Book Review: A Tea Witch's Grimoire by S. M. Harlow

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Woo, am I behind on blogging! Life has had other plans for me this year and that's okay. Things haven't slowed down quite yet, but I have managed to squeeze in some time to read some witchy books. Lately, I have just wanted to read fantasy, so my witch stack of books hasn't been shrinking the way I know publishers would like it to. I've had to turn down several new books because I haven't had the time or energy to keep up. For that, I apologize. I know many of you rely on my book reviews to make buying decisions, especially with money being as tight as it is. Despite this, I have agreed to a couple of books I think you all would be particularly interested in, starting with A Tea Witch's Grimoire: Magickal Recipes for Your Tea Time by S.M. Harlow. I have followed Harlow for some time, and when Weiser/Red Wheel picked up her book for publication, I couldn't be happier for her. I was even more excited when Weiser offered to send me a copy to review!

A Tea Witch's Grimoire is a short introduction to tea witchcraft and is full of magical tea recipes and spells for every occasion. There are teas for health, different moon phases and esbats, sabbats, horoscopes, and more. The tea rituals are thoughtful, thorough, and inspiring. Whether you use them as is or adapt them to your own needs, there is sure to be something for everyone. Harlow also includes a number of potion recipes (alcohol-based infusions), decoctions, electuaries (powders mixed with syrups/sugars), aromatic oils, tinctures, and more to empower your teas along with a chapter on empowering your teas through other magical means such as sigils and crystals. Harlow offers insight into spell crafting with tea, ingredient suggestions for different spells, alternatives, as well as safety information to ensure you are practicing tea witchcraft safely. There is even a guide to using tea for divination as well as an entire chapter on brewing times, conversions, correspondences, and Latin names.

Despite being a rather short book, it is packed full of useful information. The tea recipes are mostly accessible and made with ingredients you can easily find in the tea aisle of your local grocer, with a few exceptions. I particularly loved Harlow's attention to detail regarding the tools used in tea rituals down to the severing tray and teapots and cups being used. This is something I didn't even think about when writing my own book on tea witchcraft, making this an excellent addition to anyone's collection. It's beautifully illustrated and would look great on a kitchen shelf/counter or even your coffee table. This is definitely a book you'll want to openly display.

This book does assume the witch is familiar with witchcraft, so it doesn't go into detail about the elements, moon phases, and basic correspondences and witchcraft practices such as grounding, centering, and cleansing. If you are unfamiliar with these basics, this book would be best paired with an introductory book as well. Apart from this, my only complaint is the use of "smudging" as a cleansing method. If you are not familiar, smudging is a closed practice and more than just the burning of white sage. Unless you are a member of the First Nations then this practice is closed to you. There are numerous other smoke-cleansing options available to you.

With Yule very quickly approaching, A Tea Witch's Grimoire: Magickal Recipes for Your Tea Time by S.M. Harlow would make an excellent gift for you or another witch in your life. It can be found wherever books are sold, but if you order within the next few days from Bookshop.org you will be entered to win a $500 gift card!

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