Kusmi Tea

Kusmi Advent – Day 3

Ooh, I’ve never tried this one before! Mostly because it only comes in giant-ass tins and it has rose in it, which is not one of my favorite flavors. But I’m glad to get the opportunity to try it once, at least!

I had myself a lovely little fika break on the patio with a pretty teacup full of this tea accompanied by chocolate and cheese. This definitely has a strong rose element, but I feel like at least it tastes like a real rose and not a perfume. The raspberry is also a nice addition, though it’s more of an accent note here. I don’t get a whole lot from the base, some mild hay notes from the white tea perhaps. It has a tinge of bitterness even with the recommended low water temperature. There’s a slight chalkiness that give this a candylike edge, reminding me of powdery candies like Smarties.

Today’s chocolate from my La Maison du Chocolat advent is a mini version of their Tapage Noisettes bar, which is a layer of dark chocolate topped with a layer of milk chocolate mixed with hazelnuts. Simple and delicious, though perhaps without the depth of flavor of the pralinés from previous days.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIWe8YMAnmG/

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIVyyA6gsud/)

Kusmi Advent Day 2
This smells so insanely good. Like a cinnamon pear tart. Not getting much of a rooibos flavor. Tastes like raw cinnamon roll dough covered in walnuts. Getting a cooling sensation in my throat after each sip. The licorice is also very apparent in the aftertaste. Not loving this one as much as I thought I would based on the smell.

Advent Day 2

Licorice root dominates the cup. There is a fruity taste to it as well. Maybe some chamomile? There is more that I can’t quite place. It’s a pleasant enough cup, but I’m not thrilled.

Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 2

I’ve had this before, back when it was under the Løv Organic brand, but I always get all of these herbal/wellness teas and tisanes confused so I don’t remember it. Apparently it’s pear-flavored, which sounds nice.

Wow, what a strong licorice root aroma this has. The taste is very heavy on the licorice and sweetness as well… There’s also cinnamon blending in with the licorice and adding more sweet spiciness. I do taste a bit of the pear flavoring, though it’s mostly drowned out by the licorice. The honeybush base has a pleasant nutty wood flavor underneath the other ingredients.

This one is just too much licorice root for me. It has a cloying sweet aftertaste that I don’t really enjoy, and it makes it difficult to taste any of the other flavors. :(

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CITQgxTAHBz/)

Kusmi Advent Day 1

Had an early day at work today, so was only able to squeeze in one cup of tea before going in. This was a wonderful way to start the day (and advent month!). The lemon is fresh and vibrant, and more realistic (rather than being a lemon candy). There bergamot is perfectly balanced with the lemon. Overall, a really really solid cup of EG.

Kusmi Advent Day 1

Bright lemon with bergamot in this cup. The tea seems a little oversteeped under the fruit flavors. Two minutes may have been a better choice. I had this on a green base previously and felt like it was similar to a Theodor tea with the same flavor profile, but lacking an edge that Theodor has. The same feeling holds true to this tea. I’d like to try it with some creamer, but I’m out. :/

Kusmi rarely disappoints me. What a lovely creation!
It’s like a sophisticated Earl Grey, makes you feel delicate, gentle and dare I say – FANCY?
Smells lovely, you can definitely sniff orange peel, lemon and bergamot. Pure pleasure. Instantly puts me in good mood. This tea is so good, it doesn’t need any ‘extras’ or support.
Well, a biscuit or a piece of cake to go along are always a good idea ;-) no matter what tea.

I will definitely order more. This is why Kusmi remains one of my top brands and I spend crazy amounts of money at their store. I should probably have some golden VIP card and massive discounts by now. Well, instead, I have a cupboard full of colorful metal tins that make me smile each time I open it.

Prepared this one on the stovetop because I felt like a nice milky chai after being somewhat disappointed by one yesterday. I added honey instead of sugar this time as it just sounded good tonight.

This tea was an impulse purchase, I added it to my cart with my advent calendar to reach the free shipping threshold. I didn’t have a chai in my cupboard and the tin was so gorgeous that I couldn’t resist!

Anyway, the tea! It has a good blend of strong spices and definitely holds up very well to this preparation. I get a lot of ginger, it’s probably the strongest note here. There are also strong clove, cardamom, and anise flavors. The cinnamon adds a nice sweetness and compliments the other flavors well.

I will say, this also has quite a strong pepper and cardamom kick at the end of the sip. Is that just a usual thing with chai that has pepper in it? It’s definitely more palatable than the Chico Chai I had last night, but I would prefer it a little softer if possible… I guess I’ll have to perfect my recipe!

Sipdown (257)

Thank you Cameron B for the share a couple of years back. I didn’t love the first cup of this. This one is slightly better for whatever reason, but still doesn’t compare to teas like St. Petersburg. I think this is too citrus focused for me, which brings out the bergamot more than I would like. Not a bad tea but just not for me. I am bumping the rating slightly from 63.

