Anastasia

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Bergamot, Ceylon Black Tea, Chinese Black Tea, Flowers, Lemon, Lime
Flavors
Bergamot, Citrus, Floral, Citrus Zest, Fruity, Honey, Lemon, Malt, Orange Blossom, Tannic, Orange, Lime, Citrusy, Sweet, Earl Grey, Bitter, Tea, Smooth, Earth, Nectar, Wood
Sold in
Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
High
Certification
Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by Teatotaler
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 45 sec 6 g 19 oz / 561 ml

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101 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I have been absent from Steepster because a large group of people descended upon my home, these people were always needing to be fed, whining about how the shower they took was cold and always...” Read full tasting note
    89
  • “I’ve been sipping away at this without even thinking! My first day of training got cancelled, nooooo, but I go tomorrow. I went to the mall anyway to confirm my suspicions that I have no idea how...” Read full tasting note
  • “I had thist tea with lunch and I greatly enjoyed it. The base was fragrant, full-bodied and a little malty.. The addition of a variety of citrus really worked well with the base. I definitely need...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “I’m beginning to think Kusmi can do no wrong with black teas. This is the 4th I have tried, and it’s very good. Latte’d it up today, because it’s just one of those days where you’re lucky I got out...” Read full tasting note
    75

From Kusmi Tea

Blend of black teas from China and Ceylon flavored with natural essences of bergamot, lemon, lime and orange blossom. Russian blend.

Tasting advice: delicious plain or sweetened

TEA PROFILE

Origin: China and Ceylon

Main flavor: citrus with a fruity note

Quantity needed: 0,1 oz.

PREPARATION

Time of day: all day

Ideal water temperature: 185°F – 195°F

Recommended brewing time: 3-4 min

About Kusmi Tea View company

Company description not available.

101 Tasting Notes

89
169 tasting notes
I have been absent from Steepster because a large group of people descended upon my home, these people were always needing to be fed, whining about how the shower they took was cold and always wanting some article of clothing washed or their specific dietary needs being met.

In other words, my family was here.
They also pried in my cupboards and were constantly asking me why I was hoarding so much tea. (long, agonizing sigh inserted here)
But, now here I sit, in a house that is too quiet, both sad and relieved at the same time.
I shared my tea with my family, especially my father who actually does drink tea and he liked almost all the teas I shared with him.
Some of my other family, spat out or wrinkled their noses or gagged at the teas I so generously shared from my “hoard”.
This tea arrived, unfortunately, while they were here.
Comments were made about how I had bought MORE tea while I clearly had too much already.
Anyway, I actually ordered loose tea, but this arrived in the their little muslin baggies.
I could have made a fuss, and returned it.
But, I have wanted to try this flavor and brand for so long now, that I just swallowed the extra expense and opened and have been quickly sneaking a cup while the company was here.
I did not want to share this tea, since I spent so much and there is only 20 little muslin baggies in the box.
But, now here I sit, in my empty house, drinking it out in the open, and once again visiting with my understanding friends on Steepster.
I have missed you all!
For some reason, I was expecting this tea to be a bit bolder, instead it is a very elegant Earl Grey.
The delicately blended citrus makes it feel worthy of a real proper tea party.
I think I was expecting this tea to blow me out of the water and totally wow me.
Instead it fells like it is gently reprimanding me and tell me to cross my ankles and sit like a lady.
I like that though.
Especially since I am missing my Mother more than I would like to admit.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
TeaBrat

oh – those pesky family members. ;-)

Will Work For Tea

I have a love-hate relationship with people visiting as well. So much work to do before and during their visit, but I look forward to the calmness when they leave! At least you had a new tea to brighten your day! :)

JacquelineM

One of the things I like about Kusmi teas are how delicate and subtle they are. I’m now reminded that I want to try their violet black tea but have not gotten around to it. They have the most beauteous tins, too :)

ashmanra

Violet black?! WANT!

Hesper June

Oooo! that flavor sounds so decadent!

Azzrian

Mixed emotions are difficult I know. It will get better.

Skulleigh

Glad you are back! I love your description of this tea. It is a very proper tea! I have a little tin of it from the Russian sampler.

The Manse Hen

I loved your review! So redolent…of life!

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1220 tasting notes

I’ve been sipping away at this without even thinking! My first day of training got cancelled, nooooo, but I go tomorrow. I went to the mall anyway to confirm my suspicions that I have no idea how the mall works. I ended up in Sur La Table before I ever found a dress, so I called my mom to tell her I found a bear cookie cutter. She was like, where, and I told her, she had no idea what I said so I said it again as “on the table in French.” So then she figured it out, I was so amused. I had to stop myself from buying a tin of Dammann Freres tea in there.

I did find a dress but I was really worried I was only going to find a bear cookie cutter.

So finally home, it is tea time. I am glad I picked this one, though I am not very happy with how these little tins are covered in fannings. They are getting all over me.

