Mom's Spiced Peach Preserves

The first time I had this, I thought it tasted like a pretty generic chai. I tasted cardamom, but not much else. The second time I had this, I liked it a lot more. A whole cardamom pod went in the cup, so it tasted mostly like cardamom again. I also got a big slice of fruit in there, so it tasted pretty fruity too. The other spices rounded out the cup in a pleasant way. It’s still not the most special chai, but I enjoyed the fruity twist.

Last night’s late night cuppa.

I got a whole bunch of peach and cardamom in this cup, which is a combo of flavours that I both feel is highly underrated and also just personally love. I also got a loootttt of allspice, and I think I was just enjoying the former so much that the allspice felt intrusive to the rest of what I was drinking. That’s so, so heavily biased – but just how I felt in the moment.

I absolutely love this tea. As I mentioned in the tea description, my mom asked me to make a tea that tastes like the tea she would have as a child. Her grandmother would make her black tea flavored with some spices (my mom called it gramma’s “witches” brew) and then sweetened with peach preserves (rather than sugar).

So, I decided to make a tea inspired by that memory for a mother’s day gift for my mom. I chose a Fujian black tea that had a natural peachy flavor to it so I thought it would be a perfect base for this blend. It is such a lovely black tea – smooth and sweet. A really nice afternoon tea. Pleasantly warm spices & a sweet peach note. I love it!

(52teas (Anne) 2022: 273)

Didn’t really get too much peach, but a nice mix of spices – I particularly noticed the cardamom. I did oversteep slightly, I think, as the tea was just a touch astringent. Hoping that will go away next time, and maybe it will help bring out more peach? Also of note, I’d had a lot of garlic sauce when I drank this, and sometimes that has some lingering effects. Withholding rating because of that; it would be mid-high 70s for now I think.

Resteep brought out a really nice creamy/umami flavour that was likely from the base tea (it reminded me of a flavour that comes out with oolongs). Still not really peach, but that flavour was nice.

This was the new Mother’s Day tea offered early (week of April 11, 2022) by 52Teas. I was attracted by both the tasty name, and my sister’s birthday, so I looked closer. The description was absolutely inviting. Creator Anne wrote: “I created this tea for my mom who requested more spiced tea—could I make a tea that tasted like peach preserves with spices in it like her gramma used to make for her when she was young?” I was hooked. I got visions of sitting at a table with a checked tablecloth, maybe on an enclosed back porch on a summer’s morning with a light breeze wafting in through the screen, while a beloved grandma made a special tea just for her and her granddaughter to share.
Okay, so I’m over-romanticizing. But that’s what the description alone did for me. I had to order it.
The result was just as good as the description. “Not too spicy: just warm and cozy. Sweet, juicy and delicious!” I was only able to get the 12 gram sample packets, but that was okay. Now that I know I like this tea, I will definitely go for the 36 gram package next time!
This is the perfect summer tea!