It's been a good long while since we've talked about tea other than as an aside in the scent of the day polls. I used to post on the subject more frequently (even though I am no more an expert on tea than I am about perfume), and especially about green teas, which were my staple drink during the day. Those cups (not telling how many, let's just say quite a few) were interspersed with heavier bursts of caffeine from the occasional latte. I've since had to give up coffee entirely, and not surprisingly, my collection of black teas has increased accordingly. I hope to do a post on Earl Grey teas soon, but today I'm concentrating on three black teas from the Russian-inspired French brand Kusmi, which as it happens was the subject of my last tea post.
Anastasia
I have a fair sized list of "to try" teas from Kusmi, and Anastasia was already on that list when they announced earlier this year that designer Jean Paul Gaultier would be "decorating" two limited edition tea caddies for Kusmi. Anastasia (shown at top) turned out to be one of them,1 and I had the large tin on its way to me in no time.
And I do like Anastasia, but possibly not so much that I needed 8.8 oz of it. It's a citrus black tea, and while it has a good amount of bergamot, it's not a traditional Earl Grey since it also has lemon, lime and orange blossom. The primary flavor, to me, is lemon-lime, and while it's not overwhelmingly sweet, it also has a sort of sweetish fruity undertone, along with a definite floral aftertaste. Meanwhile, the base tea is not as assertive as it is in some of the other Kusmi blends. If you have any tendency towards associating lemon and lime with cleaners and / or soap, you might not adore Anastasia — I do find that it tends towards soapy, and I have to be in the right mood to want to drink it. I take mine with a splash of cream. I'm guessing it would make a nice iced tea, but I have not tried it that way yet.
The 8.8 oz Kusmi Anastasia tin is sold out; the 4.4 oz tin is $18.50. I assume when that sells out, they'll put the "regular" Anastasia tins back on the web store. I am not positive but I think they were about a dollar cheaper?
Traktir
Traktir is a smoked black tea, but it's no more than lightly smoky, with no meaty / bacon undertones whatsoever. It's flavored with citrus and spice (bergamot, citron, orange, cinnamon and clove). The citrus and spices are likewise subtle; Traktir has lots of body but the most assertive flavor is tea — you won't mistake it for a chai or an Earl Grey. It makes a lovely afternoon tea on a chilly day, and although I have less to say about it than I do about Anastasia, I reach for it far more often.
Zoubrovka
Zoubrovka is a tea flavored with buffalo grass, aka sweet grass. I tried the green tea version ages ago, and did not care for it so I sent it to Kevin, who sent me back some of the black version. I didn't really fall right in love with that either, but I wanted to use it up, and eventually it grew on me and I've now been through several tins. The buffalo grass gives the tea a fresh grassy flavor, almost-floral, almost-earthy, almost-vanillic — it tastes like tea taken outdoors on a summer day. I tend to reach for it in the late afternoon, and it is one of the few black teas I drink without milk or cream. I thought it would make a great iced tea, but it's too bland when chilled.
Do comment with your favorite tea, if you have one!
1. The other Jean Paul Gaultier tin is Prince Vladimir, which is an Earl-Grey-ish variation with vanilla and spices. It is not a favorite of mine — for whatever reason, I don't seem to like pronounced vanilla in my tea — but I would not be surprised if it is one of the brand's best sellers.
Zoubrovka sounds worth checking out! My favorite of late has been Early Grey White Tip from Tea Source, which my aunt keeps us stocked with. And I prefer mine brewed thick!
Any suggestions for a Jasmine Black tea? I tried one a couple months ago but it just wasn’t that good…
Gosh, good question. The Yin Hao from Kusmi or Harney is usually a great jasmine green, but offhand don’t think I’ve even heard of a jasmine black — would think it would be hard for jasmine to stand up to black tea, maybe? But hopefully someone else will chime in.
And lo and behold, Harney has one:
https://www.harney.com/black-jasmine.html
But not a single review!
I’ve tried two kinds of black tea with jasmine and it is actually very nice. Both were bought locally and are not available online, but jasmine combines well with any kind of tea. One of my favourite jasmine teas is a pu-erh with jasmine.
