My wife’s most recent book, We Gather Together, now has a tasty tea blend to go with the remarkable story.
Her latest nonfiction book is about the history of Thanksgiving, and the surprising story of Sarah Hale, a woman magazine editor who lobbied several presidents before Lincoln finally acceded to her request to make Turkey Day a national holiday. The book delves into the more profound story of gratitude, and gives Americans a recipe, so to speak, for a modern, more inclusive Thanksgiving, sans the mythical, problematic Pilgrim-Wampanoag encounter of 1621. There’s a chapter in Denise’s book that quotes Hale’s hilariously long description of an early 19th-century Thanksgiving meal, and it’s not to be believed. An insane amount of food.
This fall Denise teamed up with Asheville Tea Company in our hometown to create a special blend that links to the book. The earliest celebrations of Thanksgiving in New England were distinctly regional affairs. This tea has a South Appalachian ingredient, yaupon, that has a fascinating history in its own right. It’s the only indigenous plant in the US that produces an appreciable amount of caffeine. It was used by indigenous peoples as a beverage, but never caught on with European newcomers. One theory I’ve heard was that the East India Tea Company wanted to quash the possibility of a local brew catching on in North America, and supplanting its own expensive imported tea. So they orchestrated bestowing upon yaupon the catchy Latin name, ilex vomitoria, a moniker guaranteed to shoo away curious drinkers. Asheville Tea has been trying to revive the plant’s usefulness by using it in their brews.
I tried the tea when it first came out and I found it to be delicious. Full-flavored and fall-flavored, if you know what I mean. And no, it’s not at all like pumpkin spice. It’s way better than that. You can order small bags from the creator’s website. They’re the loose tea variety, and each small bag makes about 10 cups of tea.
I hope you’ll try it. It’s fun and totally worth it. And needless to say, it makes a great gift when paired with the book. Retail orders can be placed here. Wholesale orders are placed here, through Asheville Tea’s website as well.
Denise’s book has racked up some cool media hits this season. We Gather Together was featured on Katie Couric’s blog about the best books for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And it was featured as a great Thanksgiving gift book on this recent segment on Good Day LA this past week.
