Like books, tea is a life force for me. I’m obsessed with the ritual of tea, everything from selecting a blend of tea to drink to the percussive, smooth sound of pouring the boiling hot water and inhaling the steam. It’s a natural relaxer. I recently realized that I’ve been a tea drinker for more than half my life, since I started when I was a waitress at a restaurant in high school. I worked every other Saturday, and because I knew coffee was more popular, I’d drink tea, instead, sampling the mix of Bigelow teas we offered. Looking back, it was probably more expensive of me to drink the tea instead of the coffee, but what did I know? I did know that I was fast becoming a fan of the (to me) exotic drink. Today, I’m becoming more of a connoisseur, seeking specialty blends from my favorite distributor and upping my tea game until it’s becoming something like a wine or craft beer obsession. And always, always I try to read with a giant mug of tea nearby. Which led me to create these book and tea pairings. These five books go expertly with a matching tea that I selected as a tasting note. So boil some water, pick up your favorite mug from the shelf, and brew a strong cuppa.
Tea and Book Pairings
Earl Grey: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee
This exquisite tea tastes downright royal, or at least as noble as its name. Any tea company that offers black tea and has some pride should be able to offer an outstanding Earl Grey, a bold blend with the punch of citrusy bergamot. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee is a fitting pairing to Earl Grey. Henry “Monty” Montague is doomed to live out his life as a straight shooter, meaning taking control of his aristocratic family’s estate and adhere to all manner of decorum etc that he just is simply incapable of by nature of the people he lusts after (men, particularly his best friend, Percy), the gallons of alcohol he consumes, and his general penchant for debauchery. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a powerful look at the danger Monty and other people (including women) faced if they didn’t fit in and conform to the nobility role. This book is a great tea pairing for Earl Grey because this excellent book will make you rethink what it means to be an Earl of anything (and it made my list of the Best Books of 2017).
- Get the tea: My recommended tea blend is Numi’s Organic Aged Earl Grey, which you can find in loose leaf and bagged form on Amazon.
- Get the book: Add The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue to Goodreads, find it on Amazon, and borrow it from your local library through WorldCat.
Gold Tea Blends: Just Enough Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
I was introduced to gold tea blends almost by accident. I ordered a box of Taylor’s of Harrogate Gold Blend from Amazon a few years ago because I was craving real, British blends and it would get there fastest. Now I’m totally converted to this category of blends, which are usually a mix of several kinds of tea. They get the name “gold blend” from the rich amber liquid. Against a white or pale-colored mug, this tea is simply stunning. It’s got a rich flavor but tastes very smooth. My favorite blends are the Taylor’s of Harrogate, PG Tips, and Barry’s Irish Tea.
A fitting pairing are the Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse. I absolutely adore these funny, quaint British short stories and novels featuring Jeeves the uptight, discreet, and extremely resourceful butler and his charge, the foppish Bertie Wooster. The stories transport you to another time and place, specifically the early 20th century, but enough is recognizable to feel familiar. You’ll read all kinds of interesting slang—Wodehouse had a gifted ear for dialogue—and humorous chatter; soon enough, you’ll be calling everyone “Old fish” and using antiquated Britishisms. The stories are idyllic and unapologetically privileged. Wooster is a joke, but he means well most of the time, and it’s so easy to get sucked into his world and the funny situations he gets himself into to and can only overcome with the help of Jeeves. Each morning, Bertie starts his day with Jeeves bringing him a tray of tea. I imagine a gold tea blend would suit Bertie quite well. My recommendation? Start with Just Enough Jeeves, an omnibus collection of some of the best Jeeves and Wooster stories and novels, and brew some gold tea.
- My recommended tea blend is Taylor’s of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold, which you can find in loose leaf and bagged form on Amazon.
- Add Just Enough Jeeves to Goodreads, find it on Amazon, and borrow it from your local library through WorldCat.
Scottish Breakfast and Assam: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Scottish Breakfast tea and Assam blends are enough to put some hair on your chest, and I’m going to combine them in one entry here because of their similar flavor profiles. These malty, almost smoky teas are almost impossible to oversteap and are perfect for rainy days, snowy days, or whenever there is some stormy, grey weather about. This is the kind of tea you picture when you’re reading a British mystery novel and a character invites another for a “cuppa” to get through a grim time.
To that end, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology is a great companion to a strong cup of Scottish Breakfast or Assam tea. Set in the frigid north, Gaiman’s retelling of the Norse myths are also about enduring difficult circumstances. There’s an almost calm about the Norse gods and goddesses, even though a central theme is the coming end of time or apocalypse. Perhaps why there’s some macabre humor in there you get when you live with the possibility of dying any minute (which, don’t we all). Brew some Scottish Breakfast or a nice, robust Assam and settle in with Gaiman’s enchanting tales of epic cold and brutal battle.
- My recommended tea blend is Taylor’s of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast, which you can find in loose leaf and bagged form on Amazon.
- Add Norse Mythology to Goodreads, find it on Amazon, and borrow it from your local library through WorldCat.
Darjeeling: Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie is a classic work of contemporary literature. Set at the dawn of Indian’s independence, this epic (600+ pages that by all accounts speed by) is a panoramic view of India after its break from Britain. This is a fitting match with Darjeeling, an Indian-grown black tea that was adopted by the British after colonization. It’s important to remember the history we are drinking in each cup of tea. Tea comes from more than a bag, and those leaves are grown somewhere else in the world. I think it’s important to learn as much as you can about tea origins, not just as a gourmand but out of respect for the complicated history behind each tea blend.
- My recommended tea blend is Vahdam’s Giddapahar Supreme Darjeeling Second Flush Loose Leaf Black Tea, which you can find on Amazon.
- Add Midnight’s Children to Goodreads, find it on Amazon, and borrow it from your local library through WorldCat.
Chai Tea: The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev
I can never get over chai tea, a blend of different spices like allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and more. It will always be a special treat for me, the best chai being real tea, not “chai tea latte,” which my snobby tea-loving self could never get over. Chai powder? Not real to me. I’ve long admired Sonali Dev, whose chai-flavored romance novels are downright swoon-worthy. I’d recommend starting with The Bollywood Bride, her one of NPR’s Best Books of the Year. This enchanting story stars Ria Parkar, a (fictional) famous Bollywood actress who travels home to Chicago for a family wedding and collide with her childhood friend and later lover Vikram Jathar. Will this homecoming be a brief encounter, or put Vikram and Ria back on the path to Happily Ever After? You’ll definitely want to have a large mug of warm, spicy, silky chai tea in hand to warm your heart and soul when you read this vibrant, emotional romance.
- My recommended tea blend is Golden Moon Masala Chai Tea (loose leaf), which you can find on Amazon.
- Add The Bollywood Bride to Goodreads, find it on Amazon, and borrow it from your local library through WorldCat.