Thank you!
Have you ever tried a jasmine wu long? Very, very lovely.
Same as a jasmine oolong, yes? If so, then yes, in fact I have one now from Upton although it’s not absolutely top notch.
Yes, I’ve got a black jasmine tea and a jasmine pu-erh, but they’re both from Nong Cha in Brussels. I especially like the black one and I think jasmine can stand up to most things
David’s Tea sells a jasmine black tea:
http://www.davidstea.com/organic-jasmine-black-pearls?&TF=7415480FE6B0&DEID=
I bought just ten grams (btw, I love that David’s sells by the gram. It makes sampling very affordable!). It smelled wonderful and watching the pearls unfold was hypnotizing but I didn’t really care for the flavor. Then again, I don’t really like jasmine greens either. Aside from Earl Grey, I tend to prefer unflavored teas, my favorite being David’s Second Flush Darjeeling. It’s so deliciously earthy.
Thanks!
I have never had this specific tea, but I am pleased overall with Silk Road Teas quality: http://www.silkroadteas.com/jasmine-jewel/
Thank you for all the lovely suggestions!
I am very fond of Kusmi teas! My favorites are St. Petersburg (black tea, bergamot, red fruits, caramel), Spicy Chocolate, and Violet. I know — I’m so predictable!
And you are the one that turned me on to Violette…on my 3rd tin now, I think.
Those are my favorites as well! I also enjoy the Red Fruits one a lot as well.
I love marriage freres tea- I have a whole lot
I would have more if they were easier to find in the US! I do keep several of the greens in stock via people who go to Paris, and trying to get my hands on several others
And should have asked — which are your favorites?
Hi Robin- I enjoy Eros a black tea with fruity floral tones.
I buy my tea from Dean and Deluca- do you have one near you ?
Last year my father passed away unexpectedly- my coworkers went into my office and found a tin of MF French Breakfast. They sent me a huge assortment of MF tea from France as a bereavement gift. I have oolongs, black teas, green teas. I have only finished two containers since last year. One was the Dragon tea (MF usually puts a tea out for Chinese New Year) and The en Provence (black tea with lavender)
I have access to Dean & Deluca, but they don’t carry as much MF as they used to (and none of my favorites). But thanks!
And what a sweet thing to do — kudos to your coworkers. I have had the green version of Provence but should try the black…
My most recent Mariage Freres purchase came from Market Hall Foods–they had a good selection several months ago, though shipping isn’t cheap. Also noticed Luckyscent now carries them, via phone only.
Have discovered I actually prefer Kusmi (just black so far, will try their jasmine green the next time I order).
I’ve ordered from them too, and that’s my hang up — the shipping! Also used to be reasonable to order directly from MF if you split an order with someone else, and I did that several times. Now the overseas shipping is outrageous. So I mostly do without. Luckily I have many of my favorites well stocked.
Kusmi’s jasmine green is unusual — I did not love it, but you might!
So do I! Their flavoured teas are so good!
Oh, a tea post! I thought I knew Kusmi teas pretty well, but I realize now that I tend to buy the same ones over and over: Kashmir Tchai, Prince Vladimir, St Petersburg, and Violet, of course. I do buy Anastasia and some other black ones occasionally (I think I prefer Palais des Thes for green blends) and I currently have a huge tin of Tsarina, mostly because of the name. I really should branch out and Zoubrovka seems like a good place to start.
I bought the large tin of Tsarevna as well — nice winter tea, although wish it had come in a smaller tin. I have gone through several small tins of the Tchai but don’t think I’ll buy it again, there are other chai teas I like better. And love their mint green tea but it’s too expensive for mint green tea so I’ve given that one up as well. But do try the Zoubrovka! Probably someone else makes a buffalo grass tea and eventually I’ll go looking
Which chais do you like better? I really, really like the Kusmi one, but I need to use huge amounts of it to get the intensity I want. And as my boyfriend and both of my sisters like it and we’re all currently living together, we go through industrial quantities of it.
Yes — the Kusmi is too weak, and costs too much for how weak it is — I don’t know if Kusmi is reasonably priced where you are, but in the US I think of it as an expensive / luxury tea brand.
