Geek Steep S1E19 – Frankenstein (Novel)
Gongfu!
One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about our “longer” fandoms this season is when I’ve had the chance to explore multiple pairings – either taking completely different approaches to my pairings or looking at the things that may not have worked the first time and finding ways to correct that.
When we decided on Frankenstein I had two very different ideas of how I might want to pair it and I got to explore both of those “paths”. The idea behind this one was that I wanted a kind of dark and deeply earthy shou pu’erh that kind of said “Hey, I’ve been buried six feed underground” to capture that state of decay and darkness that is at the core of this novel as a piece of Gothic Literature – and which is reflected in the ambiance of the novel/narrative. It just… felt right, y’know?
Then around November Bitterleaf teas released this tea and it seemed too perfect to not capitalize on it. It was a shou/black tea hybrid – this “unnatural” combination forced together to try and create something new, the name was fucking perfectly spot on, and I got to go down the Shou road that had been in my mind. I ordered a cake, paused reading the novel (because I was about 1/2 way through at that point) and waited until it arrived so that I could finish it with this tea that destiny seemed to be telling me pair with it.
I’m glad I did – it was brilliant with this novel! At least in the tea sessions I’ve had thus far, the shou really does dominate over the black tea, and the flavour is this glorious mix of malt, just a bit of stonefruit, and thick petrichor and decaying wood. It’s so dark and it has that eerie “hunting for body pieces” vibe that I wanted, in a very good way. It’s just such a brilliant pairing for the novel – and I know that’s NOT a modest thing to say because I thought of the pairing, but I’m gonna give myself that pat on the back because I just love it.
Also, definitely don’t regret caking it either – this is the kind of profile I’d enjoy super easily outside of the setting of this podcast as well.
Our Website: https://www.geeksteep.com/
Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geeksteep/
My Geek Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKH2MbRAni6/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGOGTZ6ax8&ab_channel=L%27Imp%C3%A9ratrice-Topic
Listen to us on Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1286036/podcast/website
DB topic:
https://steepster.com/discuss/42133-geek-steep-a-new-tea-and-fandom-podcast
People who liked this
Comments
That is a great tea to pair with Frankenstein! I finally read Frankenstein this year. I liked the elements of it best that aren’t typically in every popcultural Frankenstein thing. I was surprised there was very little mention of the creation of Frankenstein’s monster.
Yeah, Victor really glazes over the creation process XD
That is a great tea to pair with Frankenstein! I finally read Frankenstein this year. I liked the elements of it best that aren’t typically in every popcultural Frankenstein thing. I was surprised there was very little mention of the creation of Frankenstein’s monster.
Yeah, Victor really glazes over the creation process XD