By Golly, Ollie!

💾 a blog about books, tea, & geekery

Tag: fandom tea blends

Posts featuring lovingly blended teas inspired by favorite geeky fandoms

Teas to Sip While Reading Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider
I am obsessed with the Dragon Age video game series. Like, replay-the-video-games-every-year obsessed. Like, check-for-Dreadwolf-updates-every-other-month-even-though-I-know-there-are-no-new-updates obsessed. Like, would-buy-all-the-Dragon-Age-collectibles-if-I-did’t-have-to-be-responsible-with-money obsessed.

Dragon Age is a fantasy role-playing video game series that takes place on the continent of Thedas. The video games focus on the events that take place during the 100 years of the Dragon Age:
- from the story of the Grey Wardens, who defeated the horde of twisted Dark Spawn during the Fifth Blight
- to the growing unrest between the mages of the Free Marches city-state and their militant handlers, the Templars
- to the re-creation of the Inquisition, an independent political and military organization trying to restore order to Thedas following an explosion at the Divine Conclave that resulted in the death of the leader of the Orleasian Chantry (their church, if you will) and a tear in the veil that allows demons to escape from the Fade (a magical realm) into the world (phew!). And, they must do this while navigating a world torn apart by the Mage-Templar War and an Orlesian Civil War.
Beyond the current video games, there are books, comics, flash games, tabletop RPGs, web series, a movie, and a Netflix animation. The world is immersive. And, rumor has it, there is to be a full reveal of Dreadwolf in 2024. (But, who knows. I feel like Bioware has been teasing us about DA4 since 2018).

I’ve never anticipated the release of a game this much, so I had the brilliant idea to read and play through as many of the 34 Dragon Age installments I can get my hands on in chronological order for my “canon playthrough”. (Okay, as I admit this to the world, my plan sounds more bonkers than brilliant, but I think other passionate fans of the series would understand.)

The Book

And so it begins with Dragon Age: the Stolen Throne by David Gaider. The events in this novel take place 30 years before the 1st video game, Dragon Age: Origins. In fact, it takes place before the actual “Dragon” Age. The novel opens with the country of Ferelden under occupation by the neighboring Orlesian Empire. The Rebel Queen of Ferelden, who has been fighting against Orlais, is murdered by traitorous, Fereldan nobles, but her son, Prince Maric survives.

Fleeing from his mother’s assassins, Prince Maric runs into a band of outlaws led by Loghain (who Dragon Age fans will recognize as the antagonist from Dragon Age: Origins). The two reluctantly team up, reunite with the Rebel Army, and fight to expel the usurper Orlesian King of Ferelden. Of course, no Dragon Age story would be complete without the threat of villainous mages, a foreboding visit from the Witch of the Wilds, morally ambiguous Chantry leaders, and passionate romances between companions in between brutal battles for the future of Ferelden.

I give it a solid…TWO STARS.

The Stolen Throne was both too short for the story Gaider wanted to tell and too long for the story that was delivered. The author stuffed several years of story into 400 pages, so naturally, some elements of good storytelling were sacrificed. Gaider spared readers several years of redundant battles by summarizing a year of war into a few paragraphs. But, this also meant that crucial character development and relationship building were glossed over, and arguably, the characters, the interpersonal drama, and the dialogue between them is what makes the Dragon Age series so special.

In the end, I would only recommend this book to folks who really embrace the fandom. I’m not sure there is enough here to keep even a casual player enticed. And forget it if you’ve never played a game before. So much of the world-building was lacking, so without prior knowledge of the world of Thedas, the Stolen Throne reads a bit like a generic sword and shield fantasy novel.

The Teas

Your Favorite Shou Pu’erh

The Fereldans are a puzzle. As a people, they are one bad day away from reverting to barbarism. They repelled invasions from Tevinter during the height of the Imperium with nothing but dogs and their own obstinate disposition. They are the coarse, wilful, dirty, disorganized people who somehow gave rise to our prophet, ushered in an era of enlightenment, and toppled the greatest empire in our history.
– Empress Celine I of Orlais, in a letter to her newly appointed ambassador to Denerim

The Dragon Age continent of Thedas is an amalgamation of cultures and civilizations in Eurasia spanning from the Early Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period. Ferelden, the setting for the Stolen Throne, seems to resemble the period following the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England– not quite “barbaric” but not yet as opulent as Orlais or Tevinter. Not opulent at all, actually. It’s rural and dirty and always on the verge of battle against darkspawn or neighboring Orlais, and really I just imagine most people smell of wet mabari (a breed of war dog revered by Fereldans).

