F. Scott Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby is a classic of course, and soon to be a movie again, but it's also a wonderful summertime read. It takes place in the summer; it has gorgeous summer imagery along with irony and occasional humor; and it has a tea scene that's pivotal to the plot. When Daisy and Gatsby reunite after so many years, it's at Nick's not so lavish little rented house in the shadow of Gatsby's mansion. And it's for the pretense of tea, and since the tea is at Nick's it probably wasn't much more than orange pekoe with lemon slices and sugar cubes. Not champagne, not bootleg gin, just tea. Then "[a]mid the welcome confusion of cups and cakes a certain physical decency established itself", and fates really start to intertwine. You might want to try the iced version of the classic pekoe tea and lemon while reading or rereading
The Great Gatsby, like maybe the old standards of Lipton or Red Rose, brands that had and have been around since the late 19th century. But just remember, you can drink the old school brew but you can't repeat the past, old sport, no matter how you try.
Pictured: Deco Tea by Michael L Kungl -- click here to buy a copy of your own at art.com!
