Why’s there no coffee in Calandra? It’s not like they couldn’t import it. But Tristan is a really big tea drinker—classic or herbal tisanes. And he has a huge sweet tooth. But the only sweetener he has access to is honey. And honey is great in tea, but not so much in coffee. Maybe once he really gets some trade going, opens up Dunehollow as a royal port, he can import more cane sugar and try it in coffee besides shortbread.
What’s cailon flower tea? In the beginning, it was entirely made up—I read an article where Ursula LeGuin explained how she knew some of her Earthsea characters drank rushleaf tea, and I added that detail to my world-building tool box. Cailon is a white flower, and the tea is calming—at least that’s why Elisena offers it to Tristan when she does—and I suspect it is very similar to jasmine tea. Steep a couple of dried apricots in the pot, sweeten lightly. It’s much to Tristan’s taste, though he will brew his tea strong and bitter to get through a long research session.
Draft Cider. National beverage of Esdragon. They grow a lot of apples there, so it makes sense. I first tasted it when I went to England in ’85. Was not able to find it here for a long time, but now there are cideries all over—you can even get perry without any trouble. Want to vie for the honor of being the official cider of the Duchy of Esdragon? It can be settled by a tasting! (Though Woodchuck Raspberry is a very strong contender. It’s Tristan’s favorite.)
What’s cailon flower tea? In the beginning, it was entirely made up—I read an article where Ursula LeGuin explained how she knew some of her Earthsea characters drank rushleaf tea, and I added that detail to my world-building tool box. Cailon is a white flower, and the tea is calming—at least that’s why Elisena offers it to Tristan when she does—and I suspect it is very similar to jasmine tea. Steep a couple of dried apricots in the pot, sweeten lightly. It’s much to Tristan’s taste, though he will brew his tea strong and bitter to get through a long research session.
Draft Cider. National beverage of Esdragon. They grow a lot of apples there, so it makes sense. I first tasted it when I went to England in ’85. Was not able to find it here for a long time, but now there are cideries all over—you can even get perry without any trouble. Want to vie for the honor of being the official cider of the Duchy of Esdragon? It can be settled by a tasting! (Though Woodchuck Raspberry is a very strong contender. It’s Tristan’s favorite.)
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