And so, for my first tea, I suggest your favorite shou pu’erh. For the uninitiated, shou pu’erh is a fermented tea that, to me, is akin to licking a wet forest floor in the middle of Autumn, but in a good way. (Usually. I had a shou that tasted like how the animal pens at the county farm smelled, and that ended up down the drain. But, honestly, that sounds perfect for Ferelden, too). I sipped Pu-erh #1 from Friday Afternoon Tea, which is an undaunting introduction to pu’erh. It offers aromas of earth, wet wood, and dry leaves. (It appears this tea is no longer available, but check out more aged teas from Friday Afternoon here.)

Soldier’s Blend from Friday Afternoon Tea

Loghain glanced uncomfortably at the knights who had been assigned to his command, once again wondering just how he had allowed himself to end up here. Thirty mounted men in heavy plate armor, each with more combat experience in the last year than he had in his life, and he was supposed to lead them?
the Stolen Throne by David Gaider

Picked simply for its name, the Soldier’s Blend from Friday Afternoon Tea is a blend of black tea, chicory root, cacao nib, and natural vanilla flavor. It’s reminiscent of a dark chocolate bar with a pop of tangy acid. I prefer to sip this one sweetened to draw out the creamy vanilla notes and to tame the dark chocolate flavor (I’m a milk chocolate girlie).

Shield Maiden from Friday Afternoon Tea

The knight sheathed his sword. Reaching up to his helmet, he pulled it off, and Loghain realized the man’s voice had sounded strange because it wasn’t a man at all. Masses of thick brown curls were plastered against the woman’s sweaty pale skin, yet Loghain found it didn’t mar her striking appearance. She had high cheekbones and a strong chin that a sculptor would have ached for, yet carried herself with a confidence that told him the armor was no affectation. She was as much a soldier as the men she led, and while it was not unheard of in Ferelden for a woman to be skilled in the art of war, it was uncommon enough to be surprising.
the Stolen Throne by David Gaider

Rowan is easily my favorite character. She is betrothed to Prince Maric and will someday be Queen of Ferelden. But, in the meantime, she charges headfirst into battle alongside her army to win back the throne stolen by Orlais. Her story is part honor, duty, and total badassery, but it is also part unrequited love, which wrecks me every single time. She should have been the main character.

Rowan kind of reminds me of Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings, so to honor Rowan, I’ve selected Shield Maiden from Friday Afternoon Tea, which is a blend of elderflower, pink peppercorn, roasted dandelion root, ginkgo biloba, cacao nib, and shavegrass. This golden-like-the-sun brew has a thick, luscious mouthfeel and it offers aromas of dried grass and dried wildflowers. There is also a soft heat from the pink peppercorns.

Your Favorite Rose-Infused Blend

Delicate to the nose, comfort to the tongue, and, strangely, a half-remembered whisper to the ears. It is described as—and inspires—a wistful spirit. A vintner’s opus.
Dragon Age codex entry on the tasting notes for Vint-9 Rowan’s Rose

No Dragon Age story is complete without romance. (Except for Dragon Age 2. My headcanon Hawke only has eyes for Varric, who is not one of the game’s love interests :( and yes I am still bitter about this.) In The Stolen Throne, we get a double-whammy of unrequited love. ~*~spoilers!~*~ Loghain pines for Rowan who pines for Maric who has been promised to Rowan but pines for Katriel. sigh.

For the final tea, I suggest your favorite rose-infused blend. To sweep me off my feet, I sipped the Orlesian Gray from Lady Gray Kitchen. It’s a citrusy Earl Grey blended with rose, lavender, and rosemary. As an added bonus, this particular blend was inspired by the kingdom of Orlais from the Dragon Age series!
March 29, 2024
I Failed Adagio’s communiTEA

While re-organizing my tea cabinet last week, I discovered a bag of communiTEA teas from Adagio Teas. It was dated the week of March 8th through March 14th, and each single-serving packet within was still sealed shut. I remembered I kept putting it aside with the intent to film YouTube videos or take Instagram glamour shots because if a tea is not showcased across social media, was it even consumed? The goal of the CommuniTEA is to bring people together over the same cup of tea on the same day, and I did not show up. I just never made the time for it.

