Kusmi Tea

Half a cup of this. Forgotten. Lukewarm now. Not really very nice in this state.

What a shame. What a waste. Bottom’s beginning to show in the tin.

It’s time to start trying to figure out if it’s a restock or not. If I were to restock I would have to order it online and it’s a long wait before it would get here. And then I might as well shop around in some of their other smokies.

I think it’s a bit like the Russian Morning. It’s good, I might get a sample tin now and then, but a full size tin? Not sure. Probably not.

That shop where I got the great big tin of Kusmi’s Caramel…. They had a ton of Kusmi sample tins. I should have a rifle through them one of these days.

(I am turning into SUCH a Kusmi fangirl! I’m getting a little ashamed of myself.)

That bouquet of flowers thing was vile!

Give me something better. Something I know what is. Something I can trust.

Staying brand-loyal though. You can’t beat a smoky. I’ve met smokies that were better than other smokies, but I can’t recall ever having come across one that wasn’t good.

This would be the second steep of the leaves from this morning. I don’t know if that’s the reason or if it’s because I drank it quicker, but it seems to have lost that ash-y flavour that I noticed the first time around. It’s still both smoky and sweet though, but I really think this one would benefit from a little milk. I’ll have to try that another time.

(Also, Paris trip report up at LJ http://iarnvidia.livejournal.com/773.html for those who might be interested in that. You don’t need a livejournal account to read or comment)

Greetings all! Some of you may have noticed that I’ve returned from the Wild Abroad (AKA Paris) where I’ve spent a weekend in nice company with friends and a number of scary moments in airports. I do not like airports no I do not. I meant to look for both Kusmi and Mariage Freres while in France but as it turns out, I got to visit a Kusmi store as one of the first things we did and then forgot all about the Mariage Freres. Oh well, sometimes stuff doesn’t work out like we’ve planned so I’ll have to satisfy my curiosity in that department in the old fashioned way. Internet shopping. :) If you want to read more about my trip, I will put up a trip report later at iarnvidia.livejournal.com (I just have to, you know, write it first)

Anyway, this was one of the two things I did get. We do have a selection of Kusmi fairly easily available in Denmark, but this isn’t one of them and I had been very curious to try it. The information from Kusmi says ‘slightly smoky’. Slightly? No. This is properly smoky. It has a bit of a bite on the tongue at first, a soft feeling of phantom milk and then a remarkable sweetness on the end of the flavour.

I let the cup cool off a little bit too much before drinking it and it has developed a sort of ash tray-y aftertaste which isn’t entirely pleasant. It’s a taste a bit like when you’ve just been in a room where you’re the only non-smoker and then go outside. I haven’t had that experience with any of my other smokies, so that’s a little disappointing for me.

The rating currently reflects my initial impression, but I think I might change it later.

Oh, this was very tasty! (Thank you, Doulton!) The bag smelled alarmingly of pine, but the tea itself was a wonderfully balanced mix of spices that did, in fact, remind me of Christmas food and drink. (Usually when a tea says this it just means “we have cloves!”, but this was a much more complicated blend.)

I don’t care for this tea. I couldn’t really taste the vanilla and citrus mentioned in the description here. If you love the flavor of cloves, you will love this tea.

I’m sure this is considered a great quality tea, especially considering the hefty price I paid for it, but It’s a little too heavy on the spice for me. And, like the others, there was a vague cola flavor somewhere in there, and I’m not a fan of cola.

Angrboda’s enjoyment of this tea made me go for a re-try. For some reason, I remember this tea as more chai-spicy than the simple warm/tingly-spicy it actually is. It’s citrus-y and creamy and light but warm and cuddly at the same time. It’s a good tea but it’s still not quite something I could see myself reaching for regularly. Though I might think differently in the winter due to the spice-cuddles this tea is giving me.

The rating on this one doesn’t so much reflect the quality of the tea – because really it’s quite a nice tea – but rather my own personal tastes. I’m rarely in the mood for spicy teas (which is why I log chai so infrequently) and while this tea isn’t chai-level spicy, it has enough spice to it that I just really can’t see myself going out of my way to get this tea.