I steeped this one for 3 1/2 minutes and used boiling water. No problems, surprisingly, given the ideal water temperature listed is far lower. I love how smooth these Kusmi black teas are. I’ve never enjoyed the flavor of bergamot so much.

This one is citrusy but not just from the bergamot. I can taste lemon and orange too, which gives it more of a sweetness than just bergamot. I like that the bergamot isn’t extremely heavy, which for me always leads to it reminding me of kitchen cleaner.

I love these teas so much. This one I think is my favorite so far, but out of the Russian sampler 5, I only have two left and I think Anastasia may stay …Grand Duchess of these teas.

I would have said queen but it only feels right to go with the proper title.

Ysaurella

I share the same opinion Amanda. To me Anastasia is the best of Kusmi’s russian blends

TeaBrat

I am not a huge fan of the Kusmi Russian blends, my ex boyfriend loved them all though.

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90
464 tasting notes

I had thist tea with lunch and I greatly enjoyed it. The base was fragrant, full-bodied and a little malty.. The addition of a variety of citrus really worked well with the base. I definitely need to get myself some looseleaf of this!

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75
330 tasting notes

I’m beginning to think Kusmi can do no wrong with black teas. This is the 4th I have tried, and it’s very good. Latte’d it up today, because it’s just one of those days where you’re lucky I got out of bed. I did take a few straight sips that seemed like they’d be ok if I weren’t in That Mood.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec
Hesper June

I am glad to hear this.
I have been thinking about getting some Kusmi for awhile now.
I particularly was interested in Anastasia and Russian Breakfast.
So, now I just might have to take the plunge:)

Skulleigh

I got the Russian sampler, and I had this one in the “not sure” pile because the scent hit me a bit wrong, but brewed it settles down and it tastes quite good.

Hesper June

Good to know! Thanks:)

Bonnie

If you get a really smoky Russian add cherry jam, stir and sip then nibble jam from your teaspoon. Learned this from a Russian Orthodox Priest.

Skulleigh

Ooo, of course you learned that from a priest, it sounds divine! rimshot
I will have to try that!

Bonnie

Good one!

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95
790 tasting notes

Another that was used in food today. I made moraiwe’s Cranberry Earl Grey bread recipe and used this instead of normal EG. It was really good. I think it adds another layer of citrus to the bread and it was tasty!

We also steeped this up for the tea party. I still like it a lot but if you are in the blergamot camp this isn’t gonna be your thing, most likely. The additional citrus both enhances and complements the bergamot. Need to work my way through this so I can justify taking the empty tin with me to NY next week. :)

boychik

You coming next week?

Nicole

Yup! 11th-17th. Woot, woot! :)

boychik

Good to know. I wanted to send you smth. I’ll do it after 17th

boychik

Have a great time!

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64
2201 tasting notes

Car wouldn’t start this morning. Ugh. And I just had it in the shop! I’m not sure how much longer I can keep pouring money into it, it’s getting quite old. Sigh. I spent this morning looking at new cars and daydreaming about how nice it would be.

I decided to go ahead and try the rest of my Kusmi teas from my sample tin set (the Russian sampler), most of which I haven’t tried even though I’ve had it for a while now. This one smells like bergamot and orange, with a floral orange blossom note. It also smells strongly of what I believe is one of the base tea, and it isn’t a pleasant smell for me.

At first I was not feeling this tea, but it’s perhaps getting better as it cools. One of the teas in the base blend really isn’t my favorite, but it’s smoothing out a bit I think. Still, I am not finding this tea to be all that tasty overall. All the flavors are there that mean that I should like it, but then I just don’t. It’s not pleasurable. I dunno, I just hope that this dislike of my Kusmi teas is temporary or doesn’t extend to all of them because I have a huge tin of Petrushka that’s not going to drink itself!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Stephanie

Ugh, car trouble is the worst! :/

Fjellrev

That is terrible about the car. Can’t imagine how expensive it is to own a vehicle.

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76
1353 tasting notes

This year’s gift to myself was the Kusmi sample set of russian blends and this cup http://www.roykirkham.co.uk/images/images/m/577.jpg which is the same series as my favouritest ever teapot. I love how it’s standing there all full of tea and baaa-ing at me.

Anyway, this is the first one out of the sample set, chosen by ippy-dippy.

My nasal membranes are dried out today. I can’t figure out if I’m on the verge of a cold or something or not, but they definitely aren’t working, so I didn’t get much out of smelling the dry leaves. I could smell them, but not well enough to tell anything beyond ‘citrus’ and after a while it just started to feel weird in the nose.

Enough about my health, you’re not interested in that. Let’s just skip to the part where smelling the steam coming off the cup of finished tea went much much better. It’s definitely citrus-y. Primarily bergamot with the others coming in on top. Like Earl Grey With Friends.

I was expecting sweet citrus, but this isn’t really it. Again, the bergamot is in the forefront and it’s got that slightly bitter bite to it. I’m glad the other citruses are there too because without them I’m not sure I’d have liked this as much. As it is, it’s nice but not a favourite. Maybe it’ll change later. It’s been known to happen that I completely fall in love with something I initially didn’t think that much of. The much beloved Tan Yang being a good example of this.

