Charlie Kingsley doesn’t usually ask a lot of questions when someone shows up at her kitchen table. She doesn’t have to. She’s been doing this long enough to read what someone needs from the way they sit down.
If you walked into Charlie’s kitchen in Redemption, Wisconsin, with no idea what you needed, here’s what she’d probably make you.
If you had A Day
If you came in with the particular look of someone who’d been talked at by too many people, sat in too much traffic, and made too many small decisions, Charlie wouldn’t say much. She’d just put the kettle on and reach for the Lemon Lavender.
It’s her most popular blend for a reason. Bright lemon balm to lift the mood without forcing anything. Lavender to do what lavender does — steady, warm, slowly easing the tension you didn’t realize you were carrying. A little citrus to clean it all up at the end. Caffeine-free, so you can drink it at 4 PM without sabotaging your sleep.
It’s the tea Charlie reaches for first. Not because it’s complicated. Because it works.
If you haven’t slept properly in weeks
This is when Charlie would bring out the Deep Sleep blend. It’s her second bestseller — and one she developed for a regular client who’d tried everything else and arrived at Charlie’s door as a last resort.
Valerian root for the deep tension that lives in your shoulders and jaw. Chamomile for the busy-mind problem. Passion flowers, lemon balm, and lavender to round it out. Charlie’s instructions are simple: drink it 30 to 45 minutes before bed, same time every night, in the same mug if you can manage it. The body responds to ritual.
Several of her clients have told her they can’t get through the night without it. Charlie takes that as high praise.
If it’s December and you’re cold and tired
Charlie’s Christmas blend is the simplest tea she makes, and she doesn’t apologize for that. Candy Cane Concoctions is bold black tea, real candy cane pieces, peppermint leaves, and natural candy cane flavor. That’s it.
It’s not delicate. It’s a mug-by-the-fire tea, a warming-up-after-shoveling-the-driveway tea, a this-is-Wisconsin-in-December-and-I-need-something-with-some-body tea. It takes milk and sugar beautifully. Midnight the cat has opinions about the smell. Charlie has not asked for his input.
If you’re new to all of this
If you’ve never had loose leaf tea before, Charlie would steer you toward the Starter Pack. One tin of your choice — Lemon Lavender, Deep Sleep, or Candy Cane Concoctions — plus a 12 oz mug printed with “A cup of tea cures everything” and a mini tea ball infuser. Everything you need to make the first cup the right way.
She’d also tell you not to overthink it. Water just off the boil. Don’t oversteep. Use a proper mug. That’s most of it.
What Charlie would not do
Charlie doesn’t make promises. She’ll be the first to tell you she’s not a doctor and her teas aren’t medicine. They’re just a really good place to start — a small, deliberate act of taking care of yourself in a town where things rarely go according to plan. And sometimes, just the act of slowing down and taking a breath can make a huge difference.
And in Redemption, Wisconsin, a cup of tea turns out to be enough more often than not.
The Charlie Kingsley Mystery series follows Charlie through nine full-length novels and several novellas as she blends teas, solves murders, and tries to keep her cat from knocking things off the counter. The teas in the books are real, blended to Charlie’s specifications. You can find them at Charlie’s Concoctions.