Kusmi Tea
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Advent Day 21
This is tart. I can taste peach beyond that, but the tartness really distracting. I’m hoping it backs off as it cools. I should have cold steeped this when I saw hibiscus. I know better. :/ It’s cooling slowly and I am impatient. The tart has mellowed out a bit, but not as much as I’d like. The finish is all peachy, which is nice. I’m giving up on this cup for the night. Maybe it will taste a little better in the morning.
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 21
What a pretty wrapper! It’s a lovely coral color.
It’s actually quite a bit blander than I expected, given that I used a small amount of water. It does have a nice peach candy flavor with a bit of tartness, it reminds me of slightly sour Peachie-Os. I can taste some apple as well, and a bit of apricot. There wasn’t a ton of hibiscus in my sachet, so it’s tart but not sour.
I do like the combination of peach and hibiscus here, so I’m happy to finish the cup.
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELciWgFOJ/)
Flavors: Apple, Apricot, Candy, Hibiscus, Peach, Tart
Preparation
Sour Peachie-O’s sound amazing. I wonder if anyone makes a Peachie-O with like, the sweet’n’sour sugary stuff that is on other candies, like Sourpatch Kids…
Yummm I would so eat those. My husband and I ordered a bunch of sour gummy candies a couple of months ago and we’re still making our way through them. XD
Probably as a surprise to no one, I absolutely love sour/tart gummy candies! (Gummy Worms, Sourpatch Kids…)
I can’t say I’m shocked by that… ;)
I think Sour Punch Straws might be my favorite? But I also had some Sour Patch Strawberries recently that were amazing.
Advent Day 20
What makes this N°37? Is it the 37th tea Kusmi offered? The 37th darjeeling they tried before they found the perfect one? Does it just sound fancy?
This is a lovely cup of tea. No astringency or bite, very light malty flavor. Slight tobacco finish. Light to moderate dry mouth feeling after each sip. It’s super easy to drink straight! A nice cup if you want something simple, but I don’t imagine it would be something I’d turn to if it were in my cupboard.
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 20
Lots of black teas today! This is the only straight black so seemed a good choice for the morning. But then I had puglets in my lap while we were watching The Expanse, so it sat for a couple of hours before I actually drank it.
This is very mellow and tasty. There are a lot of white tea characteristics, including soft hay and oat notes and a light autumn leafy flavor. Slightly more malty than a white tea, however, and there are also some nice floral characteristics. I’m not sure I can identify muscatel notes in Darjeeling, but this does have a light golden raisin-like dried fruit note.
Very soft and pleasant, perfect for the afternoon!
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJBt5wqA7_Q/)
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Dried Fruit, Floral, Grain, Hay, Malt, Oats, Raisins
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Day 7
So, this was actually my day 7 tea, and English breakfast showed up today. I waited until today to publish the note, as not to spoil it for anyone.
I was disappointed to see a rooibos this morning, as I generally dislike them. So, I brewed this as my first cup of the day to get it out of the way.
Smells like almond flavoring. I love almond flavored things. This is a good sign.
Tastes like rooibos and almond flavoring…but I like it? This is one of the few rooibos blends that the stick-y flavor of the rooibos working with the added flavor rather than competing with it. It’s pretty simple, but I’m really enjoying it, and I would actually consider repurchasing.
Advent Day 19
This had a nice almond flavor to it. I happily drank the whole cup while chatting with some neighbors tonight. The rooibos seemed either pretty mellow or to blend into the almond enough that it wasn’t distracting. I also didn’t notice the rooibos dry mouth feel.
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 19
I’m kind of over almond-flavored teas at the moment, or at least marzipan/amaretto-tasting ones, so I’m not too excited for this… Dry scent is very amaretto.
Surprisingly, I’m actually finding this quite pleasant. It definitely does have an amaretto-like flavor to it, but it’s not too strong and I can still taste the woody, caramel-y rooibos underneath.
It’s certainly not something I’d buy, since this flavor just isn’t my jam, but I would definitely drink it again if offered.
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI_SUdFAQD3/)
Flavors: Alcohol, Almond, Caramel, Marzipan, Wood
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 17
Interesting, I’m surprised to see this in the advent calendar. I mean, they have so many more interesting bergamot teas with their Russian Blends. I think we’ve only seen Anastasia (and the white version) so far so I hope they’ve at least included St. Petersburg somewhere in here… Looking at the website, it looks like they may not even carry Troika anymore, which is a shame.
I was surprised to see a recommendation of 190°F on the wrapper, so I figured I’d follow it. It came out rather tasty. The bergamot is subtler than I expected, and the base tea has a nice smooth malty and woody flavor to it. There’s definitely Ceylon here, and I’m wondering if there are others as well. I taste a soft earthiness that says Chinese black tea to me. Anyway, it’s a mellow black base but still has a good flavor. The bergamot is lovely and light with bright citrus notes.
Very tasty! Though I don’t think I’d ever have a reason to want a plain Earl from Kusmi…
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI56irkAw4b/)
Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Earth, Malt, Smooth, Wood
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 16
Well this isn’t very exciting, but I do like jasmine teas so I don’t mind sipping on it this evening. At least there’s no hibiscus, right Dustin? XD
It’s not great. The jasmine itself is fine, it’s actually rather light and has a sweet and natural-tasting flavor. I’m just not a fan of the choice of base – it’s a very mineral green tea with a hint of smoke. I just feel like it doesn’t go well with the lighter, more ethereal jasmine notes. It reminds me of a gunpowder green tea.
