Kusmi Tea

Apparently, last time wasn’t really a sipdown, because I still had another sample tin, from another set of samples. I guess someone at Kusmi thinks that this one is the best thing ever and everyone should try it? Or maybe they just think that it’s really versatile, and that’s why they included it in two different sample sets?

Either way, I’m still not really tasting any spices, but since this tin is newer than the other one, I guess that’s because the steep was too short – another case of “should have read the reviews first!”(I’m thinking now I probably should have given it a 5 minute steep).

Sipdown! And a way overdue one – I don’t know exactly how old this is, but it’s at least a few months older than my tin of Anastasia, and the date on the bottom of that says 01/2019, so most likely this one was past its best-by date. I think most flavor had been lost, but it wasn’t outright unpleasant – I guess none of the ingredients are prone to going rancid?
(I really need to find someone to send some of the Anastasia to, I do like it but have way too much of it)

Forgot to log this yesterday evening. Apparently it doesn’t need an extralong steep time like my other decaf tea does – probably should have checked reviews before brewing.

Pretty sure I’ve never had a white Earl Grey before, so it’s hard to compare. Though, so far there isn’t much to compare anyway, because it mainly just seems really light/mild. There is a sour-fruity, citrusy taste, and just a hint of the white tea, but I think I’ll need to make it stronger next time.

My brother in law brought this tea for me from France. He doesn’t know much about tea and asked someone there to recommend some good teas for a family member. Unfortunately neither he nor the person selecting the tea knew of my disdain for hibiscus in teas.

From the dry scent, I could tell it would be a tart, fruity tea. I prepared in advanced by mixing in some honey before I drank it. It helped a bit but that devil dog we call hibiscus still is prominent. I cannot fault a dog for being a dog. But I don’t think this tea is on any of my favorite lists.

I tried this on a train home, and since this is my first review I wanted to try a tea that’s completely new to me instead of reviewing a tea that I already know and love. I will say that I did drink it in a paper cup – please don’t judge, it’s the only thing they had – so that might explain why I didn’t like this tea very much.
The first thing I immediately tasted was the berries, which to me was the strongest flavour in this tea. Then I got the hibiscus, which I like a lot, it was almost as intense as the berries. The tea itself is very sweet in its taste (and I didn’t put any sugar in it). It reminded me of Gummibärchen, you know, those Haribo bear things? That’s the first thing it reminded me of, along with a bath with candles on a late summer night, which I think the name of the tea evokes as well.
The flavours died rapidly though, and I think it was either the apple texture (which I loathe), or just the paper cup.
AquaRosa is not a tea I’d drink for fun, but I do think it’s pretty nice if you need comfort on a long trip. I recommend it iced more than hot, as well.