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Stash Tea offers an intriguing chai green tea that is at once familiar, yet surprising; mild, yet zesty. It’s a tea I have come to consider a favorite; just as the book I’ve chosen as the reading companion has become a favorite.
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, was first published in 1886. It’s narrated by the character Mr. Utterson, a London lawyer and longtime friend of Dr. Henry Jekyll. In the tale, Mr. Utterson encounters a strange and eerie gentleman, who he eventually learns is familiar, yet surprising, indeed.
It is this quality that so defines Stash’s Chai green tea, and pairs it so well with Stevenson’s story. Chai is a classic, spicy collection of flavors, but in combining it with green tea (versus the classic black), it’s a completely different creature. It is, in fact, the mildness of the green tea that makes the chai spice stand out, and, conversely, the flavor burst of chai that makes the green tea seem that much meeker.
In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, the mild doctor concocts a mysterious potion (I assume there is no tea ingredient, although Stevenson doesn’t elaborate on that point) that causes a darker, disturbing version of himself to emerge. He becomes a man of two separate natures within a single vessel; an entirely new creature. His gentle self makes the darker more menacing, and vice versa.
And Stash’s chai green tea shares this duality of nature, with one exception. In reading of Dr. Jekyll and his frightful alter-ego, Mr. Hyde, we experience the tragedy of two characters at odds with each other. In sipping the tea, we experience the pleasure of two characters in harmony with each other, Chai Spice and Green tea. Give it a try and I think you’ll agree it’s the best-captured taste of split personality since Stevenson’s masterpiece.
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“The Midwich Cuckoos” by John Wyndham is a 1957 classic. It’s a little tricky to get hold of, but well worth the effort. It’s one of my personal favorites, written at a time when science fiction writers were coming into their own. I once found Irish Breakfast tea to be a little tricky to get hold of, too (and well worth the effort), but the English Tea Store has, thankfully, made it easy to find this perfect companion to the novel.
In the story, a sleepy village in rural England loses contact with the world for an entire day. Strange and mysterious, yes, but alarming? Not so much, at least not for a bunch of proper British folks who simply wake up and go about their day. However, a few weeks later, all the females of childbearing age find themselves pregnant — married or otherwise. And the babies all share the same feature: golden eyes. As time goes on, the village discovers that’s not all the children share.
Irish Breakfast tea has its own delayed surprise in its taste. It’s a black tea, strong like English Breakfast, but with a malt under-taste that comes along after the initial sip to really deepen the experience.
Wyndham is also a little ahead of his time with “The Midwich Cuckoos”. He writes of moral implications and cultural effects with a style that is straight-forward and charming. He spends little narrative on the science of what’s happening, and more on the results in the lives of people caught up in the mystifying experience.
Isn’t that what a great cup of tea is all about, as well? With Irish Breakfast, each sip is straight-forward and charming, leaving one to focus on the taste and the results of being caught up in the experience. With a little cream and sweetener, the tea becomes downright dessert, smoothing the way to being captured by Wyndham’s intriguing tale.
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag is a fireman whose job it is to burn those offensive and illegal items. Fahrenheit 212 is the temperature at which water boils. Pour that over some leaves of Lapsang Souchang tea, and you’ve got the perfect complement to Mr. Bradbury’s story.
Lapsang Souchong is a black tea, and is traditionally dried over pinewood fires to give it a unique smoky flavor. History tells us that during the Qing era, soldiers traveled through the Chinese province of Fujian, delaying the usual schedule of tea drying in the Wuyi region. So the workers cleverly sped up the drying process by laying the leaves over fires fed by local pines. The unexpected, campfire-reminiscent result has become the taste for which the tea is favored.
And Guy Montag is a character well acquainted with the taste of his own work. In the novel, he enjoys the process of burning; and not just books, but the homes that hide them as well. He’s a soldier in his own right, employed by a government who uses firemen to start fires, instead of putting them out. But then he meets 17-year-old Clarisse McClellan, who isn’t afraid of him, and asks him questions he hadn’t even asked himself. Guy’s life slowly turns toward an unexpected result, as well.
Lapsang Souchong
With Lapsang Souchong in a mug, you’ll enjoy a one-of-a-kind tea that not only enhances your reading of Fahrenheit 451, but immerses you into it. You’ll experience the heat from the drink, the scent from its smoldering leaves, and the liquid taste of smoky depths. With a dash of milk to make it creamy and a hint of sweetener to tame the bitterness, Lapsang Souchong is the tea of choice for firemen, or anyone!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Jules Verne in 1892
Jules Verne’s classic story, Journey to the Center of the Earth, is a panoramic tale of voyage and fortitude. It’s also a mixture of charm and density of detail, to which Blueberry Herbal is the perfect tea-companion.