Meh, it’s fine but certainly not a jasmine green that I would buy.
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI3UsUyAU_Z/)
Flavors: Earth, Floral, Jasmine, Mineral, Smoke, Sweet
Preparation
Advent Day 16
Glad to have this to start my morning. The jasmine is bright. It dominates the sip and the finish, but the green base starts to peek through a little in the finish. It doesn’t quite have that intense level of jasmine that some teas do. It also doesn’t have the pure crisp jasmine flavor that I notice in silver needle jasmine. After several sips there seems to be a light accumulating soapiness to the sides of my tongue in the finish. Strange. Overall a very nice cup.
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 15
Well here we go again, another fruit tisane with hibiscus… At least it has a nice biscuity smell in the sachet.
Okay, this is just weird. I do get a buttery sort of biscuit flavor, but then I also get a tart, slightly fruity hibiscus flavor. The two just do not work together for me… I mean, butter and tart? The biscuit feels a bit tacked on as well.
Nope, not for me. Maybe we’ve tried all of Kusmi’s hibiscus teas at this point…?
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0x3pugvaO/)
Flavors: Berries, Butter, Cookie, Hibiscus, Red Fruits, Tart
Preparation
Looking at the website, there are at least a couple more that they offer unfortunately. Hopefully they’re not in the calendar!
That kinda makes me want to open all the other doors of the advent now just to get the hib disappointment done all at once! LOL!
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.
Flavors: Apple, Berries, Berry, Hibiscus, Sour, Sweet
Preparation
You’re right! Cold brewing and a bit of sugar might save this devil. But as my wedding was in August, in the evening it started to get a tad chilly, we served all teas hot, so that people could warm up a bit. And they still loved it! Quite a few guests commented how tasty this one was – shocker!
Advent Day 15
Sweet break?! From what? Apparently not from hibiscus. This tastes like sour berries and then metal. Is this what cilantro tastes like to some people? It has a sweet and sour scent that I get a whiff of every time I go in for a sip. I hate it.
Cold steeped overnight.
I’m pretty sure I’m the ONLY fan of hibiscus on this site! I’ve talked in other notes about how I just need to start up the Mastress Alita Happy Hibiscus Rescue Home…
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!
Flavors: Freshly Cut Grass, Grapefruit, Grass, Green, Lemon, Lemon Zest
Preparation
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 14
What a pretty wrapper! I love the ones with two contrasting colors, they look so graphic and yet elegant. I’ve been nursing/ignoring a small cup of this all day while working, not on purpose just how my day went…
I will say, it’s pleasant for a breakfast blend. I can taste all three teas – the malty raisiny intensity of the Assam, the soft and smooth earthiness of the Yunnan, and a bit of sharp citrus from the Ceylon. Still tastes tea-ish, but with a bit of interest as well. There’s a hint of mineral smokiness for me as well, likely from the Yunnan tea.
I dig it. I can’t see myself every ordering a breakfast blend though, so I likely won’t have it again.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIypy7YA0Kh/
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIyI3bGAi3z/)
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Citrus, Earth, Malt, Mineral, Raisins, Smoke, Smooth, Tannic, Tobacco
Preparation
I know! It’s from https://www.theprintedpeanut.co.uk/ but she rarely seems to have cups available.
Kusmi Advent Day 14
I was excited to see a straight black tea as an advent offering today. Unfortunately this one is not my favorite. It actually tastes a lot like the sun tea my grandma used to make when I was a kid. It’s a nice nostalgic flavor, but not particularly good.
Advent Day 14
I’m a little confused by the name of this tea. All the other teas I’ve had with Russian in the name have some sort of a smoky note. This one does not. It’s a good breakfasty blend. Balanced enough that I’m not getting astringency. Added a little cream and that didn’t do much to change it other than it being creamier. I’m not understanding what is special or unique or Russian about this blend. It’s not one I’d buy. :/
I was always worried about that one for the smokiness. Good to know that’s not the case! Also, I’ve always wanted to find a tea to try the Russian tradition of tea with a spoonful of jam. I’m sure Cameron might be intrigued by that as well!
I’ve never heard of that tradition! Do they put the jam in the tea or alternate sips and nibbles?
You mean Cameron “The Jam” B.? LOL!
You can find more info here: https://teaperspective.com/jam-in-tea/ (also a few other places on hits from Google). Hahah Cameron “The Jam” B. Love it!
I saw a cute blog belonging to a young Russian man who said the jam spoon in the teacup is why Russians instinctively close one eye when drinking tea, even if there is no jam! He said cherry was traditional.
Cool article, thanks! There was a blend that AQ2T did called Russian Bonfire which was a smoky tea, like the typical Russian Caravan, but it had jammy notes in it. I guess this tradition must have been Lauren’s inspiration!
Cameron should totally be in a band with that new name! It sounds so rock n roll!
Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 13
Lol, this sachet wrapper is so vague. It says something like “blend of herbs” instead of mentioning rooibos by name, which is odd. Dry scent is deliciously orange, yum.
I like the orange flavor here, it’s a good balance between sweet and zesty and it doesn’t taste artificial or like vitamin tablets. I get a little bit of caramel, but most of it is just coming from the rooibos itself. There’s a little taste of apple as well. I definitely don’t get lemon balm though.
Overall, I like it. I don’t think I like it quite enough to order it, but I’m really enjoying this one cup tonight. :)
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIvvvDxAx9V/)
Flavors: Apple, Burnt Sugar, Caramel, Orange, Orange Zest, Sweet, Wood