4 Tasting Notes
Violet is the predominant flower in this blend, not lavendar. Which is why it evokes strong opinion as violet is a taste you either hate or love. Think C Howards Violet Candies … the light purple squares in the dark purple foil wrap that was super popular in the 70’s. I’ve come to notice that many Kusmi teas have candy like essences. Anastasia in particular smells like green Life Savers.
As far as Bouquet #108: It has a strong violet scent in the tin that relaxes when brewed. It is not a strong tea by any means but definitely distinct. If the violet is intriguing but you find it a bit much, try blending it 50/50 with your favorite Earl grey before steeping. You’ll still get some of the floral bouquet, and as I’m drinking a cup right now I find it very tasty that way.
As with most Kusmi Russian blends, the black teas used are of a good quality, and have characteristics that stand up well to flavoring.
Not as “everyday” as their Anastasia blend, but still worth having a quantity on hand for a change of pace every once in a while.
Preparation
The dry leaf smells like a roll of assorted Lifesavers candy. Very bright.
When brewed the aroma off the cup is definitely Ceylon.
Sipping it has decidedly less fruit than you’d expect from the nose of the dry leaf.
A citrus candy Earl Gray, but with plenty of room for the tea to stay forward center.
Preparation
This Ti Kuan Yin is the perfect mid-day cup. Clean and fragrant with almost perfect oolong oxidation. Depending on the day, or meal, you can find an array of flavors ranging from tropical fruit (coconut) to an herbal root component . Absolutely delicious with food.
Preparation
Had this tea in Denmark for the first time. The dry leaf nose is so prevalent with spearmint that is does remind you of a pack of Wrigley’s Doublemint gum. The nice thing about this tea is that you can prepare it several ways and get a completely different profile each time.
Super hot (not boiling) steep gets you the most green tea notes and color.
Just bring down the temp depending on how much mint you want.
I like 190 degrees (F).
I was not a mint tea fan until coming across this blend. Still not a fan of the black teas mixed with mint. But this Kusmi Green w/ Spearmint is a taste changer.
Awesome when made as a sun tea too… you really get the spearmint flavors.
