Steeped to Perfection: 11 Divine Book and Tea Pairings

Harney & Sons Paris Tea
The beloved blend of fruity black tea with vanilla and caramel is the perfect pairing for this lush historical novel about singer Lilliet Berne, the sensation of the Paris Opera. All she needs to become a legend is an original role. But when one is offered to her, she realizes with horror that the opera is based on a dark secret of her past—one only four people know. Which of them has betrayed her, and what do they want?

Citron Oolong Tea
Sip on this light and lemony tea as you delve into the magical and daring stories in this collection, with subjects as varied as a pair of vampires in a lemon grove coming to terms with their immortal relationship, a community of girls held captive in a silk factory who slowly become silkworms as they plot revolution, and a family on a disastrous quest to claim land in the American West.

English Breakfast Tea
Drink a British staple while you read this smart and original debut novel. After her eccentric father’s death, Samantha Whipple is the presumed heir to a rumored treasure trove of documents passed down from the Brontë family. Samantha doesn’t really believe it exists, but then long-lost objects from the past begin showing up in her life and, with the help of a handsome but inscrutable Oxford professor, she is thrust into a literary mystery.

Chamomile Tea
This tea will make you feel warm and comforted, just like this novel about Ove, a lonely and cranky old man with staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. When an annoyingly friendly couple and their two children move in next door, Ove finds himself with several unexpected new friends, an unkempt cat, and a new outlook on life.

Read the full review of A MAN CALLED OVE.

Earl Grey Tea
This fragrant and sophistocated tea is just the match for the story of Sue Trinder, an orphan raised by a family of thieves—fingersmiths—in the heart of a mean London slum. When elegant con man Gentleman offers Sue the opportunity to help him con naïve gentlewoman Maud Lilly and split her vast inheritance, the last thing she expects is to find herself caring for her mark.

Jasmine Green Tea
In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, form a group where they eat dim sum, play mahjong, and share their tragedies and triumphs. Their lives and those of their daughters come together in this rich and textured novel that pairs perfectly with a mug of a delicate, classic green tea.

Silver Needle White Tea
Savor this premium tea variety while reading this breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. James Witherspoon has two families—a public one and a secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows that they are sisters, and their relationship teeters on the edge of exploding.

Rooibos Tea
This deep red tea goes well with the story of Bill Hodges, a retired cop who is still haunted by the unsolved case of a maniac who killed eight people when he plowed through a crowd in his Mercedes. When Hodges gets a crazed letter from someone who claims to be the killer and threatens to kill again, he knows he must finish the case once and for all.

Moroccan Mint Tea
After moving to Tangier with her new husband, the last person Alice Shipley expects to see is Lucy Mason, her once inseparable but now estranged college roommate. Perhaps they can put the terrible incident in their past behind them—but when Alice’s husband goes missing, she begins to question everything. A glass of sweet, fragrant Moroccan tea will transport you into this sharp, breathless thriller.

Lapsang Souchong Tea
In this dystopian classic, environmental and economic crises have led to a breakdown of society, and Lauren Olamina, an empath and minister’s daughter, ventures out into the unprotected American landscape. What begins as a flight for survival leads to the birth of a new faith as Lauren beomes a prophet carrying hope and revolutionary new ideas. A smoky Lapsang Souchong tea is just as complex and unexpected as this story.

Chai Tea
Indulge in a spicy chai while you read this novel that is equal parts family saga, forbidden love story, and political drama. Seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel’s world is shaken by the arrival of their beautiful cousin, Sophie. It is an event that will lead to an illicit liaison and tragedies both accidental and intentional.