In the novel, the story is told by Axel, the nephew of Professor Otto Lidenbrock. He reluctantly accompanies his uncle and an Icelandic guide into an inactive volcano that’s also a pathway leading to the center of the earth. Axel disbelieves each step of the way, while his uncle is a force of determination.
It’s this paradoxical experience that pairs so well with Blueberry Herbal. The brew is light in a mug but weighty on the tongue, and full of taste like the pop of a fresh blueberry between the teeth.
Further paradox exists in Verne’s telling of Journey to the Center of the Earth. It reads much like a geography lesson, heavy with facts and the scientific debates of his time. But what spares the reader from being completely buried beneath the lesson is Verne’s ability to use his skill for detail when it comes to characters. The fiery temper of Professor Lidenbrock is true-to-form through the entire story, and even the landscape itself takes on a personality that carries throughout.
That’s why there’s no better tea-companion to Journey to the Center of the Earth than a fruity herbal. The reader will need patience for this tale, not the effects of caffeine. Be ready to slow down, and take the novel at the pace at which it’s written. Also, Blueberry Herbal is an excellent flavor to contraindicate the dark depths to which the characters in the novel descend. And don’t forget the sweetener! I think you’ll need it.
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Fine Bone China
It’s a basic understanding, of course, that the vessel one chooses for tea drinking won’t necessarily affect the flavor, but it can certainly affect the experience. Style, color and, perhaps, size of the vessel are a matter of preference. But let’s get specific and pick one choice: bone china.
What’s the difference between bone china and the regular version? Is it really about bones? In a word, yes! Porcelain is ceramic material that’s also referred to as china (named after the country that perfected it, of course). There are recipes for porcelain called hard paste or soft paste which vary the strength and feel of the finished product. In 1800, Josiah Spade of Staffordshire, England, added bone ash — animal bones fired at high temperatures to render them to ash — to the porcelain recipe, and effectively created the most durable version yet. Hence the name.
It didn’t take long for word to spread. The recipe was less expensive and the tea cups were lighter and held colors better. Today, bone china has become the standard of England-produced porcelain ware.
Durable as it is, however, it’s still china and requires a gentle care. Hand washing it is best, and harsh chemicals can wear at the glaze and gild of a bone china tea cup. If treated well, bone china can be passed on for generations.
When searching for vintage bone china tea cups, check for chips, cracks, or crazing (hairline fractures in the glaze), all of which can affect the value of the piece. And never drink from a cup that’s been repaired; it’s best to keep that for display only.
Antique shops aren’t the only place to look for bone china tea cups. Try flea markets, yard sales, and, if you’re looking for something specific to complete a collection, the internet. Searching for a perfect bone china cup for your tea can bring as much enjoyment as the cup of tea itself!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The Island of Dr. Moreau is the fourth in a long list of novels by Herbert George Wells. Wells’ voice is as strong in this novel as in any of his earlier books — full of meaty imaginings and the kind of view into humanity that makes one wince. The story requires a stout tea-companion that pairs well with Wells’ characters and visceral storyline.
HG Wells
In the novel, a shipwrecked Edward Prendick journals his experiences as he’s stranded on an island with an odd sort of right-hand man and Dr. Moreau, a man of science whose sanity is questionable. But the three are not the only island inhabitants. Animal-human creatures that Prendick calls “Beast-Men” populate the the island’s ravines and shadows. How these “Beast-Men” have come to be is told best by Wells.
My personal tea recommendation for The Island of Dr. Moreau is Yorkshire Gold. It’s a solid tea, rich with body like coffee, but smooth and without bitterness. Did I mention it’s solid? One bag will deliver 6-8 cups of tea (I brew mine through a coffeepot, couldn’t be easier.)
Like Yorkshire Gold, Wells delivers a solid story. In the later stages of the book, Prendick ponders deep questions as he struggles to return to life as it was before he’d glimpsed the truth. He sees fellow man with a kind of lifted-veil , and intimates a wondering at the base of our existence. Who are we? And who are we without God?
The best way to mellow Prendick’s experience is to soften it with just those kinds of questions. And the best way to mellow Yorkshire Gold is to add a little sweetener and a touch of cream. A very British match to a very British author. Try Yorkshire Gold, and I think you’ll find the perfect companion to The Island of Dr. Moreau.
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
