100
drank Anastasia by Kusmi Tea
91 tasting notes

Firstly, a huge thank you to ::Nicole:: for the generous sample that sparked my fascination with this beautiful Russian tea blend! I loved it so much that I ordered a tin from Kusmi that arrived yesterday.

So, it’s a rainy weekend here in The Old Dominion. Rainy weekends just beg for a good book and good pot of tea to go with it. I am currently reading “The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra” by Helen Rappaport. Anastasia by Kusmi Teas was created around 1917/1918 in Paris after the company fled St. Petersburg at the start of the Russian Revolution. This tea was, indeed, named for the youngest daughter of the imperial family. Nothing like pairing an historical book with a matching historical tea!

But I digress. This tea is an amazing melange of citrus, orange blossom and honey flavors. The honey note really comes out with just a little bit of sugar. Lime is the dominant citrus flavor. The bergamot works brilliantly in the background. The Chinese and Ceylon base teas add breadiness and sparkle respectively. Strangely, there is an illusive scent reminiscent of sweet incense not unlike myrrh which is used in Russian Orthodox churches. Like it’s namesake, this tea possesses an element of mystery.

As I sip this tea it is quite easy for me to envision Nicholas and Alexandra, the beautiful grand duchesses and the young tsarevich at Tsarskoe Selo enjoying teatime together with a tea like this. It’s that good!

Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Honey, Lime, Orange Blossom

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 45 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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“Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ‘a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.”
- George Orwell

Darjeeling is the tea that inspired me to begin my beautiful journey through the wide world of tea and will always reign supreme in my tea pantry! My first tea love, so to speak. I positively adore a truly great Darjeeling such as a good muscatel second flush. Autumn flush Darjeeling, I believe, has been greatly under appreciated. Darjeeling autumn flush Gopaldhara Red Thunder Gold that I purchased through What-Cha is the best tea of any kind I have ever had the pleasure of drinking! I am most definitely a Darjeeling dude!

Other than my much beloved Darjeeling, teas that I especially enjoy are fine estate Assam teas such as Assam Dikom Estate or fine Ceylon estate teas – low, mid and high grown. I have a great love for Earl Grey which is my main go to tea. Other favorites are rose, vanilla, almond, caramel, spice and stout English Breakfast teas.

I have a fondness for most herbal teas – A complete rooibos fanatic! I’m very fond of camomile too. However, I absolutely detest hibiscus!

Blacks and herbals are my main go to teas. I have become quite British in my tea habits – My favorite guilty tea pleasure is Darjeeling with milk and honey as King Charles III takes his.

I try to purchase organic tea whenever possible.

Location

Richmond, Virginia, USA

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