Books and tea is pretty much the perfect combination, right? I mean you only have to look on Instagram
at the hashtag #booksandtea to see how many people love having a cup of tea while they
read. And this Book Break vlog is all about our mission to find the perfect tea for every
book. And as soon as we can, we are going to be running a giveaway, where you have the
chance to win the amazing prize of every book and every tea that we show you in this video.
But while we're all stuck indoors, let's go on this virtual tour together. I've got the
lovely Marisa from the Instagram account @tea.from.above to take me to a bunch of her favourite tearooms.
Hi, nice to meet you guys, and thanks to Emma for bringing me along to talk about books,
they are the perfect combo.
Yeah, I'm so excited. So I have chosen here a stack of books, no peeking, that I'm going
to challenge Marisa to find me the perfect tea pairings for. And then so throughout this
video, we're going to go on a tour of all of the best places in London to have tea.
And we decided to meet here at Katsute 100, because we have just published this lovely
book The Book of Tea, this is a gorgeous new edition of a book from 1906, which is all
about how the simplicity of Japanese life is inspired by tea-ism, which is a term that
this author coined.
So, to go with this book, what is this that we're drinking?
We are drinking a green tea, which is the main type of tea grown in Japan, and this
is a Genmaicha, which is a green tea that's blended with toasted rice. It used to be a
peasant's tea, they used to add the rice to the green tea to bulk it up so that it would
last longer. But it ended up having this really delicate and delicious flavour, so it became
really really popular.
OK, let's try!
You can taste that kind of toasted rice flavour coming through the tea as well.
OK, so while we're here in a Japanese tea room, I've got my first book challenge for you.
I've been reading a lot of Japanese fiction lately, so I thought that would be a good
link here. And this is If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura, which is
a really philosophical, complex book, about this guy who finds out he only has a few days
left to live, but he can make a deal with the devil where if he makes various things
disappear from the world, it gives him an extra day of life. So he makes like
phones disappear from the world, or cats disappear from the world.
So, it's a book that really leaves you thinking about it. So what would be the perfect Japanese
tea to drink with this?
I think the perfect Japanese tea to drink with that would be a matcha, so let's order
some of that and I can take you through it.
So here we have some matcha, in all sorts of forms, and I think it will go really well
with your book, because like your book, matcha is really complex, there's a lot going on,
lots of aromatic flavours. So the ma translates as powder, and cha as tea. It should be a
really lovely sweet lingering aftertaste. You'll still be thinking about the book, and
still be tasting the tea.
Lovely.
I see what you mean, it's a really like unusual flavour.
It's probably not something you've tried before. Definitely not!
And I've got some ceremonial grade matcha here which is just beautiful and frothy.
Yeah! And the bit I'm most excited about, can we try this cake?
I think we should.
OK.
Oh that's so good.
OK so that was delicious. Are you ready for your next challenge?
Hit me.
OK, so I know that tea has a history from all over the world. We've been to Japan, but
I wanted to explore that a bit more.
So the next book I've got is this gorgeous little Macmillan Collectors Library book of
Poems for Travellers, with an introduction by Paul Theroux, and it's this lovely collection
of poems all about travelling and going on journeys. So, where are you going to take me for this?
Well, I know this book is all about travelling, but I'm actually going to take you somewhere
very English.
OK.
I promise it will make sense when we get there.
So we are here at the famous English department store Fortnum and Masons. And they have the
most beautiful, huge and beautiful tea department, and they sell the most fabulous tea.
It's amazing, we just walked in through the teaware and it was so cool.
I could spend hours in there.
They had like Alice in Wonderland ones that were so cool, with like Alice wearing sunglasses
and playing the guitar, and then some really traditional ones, oh I loved it.
So cute. Oh and also a wall of flying teacups going up the stairs. So beautiful, it's like
a teacup dream.
I'm already having the best time!
So we are trying a Fortnums Breakfast Blend. The term English Breakfast basically describes
what the English brought to tea. So before the 1900s tea was never blended, but the English
used tea leaves from all over the world, blended it into one tea, and it became an English
Breakfast Tea. So it's perfect for Poems for Travellers, because you can have breakfast
teas that include tea leaves from Assam in India for example, like the Fortnums does,
or from Ceylon in Sri Lanka, or from Kenya in Africa.
That's so funny that it's called English Breakfast and the kind of defining feature is that it's
this blend from all over the world.
Yeah. There's always one thing in common and that's this strong, multi-robustness, and
it's perfect for waking you up in the morning.
Are you ready for the next challenge?
Yep.
OK, this one is a really lovely First World War story, so it's set in London in the 1940s,
and it's really, it's really sad and moving but it's really fun as well. So it's about
a young girl called Emmy who wants to be a journalist, but the only job she can get is
working for an agony aunt called Mrs Bird. So I'm picturing for this one something like
quite traditional, sort of like the really gorgeous afternoon teas that you often put
on your Instagram.
Well, in that case I don't think we need to go anywhere, I think we should stay at Fortnum's
I'm very pleased to hear that.
Yeah! Move from breakfast tea to an afternoon tea. So I'm going to order us something,
I think an Earl Grey would be great with this book, so I'm going to order us some of that,
but also maybe something else a little bit special.
Exciting!
Look at those! Yum! Looks amazing.
So much food!
So we are going to be drinking some Fortnum's Earl Grey Classic.
Lovely.
So Prime Minister Earl Grey gave his name to this very sought-after tea in the 1830s,
and it's very much known as the sort of tea that you drink in the afternoon.
OK.
It's a black tea, flavoured with oil of bergamot, which gives it an orange citrusy flavour,
and you can have it with milk or without milk, or even people have it with a slice of lemon.
