28 Aug My Favourite Cold Brew Yet: White Tea, Peach and Elderflower
Today I’m sharing the next recipe in my cold brew series, and this one might be my favourite so far, a peach white tea cold brew finished with elderflower and mint.
If you’re after a genuinely good white tea cold brew recipe, this is the one I keep coming back to. It’s soft, it’s subtle, and it lets the white tea really shine, which is exactly what I want from a good cold brew.
If you want the full picture of how white tea compares with every other tea type before you start experimenting yourself, I put together a complete guide to the world of tea that’s worth a read.
Table of Contents
The Cold Brew Formula:
Tea + Fruit + Herb + Wildcard
Every recipe in this series follows the same formula I’ve been using and refining: one tea, one fruit, one herb, and one wildcard.
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Tea | The base that carries everything else. This time, Bai Mu Dan white tea. |
| Fruit | Adds natural sweetness and body. This time, ripe peach. |
| Herb | Adds lift and freshness. This time, fresh mint. |
| Wildcard | The twist that makes the blend memorable. This week's wildcard is elderflower cordial. |
That’s the beauty of the formula.
Once you understand it, you don’t need to follow my exact combination.
Swap the fruit, swap the herb, swap the wildcard, and you’ve got a completely new cold brew built on the same structure I keep coming back to.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what I use:
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water | 800ml, cold and filtered |
| Bai Mu Dan White Tea | A generous handful of loose leaf, to taste |
| Peach | 1 ripe peach, thinly sliced |
| Mint | A few sprigs, fresh |
| Elderflower Cordial | 160ml (a 1 to 5 ratio with the water) |
How to Make White Tea Peach Elderflower Cold Brew
| Step | Instructions |
|---|---|
| 1 | Slice the peach thinly. |
| 2 | Add the loose leaf Bai Mu Dan white tea to your pot or jug. |
| 3 | Add the sliced peaches. |
| 4 | Lightly bruise the mint sprigs between your fingers to release their oil, then add them in. |
| 5 | Add the elderflower cordial. Use a 1 to 5 ratio, so for 800ml of water, add 160ml of cordial. |
| 6 | Pour in the cold water and stir very gently so everything is submerged. |
| 7 | Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. |
| 8 | Strain into your cup. It keeps in the fridge for 2 more days. |
Shop Ingredients
Why Bai Mu Dan White Tea Works So Well Cold Brewed
I chose Bai Mu Dan, also known as White Peony, for this recipe on purpose. It’s one of the least processed teas I work with, the leaves are simply withered and gently dried, with no rolling, roasting or firing involved.
That minimal processing gives it a naturally soft, honeyed character with very little of the tannin and astringency you’d get from a black tea steeped for 12 hours.
That matters a lot when you’re cold brewing. Twelve hours is a long time for any tea to sit in water, and I’ve found that a more oxidised or heavily processed tea can turn bitter and heavy over that length of time.
Bai Mu Dan stays gentle and rounded even after a full overnight steep, which is exactly why it lets the peach, mint and elderflower come through instead of fighting them.
If you want to see exactly what that withering and drying process looks like, I go through it step by step in the fascinating art of white tea processing.
Tips for the Best Cold Brew
A few things I’ve learned from making this one on repeat:
| Tip | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Keep the wildcard subtle | Elderflower cordial is sweet, so I stick to the 1 to 5 ratio. Add more and it starts to overpower the tea rather than complement it. |
| Stir gently, not vigorously | Once everything is in the water, a rough stir bruises the peach too much and clouds the brew. |
| Use filtered water where you can | White tea is delicate, and I've noticed chlorinated tap water dulls its natural sweetness. |
| Strain fully before storing | If you leave the fruit and mint in past straining, it keeps steeping and can turn the flavour muddy. |
| Make it your own | Once you've tried this version, I'd genuinely encourage swapping the peach for nectarine or strawberry, the mint for basil, or the elderflower for a splash of rose or honey. That's half the fun of this series. |
If you want to get the full method down before you start experimenting with your own combinations, my guide to cold brewing tea at home covers all of it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Silver Needle will give a lighter, more delicate result, while Shou Mei will give a fuller, slightly stronger cup. Bai Mu Dan sits comfortably in the middle, which is why it works so well here.
Once strained, it keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 more days. Strain it fully before storing so the fruit and mint stop steeping.
Yes. The elderflower is the wildcard in our formula, so it can be swapped for another light cordial, a splash of honey, or left out entirely for a purer peach and mint cold brew.
Cold brewing generally extracts caffeine more slowly than hot water, so a cold brew steeped for the same amount of leaf can be gentler, though the long 12 hour steep time does allow more extraction overall. If you are sensitive to caffeine, white tea is naturally one of the lighter options to begin with.
Fresh mint is recommended, since bruising the leaves releases oils that dried mint has already lost. If fresh is not available, use a smaller amount of dried mint and expect a milder herbal note.
Bring the Formula to Your Own Kitchen
I share these recipes because I genuinely believe understanding your tea is part of enjoying it, not just following steps blindly.
So once you know why Bai Mu Dan behaves the way it does in a cold brew, you can take the same one tea, one fruit, one herb, one wildcard formula and apply it to whatever’s sitting in your own tea cupboard.
I’ll be back soon with the next one in the series.
If this cold brew has you curious about white tea more broadly, take a browse through our full guide to white tea, Bai Mu Dan is just one of several worth trying.
Teapro co-founder. Favourite tea - Long Jing Dragon Well Green Tea. Obsessed with film, photography and travelling.
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