Another DavidsTea sample thanks to DaisyChubb! Thanks for sending me the last of your packet of this to try, you are too kind! This one smells peachy peachy peachy dry. It’s not what I would consider an absolutely natural smelling aroma—it’s not what most peaches smell like when bitten into—but it’s still a very pleasant one. The slightly rolled green oolong leaves are mostly buried in a relatively fine powder of flower petals, with some obvious fruit and almond chunks in the mix. Steeped, the aroma of the peach has transformed into a more natural profile, like the smell of baked peaches. This mental picture is helped by the buttery oolong scent that has joined it. The liquor is murky with an odd color that looks reddish amber in the middle but intense yellow on the edges. I find it hard to believe that there isn’t also saffron in this mix, but it doesn’t show up in the ingredients.
I’m unsure if I got a good tea:extras ratio here because there was so much flower petal powder in the bag, I just dumped the rest of it into my steeping basket. Still, it’s a nicely flavored tea, with different flavors that are distinct but also work together pretty well. That tart, fruity peach flavor is there of course, along with an almondy nuttiness. I don’t get as much buttery flavor as I did scent, and the green, fresh notes I would expect from the oolong are a bit suppressed here. There is a kind of rich, almost savory note in the back of the aftertaste at times… which also makes me think of saffron. Overall a pretty tasty cup of tea, especially for anyone who’s a huge peach fan.
Update: I tried a second steep of this after rinsing some of the “yellow” off and got a cup that actually looked like tea (clear orangey-yellow), and tasted like tart, fresh peaches with a lightly vegetal, greenish accompaniment. I do think I prefer it in this second steep.