But it's the perfect cup of tea to have with an afternoon tea, hence the amazing afternoon
teas from Fortnums. Doesn't it look amazing? So you've got tea, you've got scones, it's
so traditionally English, I thought it would be perfect to go with Dear Mrs Bird.
Yeah! Perfect.
Also, doesn't the colour of the cover just match the Fortnums famous turquoise
teacups so well.
It looks, like, unbelievably lovely together.
Perfect.
So I've actually read this book, and I remember the character Mrs Bird having so many old
school rules and regulations. And funnily enough, so does afternoon tea.
OK, like what?
So for example, the saucer should never leave the table, so you can lift the tea cup, but
never lift the tea cup and saucer.
OK I didn't know that.
You should never make a whirlwind in your tea, to stir your tea go from top to bottom.
I literally made a whirlwind earlier.
OK! Whatever you do, don't clink. That is very much against the rules.
There's also quite a common phrase which is pinkies up.
Mmhmm?
It's not necessary to raise your little finger. It just looks a bit silly.
I always wondered.
There's also a lot of rules about whether you put jam or cream first on your scone.
I've always heard this debate.
It's a hot debate depending on where you are in the country.
OK.
But to be honest, layer it how you like, it tastes delicious either way.
That's a relief!
I feel ready to have tea with the queen now.
Perfect.
How do you like to do your scones?
So I am team cream first.
Cream first, I think I'm jam first!
Well, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore.
Shall we make them up and see which one looks best?
Yes let's do it.
Competition.
Oh that's so good!
I could eat afternoon tea for every meal I think.
Yeah me too.
That was delicious.
Oh I'm so full.
Really full! Before you give me the next book, I'm just
going to give a little treat which is a sparkling tea, who knew?
Oh wow!
Not champagne but even better, sparkling tea.
Amazing. Cheers!
Oh that's so good!
Oh that's brilliant.
I might like that even better than champagne!
Well I don't know how you're going to top this whole experience because that was amazing
but I've got your next challenge. This one is a big challenge, this is a fantasy book, which
is a bit unexpected I thought for a tea pairing. This is Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho,
which is kind of set in an alternate regency Britain, so it's got sorcery, it's got witches,
it's got magic and dragons. Do you have any ideas?
Fantasy is quite hard I'm thinking pairing with tea. I thought this might be impossible
but actually I have an idea.
Fantastic, let's go.
So I have brought you to Jing Tea in Mayfair, London, where Will is going to take us through
an Oolong tea tasting session.
Exciting!
And Oolong will be great for your book about dragons, because Oolong, the word, comes from
the Chinese name Wulong which means dark dragon. And there's lots of myths and stories about
where this name came from, but essentially it's kind of Oolong dark curly tea leaf which
looks like a dragon's tail.
But Will's the expert so he's going to take us through it.
Awesome, shall we try some tea?
Yes, brilliant.
So the first tea we're going to try is called Iron Buddha, and this is a ball rolled Oolong
tea that comes from Fujian in south east China.
Smell the empty decanter too, very very very sweet.
Oh yeah!
So now we're moving from Fujian province to Guangdong province in the south of China,
and we're going to try Phoenix Honey Orchid.
And this one is where you can begin to see the relevance of the name. Now we're looking
at these kind of dragon-esque shapes.
Yeah.
The aroma of this tea is stunning.
Oh!
*laughs*
Completely different to that.
Very different, yes.
It lingers, doesn't it?
So the last tea we're going to try, we're going to go back to Fujian province, to the
Wuyi mountains, and we're going to try a Wuyi Oolong.
Proper kind of toasty flavour in that one.
Once you get people into it, they just, they love it. Because it's almost like a life skill.
It's almost like sorcery.
It's almost like sorcery! Yeah!
Great match, well done! Thank you for that one. So my next one, I think this one's going
to be a bit easier, so I've gone for something focused on flavour. So this book is Gingerbread
by Helen Oyeyemi. This is a book I absolutely loved, it's like a Hansel and Gretel fairytale
retelling, that's all about gingerbread. And they talk a lot about the flavour of the gingerbread,
the kind of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger obviously, and cloves, so I'm looking for a tea with
that kind of flavour profile.
This one is going to be easy, I know exactly where to go.
So our last stop is this gorgeous Indian restaurant Cinnamon Bazaar in London.
It's absolutely beautiful!
It's stunning isn't it, I love the decor here. And we are drinking their delicious chai,
because I think the taste and the smell of chai will go perfectly with your book Gingerbread.
Ooh that smells so good.
It does smell good. So chai is the Hindi word for tea, and it's a black tea mixed with really
intense spices, so often kind of cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, and ginger.
Perfect!
So perfect with your book, and it's traditionally made with milk and sugar and it just smells
amazing, so.
Ooh that's so good.
It's really good. That kind of tastes exactly how I imagined
the gingerbread in this, so perfect match.
Really kind of warming kick of spice. Yeah!
So while you're drinking that, I actually have a book for you.
Oh! OK.
So this is The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota, and it's about three immigrants who
move from India to Sheffield in search of work, and it follows their hopes and their
dreams and the impossible decisions that they have to make.
Wow, sounds amazing.
It's so good, and it really kind of took me back to my trip to Mumbai, it conjurs up the
hustle and bustle of the streets of India where you have chaiwalas on the roadside selling
chai, and kids running through the alleyways delivering the chai in steaming cups of tea
to people.
Amazing.
It's the perfect book to read with a warming cup of chai.
Oh that sounds great I'll definitely read that, and be drinking a lot more of this.
So I hope you've enjoyed following us around on our tea tour, and thanks so much to Marisa
for introducing me to so many lovely teas. Do make sure you're following @tea.from.above
for gorgeous tea photos. And let us know in the comments what your ideal book and tea
pairing would be.
See you next time.