Peach Black Tea

Hmm. So this is weird. I’ve brewed this tea hot a few times and always knew that it would make a better iced tea. So, recently I cold brewed a big batch of this. I did it in the laziest way possible by pouring in a bunch of tea into a pitcher and let it sit overnight. The next day, the tea was nice and crisp with peachy flavors. Well, I have since left it for about a week with the tea leaves sitting in the bottom and am now drinking it again this morning. And I’ll be damned if I’m not tasting a creamy peach strawberry(!?). The peach is there but underneath, almost an aftertaste, it keeps reminding me of a creamy strawberry flavor. I have no idea what is going on but I honestly don’t mind it. Very odd, is all.

Anyone else ever have this happen? Where you let a tea cold brew for a long time and the texture and flavor profile change on you?

This is another one of those opportunities to compare and contrast. My first loose leaf tea after Twinings was Churchill’s Peachy Black. I liked it so much that I drank it pretty often, and I thought that my eyes would never stray to another peach black tea. I was engaged to this tea.

Of course, so many things have changed since then. And I found myself wanting to see what was out there—play the field, you know. I picked up this peach black blend by Prestogeorge on a day trip to Pittsburgh just so I could compare the two.

The differences are apparent just by smell alone. Churchill seemed to opt for a more floral peach flavor, so that the tea was more like peach blossoms. Don’t think I didn’t notice the dried fruit pieces in there as well; I appreciate your dedication to the idea that fruit, and not fruit flavors, are giving this tea its taste.

Prestogeorge seemed to go for a peach nectar/juicy flavor. And while both flavors are very nice, I have to say that I personally prefer Prestogeorge’s. It’s a little peachier, a lot more audacious. The tea itself is less drying and a little toastier. It makes my palate tingle.

Even though I am going to Cincinnati this weekend, I decided not to pick up more of Churchill’s Peachy Black, which makes me a little sad in a “lost relic of childhood” kind of way. But I look forward to the new adventures this tea hobby is taking me on regardless.