735 Tasting Notes
Thinking about abandoning my account here.
Fake accounts have messed up the rankings and the discussion boards.
We haven’t had a quality of life update in six or seven years.
Several features are broken and I don’t think they’ll ever be fixed.
I’ve been here for ten years and have watched this site slowly decline. It has fallen behind the times pretty terribly. I dunno. I just have no motivation to keep going.
I know several of us have been discussing a lot of the issues with the site for some time now and how frustrating it is that they are all going unaddressed. I don’t know what has happened to the site’s owners and developers as no one has had any contact with anyone on the admin team in at least a month and prior communication has revealed a lack of willingness to expand moderator duties, bring in new admins, or update the site in any way. No one understands why they (I say they, but I think it’s just Jason at this point) won’t allow the more active community members to take on a larger role in the maintenance and management of the site if they are unwilling to give up ownership. I, myself, am thinking about abandoning my account here as well. I’m going to be spending some time this weekend backing up my reviews just in case I do bounce sooner rather than later. Are there any other communities or platforms like Steepster out there? I’ve thought about starting my own blog and have been encouraged to do so, but I have heard from several other people that it is hard to attract readers and less rewarding than contributing to a dedicated community. I have also heard that activity on TeaForum is starting to pick up, so I may create an account there. Is there anywhere out there that you would recommend trying? I’m very open to suggestions.
I wish I knew where to go. I’ll definitely check out TeaForum. Maybe we can all migrate or something. But I know it won’t be the same.
Steepster definitely has its issues, but I’d be sad if everyone left. Most social media platforms are all about the pictures and don’t lead to much discussion. I like having a text-based forum.
I’d be sad to see you leave. As much as there are definite issues with the platform and the decay is certainly noticeable, I still find a lot of value in the community that is still present. Without greater moderator ability there isn’t a lot that we can actively try to fix – but community engagement and presence is something that is well within our power! I know I’ve been trying to make a more conscious effort this week to comment and interact with people in their tasting notes and on the discussion board. I may not being to fix the spam problem, or change the rating gaming that happens – but being a part of the active community of people here is something I have full control over.
Absolutely! I’m glad to have a place to post reviews without the work of creating a blog, and I appreciate interacting with other Steepsters. Also, maybe if the owners see that we’re engaged, they’ll do something about the spam.
I was just telling tea-sipper that I haven’t been able to update my profile for months nor can I post in the forums for months. I get a time-out error. Definitely frustrating.
Oh, you aren’t alone, Tabby. Have you not been reading the “State of Steepster” thread in the forums? I feel all these things. I’ve been trying just to get the ability to help delete the damn spam with absolutely no help at all from Jason for a month now, despite getting e-mails back saying this would happen. It makes me feel like no one at all cares about this site. And it makes me feel bitter and upset, since I was trying to help out.
I already started out on a blog and moved off of there to Steepster, and already know that didn’t work out for me. I like the community here, but I see this as a sinking ship. I wish there was another platform like this to move to that was being maintained and updated and haven’t been able to find anything like it. TeaForum is just a forum, not a platform for reviews/logging and networking with tea friends. RateTea has the reviewing/journaling aspect, but still doesn’t let you “friend” people and easily read what they are drinking and follow their tea journeys. I feel all the other options are very disjointed. I already have all my data backed up since I already write my reviews off-site and copy/paste them in, so if I knew of a place all my tea-friends were migrating to, I’d happily move along with them. I’m not happy with the lack of love to the site, I’m only here because I love the people using it.
It breaks my heart a little to see posts like this, though of course I understand the feeling! I just think Steepster has so very many positive memories for me that I’ll be kind of crushed if it dies. Just know that there are people reading (and enjoying!) your reviews, and still writing about a fair number of teas. At least, for now!
I am sad that I have joined this website in time when it is in agony. I have same problem as Kawaii433. Can´t do anything. I would like to admin it at least a bit, at least deleting those spam posts.
r/Tea is good, but hey, sometimes bit toxic.
I feel here it is just great. Everybody speaks with everybody, there are swaps between members, it is not overwhelmed with biased reviews and so on. I really like that you can add your tea easily and don´t have to wait till some admin accepts it.
I will stay – at least I will try. It is sad story though.
This is the best of all the forums I am in. I would hate to see anyone leave here. I have made more online friends here than anywhere else.
This community is as much about the people as it is the tea. That’s what makes it unique and why I encourage folks to continue communicating!
For now, Steepster seems to be reviving. I had over twenty notes on my dashboard when I checked it this afternoon! I hope we can keep it up!
I hope you stay, Tabby! I’ll be one of the last that sticks with Steepster, until I’m the last in a dusty vast internet wasteland. But if everyone migrates, I hope someone tells me. :D
I use this to keep track of all the teas I’ve tried, hopefully it’ll stick around.
Things always get slack in the summer … my dashboard has been pretty brisk since this fall!
I totally concur! I was very disheartened to have discovered that this site is basically the same with no improvements since nearly 7 years ago when I went on a hiatus… I was surely expecting a mobile app given that one was rumored to be in the works so long ago…
Quick review because I’ve been really busy and really burnt out.
This is wonderful. It reminds me of this Liberteas blend that was called Breakfast In Bed. I was obsessed with it. It didn’t have cacao or orange peel in it, but this is still very similar.
Cinnamon is the most noticeable flavor. The chocolate and vanilla come afterwards, somehow making this taste a bit like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The orange flavor doesn’t really come through, but the rose does. It’s mild and sort of in the background, so this doesn’t come across as very floral. None of those harsh peppery rose notes.
I made this over ice and find it very satisfying. I was afraid the roses would be too much, but they’re lovely.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cocoa, Floral, Rose, Vanilla
Preparation
Finishing up Heavenly Tea Leaves’s Lemon Twist. I had one teaspoon left. It wasn’t a good tea to begin with, so I just drowned it in Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme. I can vaguely taste it haunting the background, but only if I feel for it.
Sipdowns in 2019: 26 <—- Halfway to my goal of one sipdown per week for the year!
Knocking out Harney & Sons’ Chocolate Chai Supreme. Didn’t have enough for a full tumbler, so this is about half H&S, half Nepali Breakfast by Nepal Tea. The weird fake chocolate dominates the higher quality chai’s flavors, unfortunately. But it’s fine to get me through my Friday.
Sipdowns in 2019: 25
Finished this one up this morning. I’m not sure if I want to reorder in the future. It’s good, but also really weird. It tastes like a supplement. I don’t know. I never got to try it iced, so I’ll probably end up with some in my basket again next time…
Sipdowns in 2019: 24
This is an interesting one. I bought it with spring in mind, planning on iced teas. But spring’s warmth is still shy in the morning and evening. So I’m having it hot.
The tea itself is very pretty. Lots of flat green leaves with pretty blue cornflowers and lemongrass. But the scent is not at all what I expected. It smells exactly like purple Flintstones vitamins. (Which I loved as a kid, so I’m not bothered.) I was expecting something a bit more realistic. I’ve had blueberry teas that taste like real blueberry, after all.
The finished tea comes out to a light greenish tan and the flavor matches the aroma. It tastes purple, y’all. Almost like grape candy. But I like that! I see that a lot of you didn’t. And yes, the green tea flavor itself is hidden under the purpleness. You really can’t taste it. But I still like this because I am a weirdo, apparently.
Flavors: Artificial, Blueberry, Candy, Grapes
