Tea – G. S. Banks

There aren’t many implements actually necessary when it comes to writing and quite frankly, that makes me happy. I’m not big on ‘stuff’. I’m a minimalist. Less is more as far as I’m concerned. I look at my husband, a photographer, lugging mounds of equipment around and think to myself, god I’d never do that… So… My top 5…

1. My pen.

Naturally, this comes top of the list. Some writers these days may have foresaken the humble pen, preferring to use their computers and phones for every little note they make but not me, I still use a pen. In fact I’m unnecessarily fussy about pens. I prefer fountain pens and I’m not keen on cheap biros.

2. My notebook.

I always have a notebook, sometimes several, at any one time. I hardly go anywhere without a notebook and I’m scribbling nonsense in it from morning until night. Some of the stuff is to-do lists but some of it is ideas and notes for my work. I love the feeling of writing on the first crisp page with a nice pen.

3. My laptop.

I’m not so old school that I don’t use a computer. I do, and I’m glad of it. My mind boggles to think of using a typewriter. I mean, what about when you want to change a sentence? Tippex? But then I do wonder if the high pressure of using a typewriter may possibly force out better work, just because you have to think of each sentence a lot more carefully before committing it to the page. I will need to try that out one day. Meanwhile, my laptop is a trusted and loved implement.

4. My tea cup.

This is important, really important. Without this all joy in the writing process is gone, forever. I need tea when I write and I’m picky about what I drink it out of. I rarely use mugs. I need cups, and saucers. I got some new ones for Christmas and I swear it has considerably improved my writing quality.

5. My headphones.

Quite often I like to listen to music whilst I work. The music can’t have words, because that would be bad. The music has to be amazing and preferably I’ve already heard the same track over and over so it doesn’t disturb me too much. But it infiltrates my mind and inspires me, whilst also blocking out the noise of my rabbit trying to chew through my sofa.

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Recently I received three different teas to sample, sent to me very kindly by Adagio Teas. What else could I do but invite my Mum round for a good old ‘tea tasting session’? I would recommend such a thing for any mother/daughter bonding session – nothing brings ladies together quite like a cup of tea.

Summer Rose Tea – a bit like a bouquet exploding in one’s nose

We launched straight in with this flowery little number – Summer Rose Tea which did not disappoint in its summeryness or its rosiness. Mum and I spent a good few minutes sniffing – the smell is that good. It warrants quite a few good deep inhalations and when the scent hits, it’s a bit like a bouquet exploding in one’s nose.

When we did get around to actually drinking this tea the taste followed up nicely. It is a black tea, rich, with the rose petal flavour gently permeating each mouthful. I felt like this would be a good tea to read something romantic to such as Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins or Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I would say that one could even verge into more dramatic territory, such as Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte or Shakespeare’s Othello.