Peach & Thyme

Not long ago my eldest daughter mentioned the trend toward adding savory flavors in unexpected places. In steps this sample from Cameron B! I have had it for a while but a lot of my samples disappeared in a kitchen clean up and were found on a high shelf months later.

This was the second tea served at our tea time and was a really neat tea experience. We began the tea time with tea cookies made with fresh cardamom that had been rolled in ground sugar, which made it the perfect texture between fine granulated sugar and powdered sugar. The first tea had been Decaf Ceylon Orange Pekoe, a sturdy workhorse of a tea with classic pekoe flavor.

Then I sipped this and – WOW. So much thyme! Brothy tasting to me because of the savory herb, I still liked it. My youngest daughter said she still tasted a lot of peach but I did not. She believes it is because loves peaches and eats them so often that the taste is more apparent to her, which is likely true as I rarely eat peaches.

This isn’t something I would buy by the pound but it was a really neat tea to try and I enjoyed it. Thank you, CameronB!

Super duper thyme-y, the peach really (surprisingly) takes a backseat on this one. I think the flavors could use a bit more balancing, as I do think peach could stand up to thyme a bit more equally and be delicious, but this is delicious too. I think it could make a very refreshing pot of iced tea in the summer as well as hot, like a friend and I drank it today. I was surprised I enjoyed it, as it is primarily herb taste and more a wisp of peach, but I totally did.

Thank you Cameron B. for sending me a sample of this one! I honestly didn’t expect to like it but for a tea to feature thyme as a main flavour component? That’s like the weirdness of the Numi savory teas all over again, but with that level of excellence only the French can acheive as far as tea blending goes.

I made my first cup in a timolino which I do slightly regret; I feel like I got an accurate representation of the flavours but typically timolino teas are “after work teas” and have cooled to weird temperatures, such was the case with this one. But taste wise this was really, really heavy on the Thyme. I knew it would be because the dry scent was really powerful but I was hoping steeping would bring out the peach a little more and it’d be a bit more balanced. I should note that I actually do really like the taste of thyme so it’s not a bad taste for me, just weird and a little disproportionate. Undertones of peach and something floral (rose?) were also present – especially after the taste of the thyme had faded away. Black base was nice, as has been my experience with other Fauchon blacks.

I’d never stock up on this one myself, but I recommend anyone with access to it definitely try it out! It was weird in the best sense of the word. Side Note: Is Peach and Thyme actually a pairing that’s common or anything like that? Because it seems so weird to me but I have this gut feeling that maybe it’s not uncommon in fancy cooking, or French cooking in particular…

Forgot that Rose Congu at home, needed another black tea hit this morning! I got this one a while ago at TJMax on a Fauchon-dive with Dinosara, specifically because it sounded absolutely bizarre. Dinosara claims that the tea is ‘very thymey’, but at the time I was using fresh thyme constantly in my cooking, and didn’t realize that the thymey flavor was that of grassy store-bought dried thyme, not the lemony goodness I had accustomed myself to.
The peach is light, over an unoffensive, lighter black base. The thyme is really the kicker here, and though it can be good at times, in the ‘new and exciting’ kind of way, I wouldn’t call it everyday good. It is frankly very weird, and brings to mind those shortbread cookies made with savory spices at fancy coffee shops and bakeries. Every once in a while it really hits the spot, when your not really looking for tea flavor in your tea, but do not want something overly sweet either. A bit of sugar brings the peach out a little more, but it is still overpowered by the thyme.

This is different. I was intrigued by the thyme, and wondered how that would fare in a tea. I get mostly the herby flavour of the thyme. The peach to me is more of a scent than a flavour, but there is a whisper of the peach hiding in the background.

I think this would make an interesting iced tea, but I don’t have enough to test that theory. It’s pretty good, and am glad I got a chance to try it. Thanks for sample Cameron B!

This is really strange! I love the unexpected combination of sweet and savory. It reminds me of an ice cream flavor from a local made ice cream company, Lick, which was peach and rosemary. The two went really well together, surprisingly so and I think the same goes for this tea too. The scent of thyme is dominant, but lets the peach come through a bit in the sip. I think it is even better with a bit of sugar to round out the peach flavor. I added a little soy milk to see what would happen and I think it kind of kills the flavors. The thyme is muted and the peach is only present in the aftertaste. Should have stuck with just sugar.
This is a really creative and unusual blend! I like it!

Basil in teas is sort of a trendy things right now, but this is the first blend I’ve tried that has thyme in it. I grow my own thyme and cook with it a fair bit so it’s easy enough the recognize in the scent and flavour. Honestly they should just call this tea ‘Straight-up Thyme Tea’ as it’s the dominant flavour in this tea by far. There’s maybe a little bit of fruitiness but it’s very subtle.

Thanks for the sample Cameron B! :D

I hot steeped this one and poured it over ice to take to work with me this morning. I find I like these fruity Fauchon teas iced the best. The peach is very nice and the thyme is not too strong or too weird or too overpowering. I’ll definitely pick up a tin if I ever see one at TJ Maxx, but I checked my local store again last night and we are still Fauchon-free.

Now I kind of want to experiment with peach/thyme flavored desserts…ooh or maybe jam!!!

Hooray for Shadowfall! She purchased this tea from her local Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls store and shipped it to me. Thanks so much dear! This was definitely the Fauchon tea that I was most hoping to find in the recent sightings. And the tin is even cuter than the Apple version that I have! It’s hot pink and metallic with images of painted peaches and thyme all around. The inner lid has a cute little gold knob handle! I’m so easily entertained… :D

The dry tea is small, dark leaves (what I would call “generic” black tea). There are some pieces of dried peach along with red flower petals and dried thyme leaves. The dry scent is mostly just peachy. So excited! I did my general French flavored tea method: 1 tsp in 200 degree water for 3 minutes. Honestly, I think I could have let it go for longer – next time!

Interestingly enough, the brewed aroma was mostly thyme for me. Complete opposite of the dry scent! I added a bit of sugar to mine. The taste is actually a good balance of peach and thyme. I taste the thyme first with the peach in the background, but they soon swap places so the peach is in the forefront for most of the sip. I also get an almost minty cooling sensation at the end. This is definitely a unique tea, and I’m glad I got the chance to try it. Thanks Shadowfall! :D

Received this sample from OMGsrsly and I have to say! I was a little put off by the idea, so I didn’t rush to try it or anything.

I love thyme, but I love it in my homemade soups and meat dishes. I didn’t think I’d love to drink it.

So I trepidatiously brewed it up earlier. Figured I loved La Naissance and surprisingly enjoyed Un Soir de France so who am I to have any kind of tea prejudice?

I admit, it was odd, and I felt odd that I kind of enjoyed it. It’s peachy and thymey, I find both pretty equal, though maybe less thyme would make that more of an accent than half the cup, which is how it is now, to me anyway.

It was smooth and fullbodied as these French teas always seem to be, and fresh tasting.

It would certainly never occur to me to put those two flavours together, but then again I’m no fancy French master tea blender – for more reasons than one. Including that I’m neither fancy nor French.

But, they work together, in a weird sort of way.

It’s almost like it was created on a dare – “I challenge you to put two absurdly mismatched flavours together to concoct a tasty tea!”

- “I accept that challenge… SHABAM! Drink your heart out.” Or however the French say “SHABAM!”

So, thank you to OMGsrsly for sending me something that it would otherwise never have occurred to me to try. Still not something I would need to own, but cool to taste!

I <3 Steepsterites!