Writerly Bundle #21: Confluence, Apotheoisis, and White Gold

Welcome to this week's Writerly Bundle! A post where I hope to inspire you with three of the world's greatest things: music, words, and tea.

When thinking of what to theme this post for I immediately thought of Journey since the game has so many beautiful instances of gold. It's such a gorgeous game, and I hope this post helps you fall in love with it too!

The Word:

confluence

noun

1.) a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like:

the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

2.) their place of junction: St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

3.) a body of water formed by the flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.

4.) a coming together of people or things; concourse.

5.) a crowd or throng; assemblage.

Example Sentence: There are six confluences in Journey.

One of the confluences.

The Song:

"Apotheosis"

from the Journey original score

by Austin Wintory

When I hear this piece, I almost cry every time. It's a profoundly beautiful piece full of emotional winds, violins, cellos, and bells. To me, it is the sound of pure joy and victory. It starts very soft then escalates into an amazing high point then softens to a bittersweet finish. I recommend the entire Journey soundtrack, but this is one of my favorites. All of it is so moving.

The Tea:

White Gold

White Gold is a beautifully crafted bi luo chun style white tea from the Yunnan province of China. This was picked in the early spring and consists of lovely downy buds. The aroma is intoxicating and fresh, with edamame, honeysuckle, and cream. The smooth and sweet taste opens with oats, edamame, and melon, flowing into cream and fresh garden sage. A bright citrus note appears near the end of the sip…I note it as a hint of lime leaf. The finish is beautifully floral, with honeysuckle, orchid, and a touch of white pepper. The finish lingers for quite some time with the slightest astringency, bringing forth a beautiful warm spruce note.  


A lovely white tea with tons of complexity and vibrant, strong and active mouthfeeling!

How I found it: Sara Letourneau introduced me to Whispering Pines Tea Company with this blend actually. Since I love fandom-inspired blends, I knew I had to check out their site. I've bought several teas from them and they've become my second favorite tea company. I love their simply, but quality teas. As a perk, I love that they include inspiring quotes from people such as Winston Churchill and E.E. Cummings with every purchase!

The Tea: White teas tend to be finicky and hard to brew right so I was a bit nervous when I opened my first order of Whispering Pines Teas and saw this as a free sample. But I love trying new teas (obviously) so I decided to give this one a shot. This tea is very pleasing to the eye the delicate white curls instantly attracted me. The smell of the tea leaves are sweet like honey suckle with notes of oats and cream. 

Without sugar the tea is a white gold like its title and you can taste more of the sage and edamame. With sugar, the tea turns a darker gold much like the gold in the Journey gif below. I tasted more of the honeysuckle and cream, but not much melon, though a slight citrus flavor. The tea is smooth, light, and airy. Over all delightful. It reminds me of oatmeal with cream and fruit. Next time I play Journey, I'd like to drink this tea. It's a very appropriate flavor for the theme of the game. 

Serving Recommendations: I steeped this tea for two minutes at 170 F and added sugar. 

How much is it and where can you get it? You can purchase this tea online at the Whispering Pines Tea Company website for $8.25 USD. However, this tea is limited and only available at certain times, but you can sign up for notifications for when it goes in stock again.

So how good is it? I adore this tea. I've had three cups all ready and the only reason I haven't had more is because I'm savoring it. Five stars!

Have you seen or used this word before? Have you heard this piece before? Have you tried this tea? Have you played Journey?

Click here for last week's Writerly Bundle!

If you liked this post, come back every other Tuesday for book reviews; Friday for tags, character interviews, and link-ups; Saturdays for writing advice and life updates; and Sundays for the Writerly Bundle which includes a new soundtrack piece, vocabulary word, and tea review!