Tasted any good books lately?

By Jackie Gamber

BookTasting is my favorite way to merge my two highest passions: books and tea. After all, what is better than reading, except reading along with an ideal cuppa? That’s what BookTasting is all about: finding the perfect tea companion to enhance or complement a book for the best overall reading experience.

A fascinating element of tea drinking is the varieties that have evolved to create such a palette of choices from a single plant (Camellia Sinensis)--depending on the region, harvest season, and the fermentation process. Add to that the blends of herbs, flowers, or other flavors, and tea choices become almost endless! It can be serious fun to explore them.

And talk about fun! Angie Fox’s Accidental Demon Slayer starts off rollicking and never quits. Her main character, Lizzie Brown, meets her biological grandma for the first time on her thirtieth birthday. Not just any grandma--this one is a Harley-riding witch who seems to know more about Lizzie’s special powers than Lizzie herself. Lizzie has to learn quick, though! Because Hell itself knows about Lizzie’s powers, too, and is bent on taking her out.

I’ve chosen an oolong tea as companion, because oolong has a particularly loamy sort of scent, and, depending on fermentation, can even lean a little toward brackish – just the kind of thing you might get a whiff of from Grandma’s witch brew (kept conveniently in a Smuckers jar for easy hurtling). But don’t let the scent of oolong put you off tea drinking! The color tends toward pale, and the taste is mild and earthy-soothing. And Teavana manages to put some fun into their Yumberry Wulong blend, with big chunks of fruit and palate-pleasing berry. It even brews a fun pink color! I add a little bit of sweetener to soften the tea’s tannins.

The result? Teavana’s Yumberry Wulong brews a cup that hints toward dark depths of danger, but meets its match with charming berry attitude. Just what I enjoyed with Angie’s The Accidental Demon Slayer.

And the bonus is—the tea blend looks great in a Smuckers jar.

I’d love to hear your comments! You could win a jelly jar full of Teavana’s Yumberry Wulong, perfect aside Angie’s book. To enter, post your comment about your favorite book companion drink (hot or cold), and be sure to include a valid email. I’ll choose a name at random, and be in touch.

And swing by my website, www.jackiegamber.com for more BookTastings and giveaways (and to find out the perfect tea with my own fantasy novel Redheart). Say hello there too, for a chance to win a copy of my novel.

Jackie Gamber is an award-winning freelance editor, as well as award-winning author of the fantasy novel Redheart, available now through Seventh Star Press(www.seventhstarpress.com). A veteran of the USAF, she is now, among other things, a rosarian, a professional BookTaster, and an avid believer in imagination. Visit Jackie and her BookTastings on the world wide web at www.jackiegamber.com