At the Tea Table with Bex of Out of the Bex

When I look at my To Be Read pile in my room, I often wonder how it got so large. I happily blame Bex and her non-stop book recommendations that I can’t ever seem to ignore. Bex is the blogger behind Out of the Bex, a place for all things book related and a resource for authors and fellow bloggers. The last few months she has been my source for honest book reviews to feed my current reading addiction. With her tea addict and donut devotee status, she is also someone you want to reach out to if you ever need some tea and donut pairing suggestions. At the tea table Bex chatted about her love for books and tea, an author she dreams to share a cuppa with, and a tea item her and her husband can’t travel without!

The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?

Admittedly, I am a creature of habit. I don’t go a day without a cup of Bigelow’s Constant Comment. My only question for you is, one sugar or two?

Just one for me! Do you recall your first sip that started your tea journey?

Oh, it took me years to truly become a full-fledged tea addict! For me, it was a slow process that led to the three-cup minimum I enjoy today. However, I do remember a very special iced tea that gave me the first glimpse of what tea could mean…

It was a raspberry hibiscus blend. I would enjoy a tall, cold glass from a favorite coffeehouse during my university years. I went to a coastal school, which meant heat and humidity. But that iced tea, paired with a lemon passionfruit bar, made those long hours of studying tolerable.

Today, my husband and I are the sort of people who travel with their very own hot water pot. We carefully pack ours up from our kitchen counter any time we’re away from home. This is not a joke. We trekked it on a cross-country road trip and even bring it to hotels. We just can’t risk being without our tea! Silly, we know. It’s the hobbit in us.

I think many can relate to travelling with a tea kettle. It’s such a bummer when you arrive somewhere with only a coffee pot in your room. Not making tea in that!

What came first for you: your love for tea or your love for reading?

My love for reading. Books—all stories, really—have always been a part of me, without which I would be left incomplete.

If you could pair any tea with any book, what would that pairing look like?

When I was a child, my dad would make this spiced tea. I think it was called Good Earth. You can’t find it now, or at least I can’t. But the smell… It was exquisite. It always made me feel like a trip to the shire. In fact, I’d love a good cup right now and perhaps a flip through my Tolkien atlas.

Take us on a tour of your tea & reading space.

I love to read on the floor. It’s one of my many eccentricities. Picture me on a pile of pillows, a fuzzy blanket, a precariously balanced cup of tea in one hand, my book in the other.

Speed Round:

Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
Black tea. Hands down.

Hot, Iced or Cold?
Hot!

Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
Teapot.

Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Milk and sugar.

Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
Chocolate. Though I’m partial to tiny tea cookies.

Choose one fictional book character and/or author that you would like to have tea with.

I have always wanted to have tea with the great Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. She is one of the few authors I’ve read multiple biographies about and she had the most fascinating life. Above all, I think she would be the perfect tea party guest as she seems to me so humble, down to earth, and not above a good conversation with an enthusiastic stranger.

Find Out of the Bex:

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ABOUT THIS SERIES: Tea tells stories and when connected with humans, more are created. That’s where the idea for this blog series, At the Tea Table, originated. With this series, The Cup of Life asks tea lovers around the world to take us inside their tea lives to share their favourite steeps, spaces, routines and more. Meet some of your fellow tea drinkers here.