The leaves smell of lemon with a tingle of pink grapefruit, creamy vanilla and light spice. And that’s pretty much what it tastes like – creamy, fruity and a little spicy. It’s silky smooth but not as heavy as Troika. This could be because either I brewed Troika with hotter water or simply Troika is just a heavy, rich tea. Actually, I think part of it is the citrus used in this tea – it gives the taste profile a little bump into lighter, more refreshing territory and keeps it from feeling too heavy or rich. Perhaps if it were just vanilla and spice, this would be another rich, decadent tea.

I think those that like spice in their teas would really enjoy this. In fact, the husband, who is more partial to spice in tea, gave this an 81. But ultimately as tasty as the tea + fresh citrus + vanilla is, the tingle of spice at the end just makes me not love it.

This tea was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting a lighter, sweetish, almost dessert-like, mild EG. But this is rich, heavy and pretty decadent. I did add a tiny bit of sugar but honestly, I don’t think it needed it because there wasn’t any bitterness or ick that I could taste trying to come through the sugar, though it is possible that the sugar did bring out the orange flavors a hair.

This isn’t overwhelmingly citrus. Instead, it is a heavy, silky, smooth tea with a light fruity sweetness surrounding the tea flavor on all sides. Knowing that it is bergamot, orange and mandarin, it’s noticeably citrus (though a dark, heavy citrus) but not knowing what it is makes the flavor a little difficult to identify past “something fruity”. Because the bergamot doesn’t overwhelm, my brain doesn’t really slot this in with EGs.

Now, I did brew this tea at potentially a too-hot temp – my Zojirushi was set at 208° so I put the water into the cup for a moment before putting in the infuser – so it is possible that at a lower water temp the citrus will come out a bit more. However, since that isn’t something I need to enjoy this tea, I’m not concerned. Probably my biggest sorta-issue with this tea is how rich it feels. It’s almost a little overwhelming since I wasn’t prepared for it but it definitely grew on me. Something so heavy might not be the best thing for first thing in the morning, though – my stomach needs to wake up a bit.

First time tasting a Kusmi tea – and a good friend gifted me with a pot’s worth of Prince Vladdy. First impression on the dry leaf. DEFINITELY Coca Cola fragrance! Brought water to a rolling boil. Steeped a strong amount for five minutes. Added a bit of half and half with some sugar. Result? Creamy, sweet, hot coca cola! It is delightful actually, and I’m wishing I had a Russian tea set to go along with this tea. It’s on the lighter side, so a great afternoon tea. It’s really hard for me to taste the actual tea through the flavoring which I miss. This tea would go beautifully with some almond cookies or slightly sweetened butter biscuits. I wouldn’t recommend having with food. Having so many flavored teas at home, this is one I wouldn’t buy to have on hand. Grateful for the share though! :)

I’m giving a bump up to the rating of this one. I keep thinking, “Ah yes, a nice caramel tea.” But no, it’s not. It’s really a great caramel tea. The smell is fantastic – thick and silky and just guh. Like those candy commercials where they have caramel flowing into caramel-colored silk? Yeah, it smells like that.

But if a tea tastes like dirty socks I’m not going to fall in love with it, silky rich smell or not. Thankfully, no dirty socks here. On the first sip of this tea I’m always reminded of Lupicia’s English Caramel because this is surprisingly unsweet. Unlike English Caramel, however, it thankfully goes nowhere near bittersweet. Instead, it’s silky (but not too heavy) straight caramel chew that somehow manages to be candy but not be sugary-sweet.

Then the sip ends and that’s where the sweet seems to really hit me – it expands in my mouth and suddenly I feel like I’ve been sucking on caramel-flavored nectar. When I had finished with my 12oz I actually felt like it had coated my mouth with a post-caramel-chew flavor/feeling.

It’s just an all around delightful tea, thus the rating bump. I think it’s a grand feat for a tea to manage such smooth, silky dessert-tea-ness, especially without sugar or milk. I’m already dreading the day I run out.

This a backlog from last night just before bedtime. It was supposed to be another Tie Guan Yin steep but then there was gaiwan-fail and a lot of wiping up of leaves and such. Then I remembered I had this bag and decided to do that instead.

Then as I was sitting in bed reading and sipping, I realised that it was gift tea from a swap with EvaPeva so I really ought to make a proper post about it. It was really late so I wasn’t about to get up and turn the laptop on again though, but I’ll tell you what I remember.

