After falling in love with fruity black/green tea blends last year, I’ve been on the lookout for similar teas that combine different types of leaves with a floral or fruity pizzazz. Our previous Sanctuary T sample, Spring Harvest, was a lovely example of green and white teas married with tropical flavors. Now it’s time for another choice from Sanctuary T: Geisha Beauty, a best-selling blend of black and green teas with a dash of peach flavoring. Just how peachy is this infusion? Keep reading to find out.

The Basics

Sanctuary T’s Description: “Geishas have traditionally been associated with beauty, subtlety, and sophistication, and those three ingredients are the inspiration behind this refined blend. We’ve combined black tea, green tea, sunflower leaves, rose petals, and other natural flavors to create a rich tea with strong undertones of peach. Try it iced or paired with agave nectar for sweeter tasting notes.”

Ingredients: Black tea, green tea, sunflower petals, rose petals, and artificial flavoring

Steeping Instructions: Use 1 teaspoon per 8 oz of water. Heat water to 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius), and steep for 3 to 5 minutes.

Multiple Brews?: No

Bagged or Loose Leaf?: Loose leaf

Caffeine Level: Medium-high

The Experience

Like other black/green tea blends, Geisha Beauty sparkles with contrasts when dry. Sunrise-colored rose petals and bright yellow sunflower petals catch my eye against the bed of black and sage-green tea leaves. The draw for this blend, however, is the promise of peach – and Geisha Beauty’s fragrance delivers on that front. It’s not an overpowering peach scent, but rather a flirtation of peach and floral tones with a hint of tannins. I wonder if this is how a peach orchard would smell before the blossoms turn to fruit.

But I digress. This tea already smells wonderful, so I prepare a cup using Sanctuary T’s instructions above and steep for 3 minutes. (I prefer to stick to the shorter end of the brewing range for black/green blends.) The liquor is a pretty brown color; I’d call it a cross between copper and caramel. The peach-floral fragrance is more subdued now. This is normal with most fruit-flavored teas, so it doesn’t dampen my anticipation for the first sip.

Geisha Beauty doesn’t have the taste I was expecting, though. It has a grassy sweetness with a tannic spark, but no peach. I don’t even get an undercurrent of it as I roll the liquid over my tongue and then wait for the finish. It’s smooth going down, though, and not too astringent or bitter. Brewing this tea for 3 minutes gives enough of a black/green balance without either flavor becoming too strong.

I also try a cup of Geisha Beauty prepared the same way, but with a squirt of agave nectar. The infusion is much sweeter – almost too sweet for my liking. (Maybe I added a tad too much agave nectar.) Yet it doesn’t offer any new flavors or enhance any existing flavors. It still tastes like a straight blend of green and black tea, and nothing more than that.

The Aftertaste

Sanctuary T’s Geisha Beauty offers a “wow” of a floral-and-peach scented tea. Flavor-wise, however, it results in a typical black/green infusion. I like black/green blends, but I was under the impression that Geisha Beauty would be more dynamic or nuanced. Other reviewers have tasted the peach flavoring, so maybe it’s just me. Besides, this tea is decent as is and would be a good choice for brewing iced. But in my opinion, Geisha Beauty doesn’t deliver a flavor profile that matches its fragrance or the vendor’s description.

Grade: 7.5 / 10

Recommended For:

• Tea Drinkers Who: Like black/green tea blends
• Time of Day and Year: Summer mornings or early afternoons
• Possible Book Pairing: Try Geisha Beauty with Karina Sumner-Smith’s debut novel Radiant and its upcoming sequel Defiant (out May 12th). The feminine fragrance and punchy black/green taste reminds me of the protagonist Xhea, a self-reliant, mistrustful homeless girl who sees and communicates with ghosts.

You can purchase Geisha Beauty directly from Sanctuary T here.

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In addition to being a tea enthusiast, Sara Letourneau is an avid reader and a writer who… well, enjoys writing! Currently she’s working on a novel, and she writes book reviews and articles on the craft of writing. She’s also a published poet with works available in various print and online publications. Visit Sara at her personal blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

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