Today’s work cold brew. It’s not often that I try a tea for the first time cold, but I’ve made an exception for this one because it seems like a flavour combination that would work well cold, and because the weather is so warm I’m drinking a lot more cold tea than hot anyway. This is probably the second oldest 52 Teas blend in my cupboard, so it’s high time it had an outing. I used 2 tbsp of leaf, added it to 1.8 litres of cold water, and left it in the fridge for around 10 hours overnight. The resulting brew is a fairly bright yellow – very summer appropriate!
To taste, this is absolutely magnificent! The peach flavouring is strong and natural-tasting. No artificial peach here. It tastes like very ripe, juicy peach – the kind you might put in a cobbler because they’re almost too soft for eating. The cardamom really makes this, though, adding a deep earthy flavour, and a mild edge of spice. It also takes down the sweetness a notch or two, and makes this a much more fragrant blend than it otherwise would be. It’s a slightly unusual paring, but I like it a lot better than some of the more typical combinations, like ginger or cinnamon.
Based on my recent experiences, I think I’ve concluded that I prefer 52 Teas green blends to any of their blacks. As a lifelong black tea fan and a green sceptic, that comes as a huge surprise to me. The green base here adds a grassy undertone that works really well with the peach/cardamom, and there’s not a hint of bitterness or astringency. I don’t say this often, but this really is a masterful blend, capturing the best elements of each flavour while making sure they’re well balanced and complementary. I’ll be sad when this one disappears from my stash. It’s a real peach!