I do wish it was sweeter though, so I tried adding some cane sugar. Didn’t work either. Oh it’s sweeter alright, but not in the right way. The sugar doesn’t really merge with the citrus flavours like I wanted it to. The tea flavour is unchanged and then the sugar sweetness is there sort of next to it.

This is an enjoyable blend, but I’ll keep looking for a favourite, I think.

~lauren.

Your mug made me smile this morning! Keep fighting that oncoming cold!

Auggy

I actually got the same set so it’s neat to read your notes of the ones I haven’t tried yet! (Well, and the ones I’ve tried, too!)

Angrboda

~Lauren, someone has told me that I can’t be safe from hayfever just because I haven’t been bothered by it before. I refuse to have hayfever, so I’m clinging to the cold. (And doing my best, thank you)

Auggy, SIMILAR TASTES STRIKES AGAIN OMG! Okay maybe it was a little predictable on this particular set, them being russian blends, but STILL! There’s one of them I’m a little concerned about. The flowers one. Smells of soap…

Auggy

Yeah, the Flowers 108? Not a favorite at all. The husband likes it though so he will be drinking that one up. Hehe.

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79
2036 tasting notes

Sipdown no. 10 of March 2019 (no. 45 of 2019 total, no. 533 grand total).

It has been a hard few weeks. Work has been intense. The Bar Mitzvah preparations have been intense. I have been stressed, and I think the stress has been affecting me physically, which makes me anxious about my health and that leads to more stress.

Then this week, we had to take one of our cats to the emergency room. He was having trouble breathing. He turned out to have a mass in his abdomen they thought was probably cancer, but in any case, was inoperable.

His decline after that was steep and fast, and last night we had to say goodbye. It was something of a shock. He was 16 but he didn’t seem sick at all, while his sister and litter mate has been ailing for a while now and we’ve pretty much been expecting her to take a turn for the worse any minute for months.

Anyway, I feel really drained and not in the best shape. I don’t have a lot to say that I haven’t already said about this tea, other than that I made my sipdown goal for March with it, and most of this month’s sipdowns have been large or medium sized tins. So there is that.

AJRimmer

I’m so sorry you had to say goodbye to your cat. Every cat is so special in its own unique way, and I’m glad you got to enjoy so many years with yours. <3

__Morgana__

Thank you. :-)

tea-sipper

I’m so sorry for your loss. Try to take care of yourself!

mrmopar

Sorry about your loss. I lost chaiman meow a few years back myself.

Kittenna

So sorry to hear about your cat. It’s tough enough when you know it’s coming, but so much harder when it’s unexpected :(

derk

<3 to you and your fam, Morgana.

Mastress Alita

I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your fur-baby. Hears to sixteen beautiful and memoriable years and what sounds like a relatively quick and painless passing for the dear. Stress really can take a toll, I went through a rough few months the last two months and am only now getting back to normal, but at least it does pass and start to level out, even if it sometimes takes a while. Hoping for the best for you, try to take care of yourself, Morgana.

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81
408 tasting notes

Anastasia is such a promissing name…full of mystery like the story of the last imperial Russian family

In my mug, each time, I am impressed by the amber colour of this tea…bringing me back to Russia again , St Petersbourg… The Amber room…

It’s clearly a bergamot tea but citrus notes are predominant to my opinion.

Even if bergamot + citrus is often used in a lot of tea’s composition, the mix of these two flavours makes this Kusmi tea’s original composition absolutely unforgettable and unique.

Of course, you need to be a bergamot unconditionnal lover…this is my case.

I am generally not impressed by Kusmi (except by their tins) , Anastasia is one of the rare exception and is really my favourite Kusmi’s creation.

So perfumed and so sweet in the same time.

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74
911 tasting notes

I didn’t realize I hadn’t had this one before. I thought I had tried each of my Kusmi Russian blend teas but apparently not. Anyway, taken with no additives. Like all Kusmi teas, this is not overpoweringly flavored. There are soft citrus accents, the most noticeable one being a fresh-lemon taste that gives it a hint of tartness. There is a soft sweetness to the tea that makes it not need sugar but it isn’t as sweet as something like Troika or St. Petersburg. I think the lemony tartness is the cause of this, countering the thick smoothness of the tea and creating just a hint of discord. This is still a pretty tea but I prefer the rich silkiness of Troika (even though it can edge towards too decadent) over this silky tea and fresh lemon mix. Though I will say, the lemon tartness is very well done – it tastes remarkably like real fresh lemon. I would say this tea is more of a match for people that find other Kusmi teas too heavy/silky/rich or those that enjoy lemony teas. Personally, I prefer citrus with more sweetness and less tartness.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Angrboda

Only two points lower than me. Are you sure we’re not clones?

Auggy

Ha! I didn’t notice that! Hmm, my first guess would be no but all sign do seem to point in that direction!

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