I’ve written and talked about how drinking tea is a lesson in being present and in mindfulness. Yet, I never address how it always seems to be at odds against my blogging and vlogging hobby and how both tend to take me out of the moment. I can’t begin to account for the times I’ve spilled tea all over the table because I was more focused on photographing the silhouette of tea pouring from a gaiwan. Or the times I struggled to get through advent calendars or countdown boxes timely because filming and editing videos is really time-consuming.

And despite my awareness of this problem, instead of taking a few moments just to myself to enjoy a cup of tea…I spent the past two days binge-drinking communiTEA teas, taking pictures, and typing up this blog post. #NOREGRETS

March 8 – Currant Tea

I am a sucker for Adagio Teas’s creative blends, like the new Honeybush Blueberry Pancake. Have you seen my video, where I rave about it? But, I am equally in love with their simple, fruit-flavored black tea blends. The Orange Black Tea from Adagio Teas is a favorite of mine, and now the Currant Tea from March 8 was love at first sip, too. Adagio Teas’s Currant Tea is a blend of black tea, natural currant flavor, and raspberry flavor. I can’t recall the flavor of currants, but this blend offers a brisk and slightly malty-sweet black tea base that is complimented by red berry flavor. I’ve never been particularly inspired to make my own tea blends before, but I couldn’t help but wonder how the Currant Tea would taste blended with cream and zesty lemon flavors. I might be exploring Adagio’s Signature Blends soon…

March 9 – Formosa Oolong

When I first started sipping the Formosa Oolong, I was fairly indifferent about it. By the end of the cup though, it had me longing for brisk October mornings. This week’s heat-wave also makes me wish October was already here, but I digress. This tea tastes slightly toasty and definitely like crunchy Autumn leaves. The Adagio Teas website mentions there are some fruity notes in this tea, but I didn’t notice them. It’s possible I may have been able to draw them out using a different steeping method.

March 10 – Serenitea

The Serenitea blend is a fandom tea blended by Amy Zen. It is inspired by the science fiction series Firefly, and it is a blend of Spearmint, Gunpowder Green Tea, Black Tea, and Hazelnut flavoring. It’s an interesting twist on a Moroccan Mint because of the subtle hazelnuttiness. Also, and I feel like I lose a lot of nerd credit for admitting this, I have never watched Firefly beyond the pilot episode, so I have no idea if this blend captures the essence of the series. (Also, I may have forgotten to take a picture of the tea after I steeped it…)

March 11 – Speedy Recovery

I tend to stay away from blends that are for wellness or health purposes because I can’t not imagine the tea tasting medicinal. Even teas like Speedy Recovery, which is a blend of Green Tea, Peppermint Leaves, Ginger, Licorice, Cardamom, Fennel, Marigold Flowers, Black Peppercorn & Cloves starts to sound unappealing even though I appreciate all the ingredients except licorice. The flavor of green tea takes a backseat allowing the peppermint, ginger, and fennel shine in this blend. While it has challenged my perception of wellness teas, I still won’t reach for this one during the winter months. I take advantage of my stuffed up nose to power through all the teas I’m avoiding drinking!

March 12 – Apricot Green

Apricot Green from Adagio Teas is a blend of Green Tea, Apple Pieces, Natural Apricot Flavor, Apricots & Marigold Flowers, and I suppose of all the days during my communiTEA week, this was the tea I looked forward to the least. I’m not in love with flavored green teas, and I am not in love with Adagio’s peach or apricot flavoring. Yet, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Apricot Green. I opted to sweeten this tea with sugar and serve it over ice, which helped to tone down the vegetal and steamed vegetable quality of the green tea used in this blend and allowed for the juicy apricot flavor to pop. This turned in to the kind of tea I could drink buckets of on a hot, summer day.

