori cultivar known for its naturally sweet character and vibrant color. This matcha delivers cocoa and buttery notes that develop into medium bitterness before finishing sweet with hints of sweetgrass. The creamy mouthfeel remains clean without being overly vegetal or marine, making it excellent for both traditional usucha (thin tea) preparation and crisp, clean lattes.
Yame Matcha Blend combines Yabukita and Saekakari cultivars from the renowned Yame region of Japan. This blend offers nutty, fresh, and creamy characteristics with vegetal notes, complemented by a hint of mineral and a clean finish. The flavor profile resembles marzipan mingling with freshly mown hay, underscored by a whisper of sea salt, making it ideal for lattes, matcha beverages, and traditional usucha preparation.
Tsuyuhikari Single Cultivar Matcha showcases the Tsuyuhikari cultivar, celebrated for its intense green hue and umami-rich profile. This variety balances sweetness with a delicate, almost savory bitterness reminiscent of steamed edamame pods with a subtle hint of toasted sesame oil. The complex flavor profile makes it particularly suited for usucha preparation where its nuanced characteristics can be fully appreciated.
Culinary and Specialty Blends
Osada Culinary Matcha features a proprietary blend of cultivars designed specifically for culinary applications. This variety presents a bolder, more assertive flavor profile with lingering astringency, engineered to stand out in baked goods and culinary creations. The taste evokes dark chocolate shavings and damp earth after a spring thunderstorm, making it perfect for baking, smoothies, and various culinary applications.
Lightly Sweetened Matcha Latte Blend offers convenience without compromising quality through a meticulously balanced proprietary blend that comes pre-sweetened for effortless latte preparation. This blend harmonizes matcha’s inherent bitterness with natural sweetness, creating a flavor reminiscent of matcha-infused crème brûlée that’s ready to be savored at a moment’s notice.
Production Quality Standards
The Steeping Room emphasizes the importance of milling techniques in their matcha selection. While ball-milled matcha offers affordability, they prioritize the silky smoothness achieved through traditional stone-milling processes. Each variety represents careful cultivation and processing methods that preserve the unique characteristics of individual cultivars and regional terroir.
History of The Steeping Room
The story of The Steeping Room begins in 2007 when two certified tea specialists, Emily Morrison and Amy March, launched their mission to revolutionize tea appreciation in Austin, Texas. Their vision extended far beyond simply selling tea – they aimed to elevate it alongside craft beer and fine wine as a beverage worthy of true connoisseurship.
Their initial tea room at The Domain served as more than just a retail space. It became a vibrant educational hub, complete with tea tastings and workshops designed to dismantle the prevalent “tea bag” mindset among casual drinkers. This wasn’t merely a business venture; it was a cultural intervention, one meticulously steeped cup at a time.
The company’s approach to matcha reflects their commitment to quality and education. Their selection transcends mere product listings, offering a carefully curated expedition through Japan’s most esteemed tea-producing regions. From Yame blends featuring Yabukita and Saekakari cultivars to single cultivar varieties like Saemidori and Tsuyuhikari, each matcha tells a story of terroir and craftsmanship.
The Steeping Room’s dedication to regenerative agriculture shapes their sourcing strategy. Their suppliers employ traditional techniques like the tana shading ceremony, where tea plants are covered approximately 20 days before harvest to intensify natural sweetness. The most exquisite matcha originates from the Ichibancha – the first harvest of the year – with skilled farmers hand-picking the youngest, most tender leaves.
Beyond preservation, their suppliers actively work to regenerate ecosystems through soil management techniques, efficient irrigation systems, and biodiversity integration. Some farms even cultivate azolla, a nitrogen-fixing aquatic fern, as natural fertilizer, while others have reintroduced native bird species for natural pest control.
4 events from The Steeping Room's history
January 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 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 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 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.
Gallery and medias
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Frequent questions
Find below some answers to the most common questions about The Steeping Room.
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.
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