Simply put, a good peach-flavored white tea is as elusive as a smoothly paved road in Michigan. 😦 Most of the time, the flavor tastes weirdly over-citrusy and artificial, or not like peach at all, but the worst offenders are so lacking in flavor you have to steep them to bitterness before you can get any semblance of peach taste. Along with black vanilla tea, peach white tea is one of those blends I’m in endless pursuit of finding great varities of. If a tea shop offers flavored teas, I will usually gauge the quality of their versions of these blends to pass my verdict on the entire store. Unfair? Maybe. But to me, these two flavor combinations are classic and their synthesis needs to be approached with respect.

Today, I was fortunate enough to sample Tealated’s take on the white peach blend, and I am happy to say that as a result, I am elated *dodges bricks* to try all the other teas their shop has to offer!

Not only this tea beautiful to look at, but the scent of the leaves is delicate and sweet. But I’ve spent enough time looking and sniffing! It’s a cold, crumby day outside and I need a sweet taste of the tropics!

I found a steeping time of ~2 minutes was perfectly suitable for two teaspoons of leaves in a gaiwan-style teapot, with an additional 30 seconds tacked on for a subsequent steep. The second time I brewed a fresh batch of this tea I accidentally steeped it for about five minutes and STILL had a fantastic, not bitter cup. I got about two fully flavored cups of tea with each fresh batch of leaves.

The most significant factor that sets this peach tea apart from the other peachy varieties is the way the creation of the flavor profile was approached. The brew is incredibly creamy and smooth, with equal tasting notes of peach and vanilla! (I can’t quite put my paw on the exact flavor, but I’m just going to go with vanilla. 😛 ) This tea does not attempt to shout “HI, MY NAME’S PEACH!!!” in your face with exaggerated, artificial flavoring that plagues so many other blends. Instead, the peach greets you politely and almost shyly, then quickly introduces his friend “Mr. Vanilla” to you. Interestingly, the characteristic mellowness of this combination is what leads my senses to believe I am actually sampling real peach pieces when I drink this brew. As a delightful bonus to this unique flavor, absolutely no sweetener is necessary to enhance the taste of the drink. My only issue with this tea is the quality of the leaves- I wish there weren’t so many broken pieces. I feel that the tea would definitely have a better resteeping ability if the leaves were more whole, but at this price point, I certainly understand the need to balance quality with affordability.

For a long while, I had been a tea slave to a certain.. infamous mall tea shop, long buying and being repeatedly disappointed by their white peach tea. My eyes have long since been opened, thankfully, and Tealated’s peach infusion kicks their “precious” blend’s ass for nearly HALF the price, aaaannd it’s certified organic by the USDA! This tea is light, naturally sweet, and satisfying- everything a good peach white should be. Great job Tealated!! 🙂

Ingredients: Organic White Tea, Organic Flavoring, Organic Marigold Pieces

Overall Grade: B+

I recommend everyone check out Tealated and take advantage of their free sample offer- I was given two samples of my choice of tea for absolutely no charge, and the package contained complimentary tea filters, a coupon code for my first purchase, and a hand written note of thanks from the company’s CEO, Rosanne. Small businesses are an incredibly important part of local economies, and these little tea companies serve as the great pillars of our tea community. Let’s do our part to support them!

Check Out Tealated’s Free Sample Offer