March 13 – White Strawberry

I may have also grumbled when I saw the packet of flavored white tea in my communiTEA week because white teas and I don’t get along. But you know what? I kind of fell in love with the blend from March 13. Within the packet was White Strawberry, which is a blend of White Tea, Rooibos Tea, Apple Pieces, Blueberries, Hibiscus, Natural Strawberry Flavor, Strawberries, Rose Petals, Blue Cornflowers & Natural Vanilla Flavor. This tea was juicy strawberries, sweet vanilla pound cake, and the most luscious, silky, and thick mouthfeel. It was basically strawberry shortcake in a cup. Would I get this again? Yea…yea, I think I would!

March 14 – Sweet Science

Sweet Science is another fandom tea, and this one is blended by Lisa & Kat Miller. This tea is inspired by Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time, and it is a blend of Rooibos Tea, Black Tea, Apple Pieces, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Marigold Flowers, Natural Peach Flavor, Coconut, Natural Creme Flavor, Natural Pineapple Flavor, Natural Coconut Flavor, Pineapple Pieces & Apricots. While I enjoyed this blend, sipping from such a small sample almost ensures that I do not get the full range of flavor this blend was trying to accomplish. I taste tropical fruit-flavored rooibos, but I’m missing the creamy notes from the coconut and creme flavors.

If you’re interested in learning more about the kinds of teas Adagio’s newest subscription service offers, be sure to check out my first post on the communiTEA. A YouTube playlist of my reviews on some of the teas I’ve tried so far, is also posted there. Also be sure to check out the Adagio Teas CommuniTEA page to find out what other tea drinkers think!

July 6, 2020
Back to Hogwarts with THE BOY WHO…tea from Adagio Teas
It’s September 1st, which means the Hogwarts Express departed without fail from Platform Nine and Three Quarters today. I can’t help but reflect on how this magical story has been in my life for TWENTY years, now. I never could have suspected the impact this series would have on me the day I pulled this book* randomly from one of the shelves at Walden Books. I held it in my hands, staring at the artwork almost debating whether to spend my allowance money on it or not. A mother passed by me, and seeing the book in my hands, told me the book I held was an incredible story. That was enough to convince me to bring it home with me, so thank you Random Mother who convinced me to buy Harry Potter back in 1999.

*This book actually being Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. My experience with book series back then was the Boxcar Children, Fear Street novels, and the Time Warp Trio. I had no idea there were series that were meant to be read in order!

Today couldn’t be a more perfect Back-to-Hogwarts day here in Michigan either; 67 degrees, overcast, and occasionally drizzly. The perfect day to cozy up and enjoy the Harry Potter marathon on television while sipping THE BOY WHO…tea from Adagio Teas. THE BOY WHO… tea is one of the fandom teas blended by Cara McGee. It is a blend of Black Tea, Ginger, Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Natural Pumpkin Spice Flavor, Natural Caramel Flavor, Marigold Flowers & Natural Cinnamon Flavor.

I can easily see black tea leaves, ginger pieces, cinnamon pieces, and cloves. I don’t see cardamom as I expected despite it being high on the ingredient list. The dry tea smells warm and inviting and most prominently of clove and cardamom.

I brewed this tea a little differently this time. Typically, I would steep the tea leaves in hot water and then add milk and sugar, but this time I steeped the tea leaves directly in milk. I put two teaspoons of tea into one cup of milk in a saucepan, brought it to a boil, and then steeped for about 3-4 minutes. I added sugar to taste.

I find that this tea isn’t as spicy as one would expect considering the ingredient list, and I’ve steeped it both in water and in milk. That being said, I still find this blend enjoyable and appropriate for Autumn. The black tea and the pumpkin flavor were the most prominent flavors, followed by cardamom and ginger. I much prefer steeping this tea in milk (as opposed to steeping in water and then adding milk). It adds a creaminess and mouthfeel that cannot be achieved if this tea were to be steeped in water. It has me reconsidering how I steep any of my spiced chais.

Already tried THE BOY WHO…tea? Check out these other tasTEA recommendations:
If you love Harry Potter, what is your favorite book from the series? For me, it’s hard to choose. It’s a toss-up between books 1, 3, and 5! It’s possible I love those three equally, albeit for different reasons.
September 1, 2019
For the Loyal: a Harry Potter Fandom Tea

I believe I’ve never sipped a tea more tempting than the For the Loyal tea, a fandom blend by Aun-Juli Riddle, which can be purchased from Adagio Teas. And when I say “tempting”, I mean I could barely resist throwing aside all of my reading obligations just to re (re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re) read the Harry Potter series. I stayed strong though.

