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Back in 2016 I organised a pretty casual, laid-back wedding under the open sky in my family garden. We wanted to celebrate with a small crowd of our closest people. For the evening, we prepared a wide selection of drinks. Of course, for me personally, the most exciting task was choosing the tea. I went to the Kusmi store in city centre of Berlin and with the help of an extremely handsome assistant that made me blush on multiple occasions we chose 8 types of which I bought huge quantities. I disdain all fruit tisanes and wanted to completely omit this category but the gorgeous guy made me aware it’s a mistake, as people generally tend to love them. He chose this one for me. I frowned but took his advice and invested in a few boxes of AquaRosa as well. During the dances in the evening, of course I tried all teas that we chose and how big was my surprise – when I discovered that AquaRosa was the only one that we run out of! Shocking. People really don’t mind the devil called Hibiscus, as much as I do.

For me this tea is nothing but underwhelming. Heavy on the berries, quite sweet, but also sour. You can feel the apple (meh, another meh ingredient). Honestly, it doesn’t taste like much! I would never repurchase. But then, hey, given a choice of 7 lovely Kusmi teas and this funky one, somehow this one turns out to be the crowd pleaser. Well, life is full of surprises.

Kusmi Advent Calendar 2020 – Day 5

The sampler size comes in a lovely light blue sky-like sachet. I think the colour of the wrapper fits the tea perfectly! It’s fresh and zingy.

You can instantly feel mate, grassy notes, citrus flavours (grapefruit? lemon?) and a bit of guarana and green tea (but just a hint).

If you need a morning pick-me-up and can’t drink or don’t like black tea for some mysterious reason – it would be a great choice!

I love mate and drink large quantities of it and I have to say, Kusmi did it well. It’s not a boring mate blend, there’s a surprise factor to this lovely mixture. Worth trying!

Kusmi Tea Advent calendar 2020, day 8

I don’t like Rooibos in general. Growing up in family where we only drank herbal teas and rooibos, I think I’ve had enough, and my lovely fam ruined them for me.
I also hate vanilla in teas, it almost always tastes artificial to me and sometimes even make me sick. I should have known better and just pass on trying this one. I guess I was hoping that since it’s Kusmi (one of my all-time brands), it would not disappoint and somehow positively surprise me. Well, it didn’t. I’m still underwhelmed and was just reminded why I don’t like these kinds of teas.
One of the weaker options Kusmi has to offer in my humble opinion. Next time I’ll politely decline :)

I love me some ginger and I love this kind of tea. If you’re feeling poorly that’s the only thing you want to drink and the only thing that might do the trick. Sore throats, colds, flu, upset stomach – you name it. Ginger is a natural killer remedy for all the above. Goes nicely with honey too!
At one point in my life I was obsessed with ginger-based teas and had my fair share, so I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur ;-)
This is not the best you can find on the market. It’s standard, nothing groundbreaking or special, but it’s decent. It didn’t knock me off my feet (I do like strong ginger and lots of it), but I don’t regret trying it. Good thing is it doesn’t taste or smell artificial at all.
6/10

I got a sample from Kusmi Advent Calendar.
Bright orange wrapper is very pretty and optimistic. I guess it must look good on their tin, the colour itself will wake you up and put you in a good mood in the morning.
Living in the UK, I’ve had my fair share of English Breakfast. Each restaurant, pub, store, hotel, office will have some. And sometimes it’s the only choice you have.
I brewed it twice for about 2,5 – 3 minutes each time, and I was a bit surprised that it’s not too strong. Definitely weaker (and lighter in colour) than Twinnings or Teapigs. I personally like weak black tea, but if you are a fan of something with a bit more kick – you will be disappointed.
In general it’s nothing groundbreaking, doesn’t leave much of an impression or a memory behind. Just an English Breakfast standard middle of the road tea. You can smell a taste a hint of malt, but not too much.
I wouldn’t want a whole full size tin of it. There are plenty more interesting and memorable black tea options that Kusmi has to offer.

This was one of the most pleasant teas in the 2020 T2 Advent Calendar.
It’s a crowd pleaser, very ‘drinkable’ and easy. Smooth and delicate. It’s basically a green tea that smells and taste tropical, with a hit of rose. The name is actually quite misleading, because rose is not the main note here. Mango and papaya are. Cucumber is the added ‘freshness and surprise’ element here.
This would be a good introduction level tea for someone who thinks they hate green teas, because it’s not bitter or demanding.
It’s nothing groundbreaking, just easy and pleasant, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

I was excited to find it in the Kusmi Advent Calendar, as I’ve never had it before. It’s one of the more premium teas Kusmi has to offer. The famous Alain Ducasse has created his first white tea as a collab with the brand. They only sell it in massive tins (and refills), 120g if I remember correctly. One tin costs € 39,50 which significantly (at least three times) more than the usual price for Kusmi. That alone is enough to put some customers off and limit their clientele.
Firstly, the packaging is lovely. White&silver colour palette, looks luxe and fresh, kind of cold and icy almost. It would look great outside, on the worktop, as part of the kitchen decor if someone has a very modern kitchen.
When you smell it, you can instantly smell huge quantities of rose and a hint of red fruit, in this case it’s raspberry. The rose is not artificial or perfume-like, it actually smells quite naturally and makes me think of a home-made marmalade.
The tea itself is light, fresh, airy, non-suffocating. Very elegant. It would make a great gift for someone who has everything and needs nothing. This kind of person would definitely appreciate this tea :-)
In my opinion it’s not wort 40 euros per box, I know very similar teas for a fraction of the price. Nevertheless, I’m happy I gave it a go. Maybe one day, when I want to impress some Michellin star-obsessed foodie / tea snob, I will spoil them happily with this as a gift.

What a lovely surprise! I usually hate anything that has liquorice in it, but not in this case! It’s smooth, refreshing, subtle, and not too overpowering or sweet.
Try it, you might be amazed to! If you feel poorly, this tea will be your best friend. It somehow manages to soothe the stomach and the soul.

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.

First of all – the smell is lovely! Peachy, sour, vibrant, very tropical, makes you feel like you’re someplace warm and glorious (very much unlike Cambridge, UK, November 2020 ;-))
You can smell lots of different fruit, but peach, hibiscus, apple and chicory are definitely the main notes.
I’m not the biggest fan of fruit teas in general but this one was definitely drinkable. Quite refreshing, would probably taste much better cold, served with ice and actual peaches in July. Might actually give that a go next summer.
If you like fruit infusions and peachy peaches – you won’t be disappointed.