For most of the world, Christmas is over. But for me, it’s kind of just begun! I’ve been very lucky this year to receive a huge stash of teas to review for the blog and this is first on my list. My closest friends know that English Tea Shop is one of my favourite tea brands offering a primarily teabag formatted range.
English Tea Shop Sour Peach is just one tea blend in the red bauble box, offering a range of Holiday-themed teas. So far, I’ve managed to stop drooling all over them, but it’s been tough. They all sound so delicious!
Here’s what I thought of the tasty English Tea Shop herbal peach tea.
English Tea Shop Sour Peach Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Hibiscus heavy fruit tea with citrus, spices and natural flavouring
- Flavour: Tart hibiscus with juicy peaches and berry notes
A flavoursome fruit tea with dominant hibiscus and citrus notes with peach juiciness. As a fruit tea full of organic, natural flavours it’s pretty good.
Full Review – Peach Herbal Tea
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Ingredients: Hibiscus, rosehip, lemon peel, lemongrass, cinnamon, apple, natural passion fruit flavour, natural peach flavour
- Flavour Notes: Tart hibiscus, drying peach, berries, blackberry and peach cobbler
- Aroma: Lemon sours, tinned peaches, peach concentrate, fruit pastels, juicy
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon (single tea) or Amazon (part of the Holiday Tea Selection)
Opening the single-use plastic wrapper (I’m going to rant about the insanity of that a bit further down the page) I’m instantly hit with super sour smells. Usually, that’d be a sign to run for the hills but this is Sour Peach tea so I’m excited instead. It reminds me of lemon sours or fruit pastels with notes of concentrated peach juice. Yum. Or at least, that’s yum to me.
It brews into a… pink-red colour? Yep, I was expecting peachy yellow too. It’s the hibiscus in the tea blend that gives it that bright blushing red colour. I quite like it!
The swirling steam from my teacup has more peachy notes and reduced lemon notes. It’s not quite natural – the peaches could be artificial peach squash – but it’s still very pleasant.
It’s tart, but not suck-your-cheeks-in tart. No Tangfastic faces here. Hibiscus fruity tones dry your tongue on the first sip, but as soon as you swallow moisture instantly floods your mouth in a smooth, lingering peach aftertaste. I can best describe the tart and peach flavour as a blackberry and peach cobbler that’s a little too light on sugar. It’s naturally sweet, but not sugary, and the sour notes win out overall.
How to Brew Sour Peach Tea (Or Make Peach Iced Tea)
There’s no caffeinated tea in this blend, so go ahead and pour boiling water directly on the Sour Peach teabag if you want to drink it hot. I brewed for 3 minutes. Be careful when brewing for longer as the sourness can get out of control!
To cold brew, you’ll want to use 2 teabags per cup/mug. Leave them to infuse in cold water for at least 8 to 12 hours (overnight) or a full 24 hours if you want a super-strong tea. You can easily dilute peach iced tea in case you do over-brew it.
Why ETS Peach Hibiscus Tea?
Now we come to the part of my review where I would usually praise English Tea Shop for their eco-friendly packaging. But not today. Every single teabag is wrapped individually in clear plastic. WHY?! I can see no reason for this. Often tea companies need to seal the tea to keep it fresh. Usually, a single plastic wrapper around all the teabags in the box will suffice. Even better, some tea brands use paper or foil wrappers that can be recycled and/or are sustainable.
Packaging aside, let’s take a closer look at what’s in the teabag.
Although it’s quite dusty and finely chopped, all the ingredients are organic or natural. English Tea Shop Sour Peach tea is Soil Association Certified, which speaks volumes about how the ingredients were grown, sourced and processed.
Summary
Yes, I do recommend this tea. It’s tasty and a great caffeine-free peach tea that you can drink hot or iced. Finding it can be a bit tricky – I managed to snag it from a Christmas-themed tea selection box, but you can see if it’s available to buy separately using the link below.
Tea Recommendation
If the thought of trying English Tea Shop Sour Peach iced is appealing to you, I highly recommend reading my quick guide to my favourite iced tea recipes. The short article contains some of my best tips for creating an icy, smooth tea for hot weather.