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This is a free sample that I won in a Facebook giveaway by Teaves Tea Company. I have held off trying it until my tastebuds were more cooperative because I wanted to give it a fair and thorough tasting.

The aroma of the dry leaves is not simple peach. The very generously sized package says this is oolong tea, osmanthus flowers, jasmine flowers, and natural flavors. I pulled a white chunk out of the dry mix and popped it in my mouth. Mmmmm, pretty sure that was a dried peach bit and it was delicious. But there is something else here, something extra that I can’t put my finger on because I am not as brilliant with flavors as so many of you are. At first I thought it was a hint of vanilla, then I thought chocolate, then BRANDY! I don’t know if I have ever had brandy – I don’t drink because I tried it when I was young and it REALLY wasn’t a good idea for me, LOL! But this is what I imagine a rich brandy would smell like, and I can imagine pulling someone from dangerous frigid waters and pouring this very thing down their throat for immediate comfort and warmth.

Because the sample is so large, I want to try it hot even though they say it is typically enjoyed iced. The first steep is dark for a oolong. I am drinking it from my double walled tiny glass cups and the color is just beautiful. It is a peachy orange amber, so clear and shining. The peach flavor is the dominant one, of course, and I would say this tastes like a hot, bubbling peach cobbler, freshly baked, rather than like a peach just picked off the tree. The jasmine is light and comes across as a sweetness, but it isn’t strong enough to be off-putting to people who don’t like jasmine.

The second steep is fabulous! The color is a little lighter, I would call it a golden peach amber now. And the taste is a little lighter on peach now and the osmanthus is stepping forward and making this taste lemony – a fresh lemon taste, not a tart, puckery lemon taste. It reminds me of the hard candies that come in a little round tin at our local German grocery. A hint of dryness makes me think this would be fantastic for pairing with food.

This was really great! Thank you, Teaves, for the opportunity to try your tea! I plan to try it iced as well, because there is more than enough here to try lots of different ways!