Overall, I liked it a lot. It was sweet and very velvety smooth. It felt almost soft in the mouth. The nuttyness from the rice was quite nice too and not overpowering. It was just right.

I wouldn’t be able to say whether or not I liked it better than other genmaichas, but I will say that overall I liked it better than I have generally liked bagged Kusmi before. I haven’t had any of their loose leaf stuff (yet) but I have had a selection box with some of their bags. It’s like it makes a difference with their loose leaf, but my overall thought of that sampler box was that Kusmi as a brand was somewhat overrated. (I’ve also occassionally had a bag in the train home from my parents if I’ve been travelling first class, but that was brewed with water kept hot in a thermos, so I’m not really sure it counts)

I’m glad I had this one that was just genuinely good. It has renewed my hopes for Kusmi teas again.

Had this sample lying around, and I wanted to try something different this morning. I also didn’t feel like fussing with loose leaf, so having this muslin tea bag around was nice!

I like this tea. It’s light, but still flavorful. It smells really floral, but the floral taste was not overpowering or anything. Definitely a nice way to start the day! :)

Wow strong smell !
Nice taste, although the taste of green tea is very faint. Very good with something sweet :)

Good morning Steepsterites!

For variety I had this tea with skim milk this morning which is generally the way I prefer to take black teas. In this case I don’t think it does much for the tea and it neither enhances nor really detracts from the taste. I don’t think the added milk was really necessary so I’ll probably leave it out in subsequent cups.

My breakfast tea – I got to sleep in today so I don’t need anything powerful to kick-start my body and brain.

This tea smells delicious and fruity but it smells quite natural and not overly perfumed. The taste is quite light and smooth for a black tea, so I don’t think adding milk or sugar would really be needed. When I think about I can taste all of the four berry flavour except for the cherry. The currant, strawberry, and raspberry are pretty easy to distinguish. It’s a great flavoured black tea, thanks go to Ricky for giving me a sample to try.

I got a sample of this tea from the Traveling Tea Box. It was good… much sweeter than I expect from an Earl Grey, but I’m sure that’s due to the mandarin and orange. The leaves unfurled to a full size, for the most part, making for a pretty steeping.

The flavor was not as intense as I expect from Earl Greys. I assumed it was because I had used too much water, but in reading the other reviews, I see that it’s just a more subtle tea.

Soft, floral and far more interesting than many green teas from this area.

In the mood for something a little out of the ordinary this morning. I didn’t add my usual half teaspoon of sugar (forgot to replenish my work stash!), and it’s a teensy rough around the edges. That little bit of sugar really makes the berries, citrus and caramel pop. Still, an enjoyable treat.

I was in the mood for something with a little pizzazz this morning, and I thought this would be a good candidate. I prepared it at a slightly lower temperature than I have been doing, and wow! The flavors have popped! I finally taste some vanilla :) The berry, caramel, and citrus are even more flavorful and delightful, and the tea is perfection – flavorful, medium bodied as to blend and not compete with the flavors, and no bitterness.

I love when I finally get a tea just how I like it. I have a couple servings left, but this is definitely one of my must buy I love it keepers. Ratings nudge!

This tea has decided to be especially delicious today. A half teaspoon of sugar seems to have brought out the flavor: berry (lots of berry today!), then citrus, then caramel. Good tea; no bitterness. Two steeps of wonderful!

I am entirely too grumpy today for a gal who has found out that she earned an A in her class! I am hoping that this tea full of delightful things – berry! caramel! bergamot! – will calm my cranky mood. Many thanks to the quiet life for this sample!

I am taking it with just a pinch of sugar, and I think this is the way Kusmi teas like to be drunk! The tiny bit of sugar brings out all of the flavorings and the tea is pronounced and delicious. Last time I made it at 5 minutes but put in milk and sugar, and it overwhelmed the tea and subtle flavors. I like it much better this way! A bit of sweet berry, something citrus-y, a warm sweetness, and good tea. This is SUCH a nice treatment for a sourpuss!!! I’m going to inch up the rating a bit. :)

I made another steep at 5 minutes, just hoping for some more warmth really, but it’s very flavorful. I’m going to need a tin of this when I run out. The quiet life was super generous with her sample and I have a few more cups worth of anti-grump medicine at hand!