Peach & Thyme

So… this is weird. Weird but good? Good but weird? Something like that.

The thyme is so strong. Dry, the smell of the peaches come through, but after steeping I mostly get thyme. I added 1/4 tsp sugar to try to bring out some sweetness of the fruit, but I’m not so sure it’s working.

As it cools, the peach comes out a bit. I can see this being an amazing iced tea in the summer. I’ll have to try cold steeping it soon-ish, even though it’s now the cold and rainy season here. :)

(2 tsp in ~15 oz)

interesting. many years ago i had a recipe for rosemary peach chicken. the first time i made it i scoffed, certain i wouldn’t like it. i was wrong.

for me this is a savoury tea written on a subtly sweet base; unassumptive, unimposing….. almost hard to detect at times.

imagine the sweetest peach steeped with a simple syrup and fresh thyme….. original, quite unique.

thank you MissB!

I received samples of this tea from both MissB and OMGsrsly. Steepster swappers are the best. Tons of people our scrounging for Fauchon teas, and I get samples from two different people. The generosity here is just amazing.

I don’t think I can say it better than OMGsrsly did:
“So… this is weird. Weird but good? Good but weird? Something like that.”
I am really happy to have gotten a chance to try this. If it had been in my Winners store, I would have bought a tin of it. I think I’m ok with not having a 100g tin of it in my house, on the other hand, it is interesting enough that I will drink and enjoy the samples I have.
I’m getting more peach than thyme. It’s more scented than flavored (as I would expect from a French tea) – the peach is really nice and sweet, subtle but present. The thyme is more of an impression (hint of), but is nice with the peach. But it’s still strange enough that I wouldn’t drink it everyday.

Thank you so much ladies for sending this to me.

I’ve had this for a bit, and yet I only have half a tin left. Why? Because I’ve shared so much with the folks who have shown interest. Now, it’s time to see how I feel about it!

First off, I love savory teas, as well as sweet ones. Combine the two? I’m curious and excited. Plus, OMGsrsly’s reviews really got me curious, as well as her mention of peach and thyme jam. Oh… my mouth is watering.

So, I tried this. Made sure I steeped it properly, the works.

Dry, this smells more like thyme than peach. Steeped, it reverses. It was okay straight (more thyme than anything, almost like a stuffing or savory Christmas pudding?), however with some sweetener added, this was stellar for me. Luscious, juicy peach with a hint of thyme mid-way through to the end. Really, truly delightful, and very different.

If you like savory sweets (I’m thinking jams with savory elements like jalapeno jelly, for instance) then you’ll likely love this tea. Less is also more, with both heat and steep time.

This is not a tea I would have normally gone after but a friend bought a tin the other day at TJ Maxx because she loves thyme. I told her that I had heard that the thyme was super strong, but she was not to be swayed. She stopped by this morning and said she didn’t think the thyme was too strong and gave me a sample to try. So I am taking a break from my short list of sipdown teas to have this one. It certainly smells strongly of thyme!

I associate thyme with savory things like the chicken pot pie I made recently, so it’s a bit odd here. But I can definitely smell the sweet juiciness of the peaches under the thyme. I agree that this is weird, and for me, who is not totally in love with thyme, I am going to say “not bad” instead of “good”, haha. I agree that as it cools it gets peachier and the thyme cools down a bit, but it’s a bit too “herby” for me. This is definitely an “if you love thyme…” type of tea!

Peach and Thyme… what a strange combination. Fear not though, we cannot doubt the French and their perfume combinations… right??

At first sniff: I smell the peach, delicious peach. I catch notes of the thyme, but not overpowering and the sweetness of the peach enhances the sweet parts of the thyme. Definitely not offensive and it definitely works well together.

At first steep: THYME THYME… did I mention you can really smell the thyme? Wowzers!! The taste is less intense, but with the sniff and the taste, you really can taste the thyme and it takes over a bit. The peach is the second note, which is a bit disappointing. It’s definitely a different tea. Although the French are on point with the smell of the tea, I’m not sure the taste is as good. I definitely would have been happier with a peaches and cream taste, rather than a peach gravy? With Thanksgiving and Christmas in the air, I could see this tea going extremely well with turkey dinner. It would be an excellent sweet component if cream and sugar are added.

I like this tea, I’m not sure I love this tea. I have 100g of it now and one beautiful fuchsia tin. I don’t feel badly paying 12.99 for it though because I definitely taste that the tea is quality. I probably wouldn’t replace it when the “thyme” comes. ha ha

Backlog:

I got this sample from MissB because I was intrigued after OMGsrsly tried it.

I have to say that the peach to thyme balance was pretty good, and the base was not too overpowering. I think that I might like this just a bit better as a cold steep, so I’m reserving the rest of it for then…then being a warmer day…I don’t do a lot of cold drinks in winter, or much at all (I think my body composition is happier without a lot of icy cold drinks).

This tea does totally make me want to make the peach and goat cheese tartine that I made over the summer…the goat cheese is spiked with fresh thyme, and the peaches on top got a small dusting of fresh leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuUEuXwCAbs

I also learned of this recipe from OMGsrsly so she is two for two with this combo!

Here is my attempt at it from the summer, plus a salad and some arctic char…

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1176195_10151563568507374_331752992_n.jpg

GCTTB5 original version

The scent of the dry leaf led me to believe that the peach and thyme were evenly balanced though after a brief steep, the peach almost disappeared and the thyme moved forward.

In Morocco, thyme tea was used as a stomach soother but also general wellness tea, so I reached for this in hopes of general wellness vibes. While the water was boiling, I thought I might add some honey to this for my throat though I forgot all about that when the tea was ready.

I will add honey in the next cup.

This is a very old sample (so old I no longer remember who sent it to me), and I can tell it’s the worse for it. There’s a lovely, smooth base, but beyond that I’m getting only whispers of peach. It seems like a delicate, natural peach, rather than the gummy candy sort of peach flavor you find more often in flavored teas. I’m not getting any thyme, which ruins the effect somewhat, but even in its diminished state I’m still finding this makes an enjoyable cup. I can only imagine it’s much better fresh, so I’m rating it partly for potential.

Thanks for this one, Stephanie! In a lovely pink tin and all. :D I’m always looking for a nice peachy flavored tea. I didn’t see too many peach pieces actually in the blend, but it tastes like peach anyway. I do wish it would taste like peach slightly more, but I’m glad that it doesn’t taste like that fakey peach. I’ve had some pretty gross peach teas though, so that bar might be impossibly low. There is also a savory element with the thyme and it’s making it taste a little like pine to me, but in an interesting way. The black tea itself is tasty enough and pairs with the flavors. I like it with two teaspoons! I bet this would be awesome iced.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 7 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 3-4 minute steep