This is the last of the teas from my swap from 2018 with Cameron B. Personally, I much preferred St. Petersburg to this one. I think St. Petersburg focused more on vanilla, caramel and red fruits whereas this tea is more of a citrus blend. Unfortunately for me, that means the citrus flavor builds on the bergamot. Where it was nice blended with the flavors in St. Petersburg, here it is too strong. Plus, the whole tea seems heavy and dark between the bergamot, citrus, and base and yet citrus should be light and bright. Overall, it’s okay but I definitely much prefer St. Petersburg. I am always happy to try something new though so thank you Cameron B for sharing!

Got this as a sample in my advent order. The anise/fennel/licorice are all I can taste, no cinnamon or cardamom to be found.

Sipdown (242)

Thank you for sharing this with me Cameron B! I have one more tea remaining from our swap back in 2018. I am sorry I left these last couple samples for so long. With that said, I have had this one before but I guess didn’t write a note. I think that is because the last time I broke this out, I ended up having dinner and didn’t get a chance to properly appreciate the tea. Unfortunately the same happened with this cup since dinner ended up being much earlier than anticipated. So I basically took two big mouthfuls of this to taste it, then had dinner.

I am now finishing the mug. I remember when it was hot, it actually had a lot of caramel and red fruit flavors. Bergamot too, of course, but not offensively so. Now that its cold, the red fruit flavors are coming out a lot more. Caramel and bergamot too but a lot of red fruits. As far as earl grey teas go, this one is pretty good. I enjoyed it both hot and cold, though definitely more so hot.

Overtime I realized I don’t love certain flavors made in French teas but things like caramel and vanilla and other “gourmet” flavors as Dammann Freres refers to them are usually pretty good. I also think their bergamot flavor is softer than more American bergamot flavoring which makes it more tolerable, especially when mixed with other flavors.

Kusmi Advent Day 11

Just had this as I received it as a sample with my advent order. Still not a fan. Wishing I was tasting the orange blossom that is included in the ingredient list, instead it’s still lemon and bergamot.

Sample that came with my advent order. Meh. It’s lemon. It’s bergamot. The bergamot is pretty muted, and the lemon tastes synthetic. Not a huge fan of this.

nope

Advent Day 11

Light, citrusy, bergamoty. I like it, but the more frequently I sip the more the citrus builds up and becomes a little bitter. This is one I should drink more slowly!

Flavored white tea seems to be kinda rare. There are a couple of AQ2T blends that were based on white that I really liked. I’m thinking of exploring that category some more. Any favorites?

This was a sample that came with my order. It said to steep it for 3 minutes which seems like a long time for a white tea. This is heavy on the citrus… kumquat? It reminds me of a Theodor tea I liked, but a lighter version lacking something in that other blend. I’m guessing this would be really good cold steeped. It’s not a bad cup, but not something I’m motivated to buy.
Also, IT’S HALLOWEEN!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I need to find an appropriate tea to celebrate the best holiday of the year.

This is nice! It has a really authentic spiced orange flavor. I don’t really taste the green base, but that’s okay. It’s a tasty, well-balanced warm tea. I didn’t expect this to stand out over many similar teas with this flavor profile, but it’s very well executed.

I’m working my way through a sample pack of Kusmi Russian teas. I find this Earl Grey light and elegant. I added milk and sugar (as I normally do for Earl Greys) but this might be fine without milk as well.

This tea is quite mildly flavored, but the black tea is pretty high quality. Tasty maltiness, decently rich. Somehow, this is reminding me of the creme brulee I ate earlier. I can’t point out exactly what spices are included, but it all goes together quite well. It’s too bad there was only one serving left in the tin! I’m enjoying it with milk and sugar.

Pretty mild for an EG, but the black tea is decently tasty. I wish there were more bergamot! With sugar and milk, it’s pleasant. Not one of the better EGs I’ve had, but not as bad as a lot of the other reviews seem to indicate!

I love when a fruit tea brings something new to the table, and this one definitely has! The citrus flavor is so crisp and fresh. And it’s not like orange either. I’m not sure what it is…tangerine? I just love that they’re doing something different with this one. It’s pleasantly tart, complex, and delicious. Really the perfect cold beverage.

Well… it is different. Unusual. Interesting. Not your everyday white tea for sure.
I actually got it by accident, I was rushing through the Paris main train station, trying to catch my Eurostar on time, I knew I wanted to try their Tropical White tea they released at the time, so I grabbed the first white can I saw. What was my disappointment when I noticed at home I got the White Anastasia instead of Tropical White – even more disappointing, because where I live (Cambridge) we don’t have a Kusmi store with all the new releases.
I wasn’t too happy about it at first but I decided to give it a go anyway – and WHAT A NICE SURPRISE!

Be careful with it, don’t steep it for too long as it becomes bitter. I prefer it brewed in colder water, around 70-75 degrees, and not for too long. Even few seconds too long will make it bitter.
But if you don’t overdo it, you will be met with a lovely surprise – it is sour-fruity, citrusy, zingy and FRESH.
Goes well with sweets (well, what doesn’t, one might ask), good for morning, afternoon and evening. Feels different, interesting and a bit ‘special’. If you’re a fan of traditional Earl Grey – this is a must try!
I’m glad I made this mistake purchase – it seems we were meant to be together ;-)|