Victorian Literature
Welcome to the first installment of genres and tea pairings. I received some wonderful feedback for the By the Cup side of the blog to work on suggestions for ideas on book genres with teas and I couldn’t wait to get started. These are my opinions based on my current tea inventory and are not sponsored or endorsed by any of the companies linked in this article.
One of my favorite classic books, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins was a wonderful surprise. When I read this book a few years ago with my book club I read little if any classic literature. After The Woman in White I believe my opinions about classic literature was forever changed.
How could this book have me eager and excited to unravel the mystery, keeping me on the edge of my seat and up late many nights until I was finished. This was the first book in about 8 years of book club that I gave 5 stars (and I don’t hand those out freely). I’ll be teaming up with a buddy on bookstagram to host a readalong of The Woman in White in June (I’ll link the details if any are interested in joining).
Genre: Victorian Literature + Tea: Victorian London Fog (flavored black tea)
Wilkie Collins, an English novelist during the Victorian Literature period (1837-1901) is generally known for his books, The Woman in White, The Moonstone, Armadale and No Name. He was a contemporary and friend of Charles Dickens, considered to be one of the more popular writers of the period. Once I fell in love with The Woman in White, I had more of an interest in Dickens who I’d first encountered in school with Great Expectations (I’ll have to read again because I vaguely remember it).
I paired this genre with one of my favorite teas, Victorian London Fog from Harney and Sons. It seemed like a perfect pairing since the London Fog (Earl Grey with steamed milk) is said to have originated during the Victorian era. I love a good Earl Grey especially when the bergamot shines through, but this blend to me is luxury in a cup. It contains a hint of lavender but by no means is overwhelming.
For fully engrossing reads like The Woman in White or Middlemarch this Victorian London Fog is highly recommended, especially as a latte.
Books By the Cup 
What a beautiful post!! That’s an amazing combo tea+Classics. Put my name with your buddy read for The Woman in White. Great Expectations is a must reread for me too, for I, too barely remember it. X
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Thank you so much! This is a new favorite of mine (the tea) and is a pairing I’m looking forward to enjoying during the readalong. I’ve added you to the list! 🙂
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Ohhh! I love Dickens and have never read White. I may join the June reading, with a London Fog! That was the first tealatte I ever tried. Yummm. I do prefer a tradition Earl Gray—no lavender—to drink.
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I’m so glad you will be joining us! My idea was for the tea drinking participants to enjoy London Fog lattes while we read, maybe during each weeks discussion; sort of like a book club years party? 💙🙂
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Oops! Author was Collins, not White! Error in my earlier post.
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The perfect combination! I really like Wilkie Collins’ books – partly the wild plots, partly because his women are more rounded and real than Dickens’ saints and sinners. Are you UK based or elsewhere? The Woman in White is being serialised on BBC1 on Sundays in the UK. I really enjoyed the first episode.
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Glad you agree with this one. I really can’t wait to read Wilkie Collins! I’ve only read this and The Moonstone but have collected a few others that I’m determined to read this year! Do you have a favorite Collins? Sadly I’m not in the UK, I tried last week to go online to stream the series. Hopefully it will be available in the US at some point in the future. 😔
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I hope it will stream for you soon, as it’s a luscious production. My favourite Wilkie Collins novels are Moonstone and Woman in White, but also Armadale. Some of the others aren’t very melodramatic or interesting, and I struggled with No Name.
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I do hope we get it here! I have to get a copy of Armadale. I have Jezebel’s Daughter, The Law and the Lady and No Name are waiting for me this year on my shelf. I am definitely going to try to read all of them this year so I can reward myself with something else by Collins
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Love your blog, and coincidentally love tea and reading too! I even published a book all about tea (:
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Life’s essentials 😊
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