Writerly Bundle #23: Silvan, Light of Nibel, & Golden Snail

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.

After listening to the soundtrack, I knew I had to theme one of these posts after this enchanting, but extremely difficult game Ori and the Blind Forest.

The Word:

sylvan

adjective

1.) of, relating to, or inhabiting the woods.

2.) consisting of or abounding in woods or trees; wooded; woody: a shady, sylvan glade.

3.) made of trees, branches, boughs, etc.

noun

4.) a person dwelling in a woodland region.

5.) a mythical deity or spirit of the woods.

Example Sentence: Ori is a sylvan.

Ori is the adorable creature you play in this game.

The Song:

"Light of Nibel"

from the Ori and the Blind Forest Original Soundtrack

by Gareth Coker

The entire soundtrack for this game is just gorgeous, but this is one of my favorites. It's energetic and hopeful with a full orchestra and moving vocals. I love the piano and great use of horns and flute. It has a sound of running like you do much in the game. It's fast and inspiring. If you don't get inspired by this song, then I don't know what will give you the muse! This is perfect for any fantasy. Watch the gif above while listening to this song and you'll understand a hint of what playing this game is like.

The Tea:

Golden Snail

This Yunnan black tea was harvested in early spring (2016) and carries a rich, delicious flavor profile! The dry leaf aroma smells of chocolate pastries and a touch of malt. Wet leaf aroma is similar but there is a light fruit note...perhaps peach. The first thing you taste is immensely sweet, mouth-coating thick honey and warm bready notes giving way to rich creamy cocoa and malt. A heavy molasses-like sweetness lingers on your tongue while notes of maple syrup, sweet potato, and gardenia weave through the finish. A very smooth tea — if not oversteeped there will be absolutely no bitterness or astringency. A customer favorite, Golden Snail is our top-selling pure tea!

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: The appearance of this tea immediately caught my eye. It's definitely visually appealing and actually looks like adorable little fuzzy golden snails. These Yunnan tea leaves smell very sweet, floral, and fruity with a dollop of maple syrup. The brew is brown and smooth yet thick. Without sugar this tea is sweet like chocolate with gardenia. With sugar the sweetness almost dulls and brings out more of the peach flavor. It's crazy how it naturally has no bitterness at all and is so sweet even on its own. 

I chose this darling for Ori and the Blind Forest because it has a very woodsy taste and the snails reminded me of some of the creatures you see in the game. Ori would definitely drink this to refuel before going on another run.

Serving Recommendations: I brewed this tea for three minutes at 215 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 $8.50 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? This is a very unusual and delicious tea and so cute to look at! Four stars!

Have you seen or used this word before? Have you heard this piece before? Have you played Ori and the Blind Forest? Have you tried this tea? 

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!