Peach Soda

2022 Bird & Blend Advent calendar Day #20

The blend is so pretty. The hibiscus is strong and I task rose more than I taste peach. I get a bit of cardamom as well, which I do like. Peach sodas are not a staple in my diet but I don’t think the name works for this fruit tisane. I think I might cold brew the last of this and see if the tea improves that way.

Had a sampler pouch of this, the majority of which was set in a liter mason jar to cold brew over night.

I had just enough leaf left to prepare a warm cup last night. It steeped a pretty pink color and I found it quite pleasant… a bit like other peach-leaning hibiscus fruit teas I’ve had before, though not quite as heavy on the hibiscus (enough to add a bit of body and tanginess to the peach notes) and lots of rose. The rose was quite peppery, but it is a flavor I’ve always enjoyed paired with peach (peach and rose water smoothies are a favorite of mine). Nothing about it really made me think of “soda,” but it was a solid peach/rose herbal.

Drinking the cold brew today, which I infused with carbonation to “bring out” more of a soda experience. It’s very good like that! The peach tastes really juicy with the sharpness of the carbonation and the rose has a lingering pleasant aftertaste.

I would not mind getting more of this at some point.

Sipdown! (41 | 362)

Another fruit tisane from June’s subscription package. I cold brewed the whole 20g packet in a liter of water, as I didn’t really have any interest in trying it hot.

Hmm… I actually almost quite like it. The combination of the peach and the cardamom with the tart hibiscus is interesting, and gives me a bit of a peach cobbler vibe, but with more dimension. However, I am not a fan of the rose, it throws the whole thing off and adds a weird perfumey note.

Almost, but not quite. And not sure how it relates to peach soda at all…? If anything, it’s closer to some sort of mulled peach wine.

I made a small Bird and Blend purchase on Boxing Day, to take advantage of the free international shipping. I’ve been quite interested in this blend for awhile, and brewed it up as soon as I opened the box.
The first flavor that hits me is cardamom. It actually dominates the cup (which I’m not mad about, I love cardamom). Next I get the tartness of the hibiscus and just a bit of peach. I do wish the peach flavor was stronger. it seems this would be much better iced/coldbrewed.

Martin Advent Day 22
I love teas with a soda profile, so I’m excited to try this! It became a much deeper red than I anticipated. I’m trying it after a few hours in the fridge. Huh, the other tart ingredients are definitely fighting the peach for attention. I also don’t get any soda flavor (except maybe in my final sip?). There’s a bit of spice. It’s much heavier than I expected for a tea of this name. It’s not really what I’m looking for in a peach tea, but it was all right! Now I’m in the mood for more soda teas, but I don’t have any others at the moment!

Sipdown (336)

This one isn’t for me. It’s a nice peach flavor and a nice cardamom flavor but I don’t think I love the two together.

Cold Brew!

Going through my bag of this much faster than I had expected to! It’s so refreshing as a cold brew though. I get a lot of sweet, ripe peach notes but also this supporting red fruit note that transitions pretty seamlessly into the peach that makes it feel more rich and full bodied without being cloying or too tangy/acidic. The cardamom comes through in the finish, and though it is the least soda-like part of this soda inspired tea I think it adds such a beautiful complexity to the blend and plays off the freshness of those juicy peach notes so well!

A sipdown! (M: 2, Y: 22) Prompt: A tea you won’t repurchase

Family pot tea

Why I won’t repurchase? Two reasons. First of all, it’s a flavour profile that did not impressed me. Second reason is a bit more unusual, and that are customs issues. UK based companies are outside-EU and clearing it through customs and exchange post office is… just like a small nightmare. It is better recently though, but I will try to find some EU based companies with interesting flavour profiles. TeaCoffeeMarket from Poland seems to have that market which sparks my interest, though I haven’t tried their fruit blends yet.