Peach Black Tea Recipe

Prepare peaches

Peel, pit, and dice enough ripe peaches to measure 2 cups. Smaller dice help extract more flavor quickly.

Cook syrup

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, and the diced peaches. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Simmer

Reduce heat and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are very soft and the liquid is fragrant and slightly thickened.

Mash and strain

Remove from heat and mash the peaches against the side of the pan with a spoon or potato masher to release more juice. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard solids (or reserve for yogurt/oat topping).

Cool and store

Let the peach syrup cool to room temperature, then transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. Syrup will keep 5–7 days chilled.

Boil water

Bring 4 cups fresh water to a rolling boil in a kettle or saucepan.

Steep tea

Place 4 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea (or 4 tea bags) into a heatproof pitcher. Pour the boiling water over the tea and steep for 4–5 minutes for a robust flavor. Do not over-steep to avoid excessive bitterness.

Strain and chill

Remove tea leaves or tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature. For faster cooling, place the pitcher in an ice bath or refrigerate uncovered until chilled (about 20–30 minutes).

Sweeten tea

Taste the chilled black tea and add peach simple syrup to sweeten. Start with 3 tablespoons syrup per 1 cup of tea, stir, then adjust to taste. Typical batch (4 cups tea) will take about 3/4 to 1 cup syrup for medium sweetness.

Serve over ice

Fill glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per serving). Pour the sweetened peach black tea over the ice, leaving a little headspace for garnish.

Garnish

Garnish each glass with a fresh peach slice and 2 mint leaves and/or a lemon slice if desired. Stir gently before drinking.

Adjustments & tips

If you prefer a brighter peach flavor, muddle a few small peach pieces in the glass before adding ice and tea. For sparkling peach black tea, substitute half the chilled tea with chilled sparkling water just before serving.