Books and Tea – ACOTAR!

Hello everyone, I’m sorry I’ve been a bit absent, but my thesis submission is looming (Due on the 1st of September, but I’m off to the International Congress of Immunology conference next week -terrible timing). During the plane rides I hope to finish Nevernight (which, so far, is insanely awesome), and I’ll be posting that while I’m away (wifi permitting), so stay tuned for that! I also wanted to take far more photos for today, but my thesis is taking up most of my time (urgh!), and I have a clinical trial meeting in about an hour, so I just snapped a few photos (forgive me?). But now, to some tea pairing!

Feyre Archeron  – Blooming Tea

This beautiful jasmine tea is a work of art, which continues to awe everyone who encounters it. This tea starts off as a simple ball of tea, but once it’s steeped it unfurls to reveal a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The fact that the beautiful florals manage to hold themselves together is pretty impressive.(Unfortunately, I seem to have run out of these tea balls to show you, but they are truly spectacular to see).

Rhysand – Monkey King (Tai Ping Hou Kui)

The hand-pressed leaves of this green tea from China are stunning, making this tea a bit of a show off, much like our High Lord of the Night Court. But beneath it’s showy exterior, this tea cultivar is extremely strong, being resistant to the cold, and is picked in the morning, in misty conditions. Sadly, it’s strong branches often grow far apart from each other, and the large leaves often find themselves too far from their family. But this tea has a distinct sweetness and freshness and is perfext for Rhysand.

Amren f – Silver Needles

Delicate, yet so complex and full of floral and chocolate notes, this white tea is perfect for Amren.

Mor from  – Kotobuki by Lupicia

This is a Taiwanese Oolong flavoured with mirabelle, rose, marigold, and mallow. Now I don’t know what the hell mirabelle is, but it’s definitely something developed in some faery realm, and it’s definitely what Mor would drink, and probably smell like.

Cassian – Mi lan Dan Cong

The chinese Dancongs are truly amazing teas, as different cultivars take on different flavours. This Mi Lan Dan Cong has a strong deep woodiness, that’s followed by a burst of sweet fruitiness. Much like Cassian, this tea comes across as strong earthiness, but is full of sweetness underneath.

Azriel – Golden Buds (Dian Hong Jin Ya) 

This delicate black tea is made only from the early spring buds. It is incredibly smooth and complex with a delicate malty flavour.

Nesta – Brown Sugar Ripe Puerh (Huangpian) by White2Tea

I don’t even think I need to explain this one. This strong, dark puerh is in completely in your face. This tea is made from the large leaves that have been quite underappreciated until recently in favour of the prized delicate buds. The words inscribed on he packaging, ‘Shit, damn, motherfucker!’ are probably what most people find themselves exclaiming after an encounter with our little Nesta. This tea is made from huge leaves that in the past were largely underappreciated by tea makers in favour of the younger, smaller, and more delicate leaves. But these large leaves have a richness and smooth flavour, and people are now starting to wonder why they never realised how awesome it was to begin with. What can I say, first impressions can be deceiving. It also comes as a brick that you could beat someone over the head with.

Elaine – White Delight by The Rabbit Hole

This mix of white tea, coconut flakes, and freeze-dried raspberries is so sweet and delicate.

Lucian – Milky Oolong

Not to be confused with the phenomenal Milk Oolong or Jin Xuan harvested in the misty Alishan mountains of Taiwan, this Milky oolong is a cheap alternative. Jin Xuan is harvested from a cultivar with high levels of lactones, which give the tea a distinct milky flavour, where as Milky oolong is just a common oolong with artificial milk flavouring added. And that is a bit like Lucien isn’t it? Milky oolong doesn’t necessarily taste bad, but it’s a far cry from the Alishan Jin Xuan that it could be. It could be something great, but instead it’s just unreliable and mediocre.

Tamlin – A Teabag.

Yep. A tea bag. That’s Tamlin. He is the sweepings of the floor of the tea room. Poor quality and bitter. And yet some people still seem to think he’s worth something.

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So those are my tea pairings for the characters of ACOTAR! If you have any questions about tea, or brewing tea, don’t be afraid to ask! I hope you enjoyed this. Sorry it’s all rushed etc. I will be back to normal after this beast of a thesis is done.

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