I don’t care what the relaunch of the Pottermore Sorting Hat quiz suggests. I am not a Gryffindor (I’m afraid of the dark among most other things in this world); I am a Hufflepuff! So, without a doubt, I knew I had to have this tea. For the Loyal is a blend of black tea, white tea, apple pieces, natural apricot flavor, apricots, natural peach flavor, marigold flowers, natural vanilla flavor, and cinnamon.

If For the Loyal could be turned into a candle, I would buy all of them just so I could make my apartment smell like the Hufflepuff Common Room. At least, I assume it smells sweet vanilla and fruit anyway. What I’m trying to say is, the scent of this tea is so warm and inviting (two characteristics of most Hufflepuffs, amiright?).

For the Loyal is another tea that I prefer cool-to-cold instead of hot (like the coconut tea) because the flavor is more pronounced. The scent of the dried leaves was vibrant, so I expected layers of bold flavors, but when hot, the flavors just sort of run together– it’s not particularly fruit or creamy or spicy. When it cools down though, you can taste a hint of fruity apricot and apple. I also taste hints of something floral, but I think that might be the cinnamon playing tricks on my tastebuds.

Have you tried any of the Harry Potter fandom teas? Which one is your favorite?

Sample provided by Adagio Tea for free in exchange for an honest review.

June 22, 2016
Tardis Tea Pot de Creme without Fish Fingers

I do not do a lot of cooking. My foray into savory dishes involves boiled pasta, canned sauces, and a side of microwavable vegetables. I don’t even bother with meat because it ends up either dry and crumbly or oddly, still raw. But as it turns out, I’m not too shabby at baking. But, even my baking skills stop at cookies. Albiet very, very delicious cookies. This Thanksgiving, I was a little daring in the kitchen, which is how I concocted the Earl Grey Pot de Creme with a Honey Lace Cookie pictured above. Doesn’t it look fancy?

I can’t take the credit for this one because I am not a foodie, and I am not a cook. I followed this Martha Stewart recipe. I did make one alteration to the recipe, which is the choice of tea.

Tardis Tea by Aun-Juli Riddle and Adagio Teas

Tardis Tea, which you can purchase at Adagio Teas, lends itself to a wonderful and unique cup of Earl Grey tea. The caramel and vanilla creme (not mentioned in the picture) balances out the boldness of the black tea and extra kick of bergamot oil. One word of advice, only brew this one for three or four minutes max; anything longer and you run the risk of sipping on a bitter cup of tea.

But, back to the pot de creme because I still can’t stop thinking about it.

I was nervous about making it because 1. it was my Thanksgiving dessert and 2. I’ve never baked anything like it. However, the recipe was simple and surprisingly easy to execute. The outcome was divine.

I’ve never had “pot de creme”, so I’m not sure if my dessert turned out correctly. I was expecting a custard, something with the consistency of creme brule. That’s not was turned out, and I’m not complaining. The texture was a hybrid– rich and jiggly, like custard but also fluffy and airy, like mousse. The recipe mentions this dessert is “subtly infused”, which may have been the case if I just used straight, Earl Grey tea. Tardis Tea is a very flavorful tea however. The tea flavor would have been very prominent if it weren’t for the caramel and vanilla undertones. The steeping method may have also played a part; instead of steeping in water (which would be absurd), the leaves steeped in a bath of whole milk and heavy cream. The end result was unmistakably tea, but the creaminess mellowed the flavor. (WordPress is telling me I spelled “creaminess” incorrectly and is suggesting the word “dreaminess” instead, which is kind of the same thing in this case).

The honey lace cookie was an afterthought. I wasn’t going to make them until I realized the recipe called for 4 ingredients and took less than 10 minutes to make, baking included. The honey lace cookie makes me think of the burnt sugar atop of creme brule, with a hint of honey. They were delicious, their crunch added a bit of excitement to the dessert, and they look fancy.

Baking a custard sounds challenging, but I assure you this recipe is simple. It’s also inexpensive to make since people will have most, if not all, of the ingredients in their cupboards and fridge. And the outcome is absolutely rewarding. Trust me when I say, this dessert needs to be in your life.

November 30, 2013