I really like Numi chai, and you can buy it in 1 lb bags on Amazon in the US so it is not too badly priced. I sometimes add a pinch of cardamom or a pinch of ginger, but it’s a strong tea as it is and reasonably spicy. I also like Tazo chai but they only sell it in tea bags now. But I think both of those are US brands (?)
Also excellent: Thé Noir Des Indes from Terre d’Oc. Will buy that again if I can ever find it, it is not widely distributed here. Much stronger than the Kusmi.
I also really liked Mariage Freres Chandernagor when I tried it ages ago, but have not been able to get my hands on it again so can’t compare to anything else.
Thank you so much! I’ll do some research – Mariage Freres is probably the easiest for me to get here (currently meaning Brussels), not that it’s a great improvement price-wise.
I do occasionally make my own chai masala powder, but I just cannot be bothered all the time.
If you try the Chandernagor, tell me how it is! It was years ago (more than 10!) that I tried it, and maybe it is not so good as I remember.
Will keep you posted – glad to be of service
Comptoir Florian sells a Chai, which I’ve never tried but it smelled fantastic when I was in the shop and two other customers bought it. Nong Cha also sells a chai by the way, also great smelling and not expensive.
Thanks!
Great idea to review Kusmi teas!
In the beginning I was disappointed too because Kusmi’s “Kashmir Chai” was so expensive and had so little power. Later I found out that the Kusmi Teas need a lot of space and have to stay in the water a little longer than recommended. “Tsarevna” and “Kashmir Chai” taste a lot spicier after at least 5 minutes: Ginger, cardamom, licorice roots, bay leaves – they all need time. For 1 liter of water I take 2 teaspoons to brew a great tea. If you like chai you should try “Sweet Love”, too
Unfortunately I bought a tin of “Anastasia” shortly before Gaultier’s design was introduced!
Our family favourite is “BB Detox” with grapefruit aroma and guarana.
(PS: Please excuse my clumsy English but I am German…)
Your English is excellent!
Agree the chai especially needs a long brew time, I often do even more than 5 minutes. Tsarevna I don’t find quite as weak.
I will look for Sweet Love!
I drink a bunch of teas and tisanes during the day. Even though I live in South Florida, my office feels like the Scandinavian fjords. I tend towards oolongs and red (black) tea with the occasional green or white thrown in for variety. My favorite tea is probably either a Taiwanese milk oolong or Golden Monkey.
I adore milk oolongs and Taiwan oolongs in general, but the past couple years, most Taiwan oolongs have seemed less good than usual (not bad, just not as good) — was wondering if it was the weather? And 2015 is the first time I did not love the Ten Ren winter oolong, most unfortunately because it is also not as reasonably priced as it used to be. Still quite drinkable but does not make me swoon.
And should have asked who you order your milk oolong from? Maybe you have a better source than I do. I mostly buy oolongs from Tea Trekker, Ten Ren and Upton, sometimes from Harney.
I use many of the same folks as you do, though I don’t usually buy from Ten Ren due to an unpleasant experience with them (which could happen anywhere, but it soured me on them). I also like Phoenix Tea, Silk Road Teas and for Chinese teas, Teaspring. Several teas have been a little blah the last few years. Another of my favorites is Autumnal Flush Darjeelings and have been mediocre the last few harvests. I bought some quite good milk oolong and Long Jing at Wing Hop Fong in LA. I have not bought from them in several years, but Dream about Tea sourced very good teas when I visited the shop.
But mostly I let my partner, who works academically on the historical tea trade from China to the west, buy the tea since he travels to China several times a year.
Thank you for all the sources! And lucky you — your partner must get way better tea than I can
Tea Trekker used to carry this wonderful compressed Shui Hsien. It came in 2x2x.25 inch blocks that was really wonderful.
Great review Robin
I do like the Anastasia te..esp when it is early Fall and the air is crisp. If they weather is mild it is nice to sit outside with a chunky sweater, a nice planket and some of the tea…try it, when they Fall is around again (but for now, let’s enjoy that Spring and warm weather is finally here) 
So many teas turn out to be seasonal!
They do indeed
(I can see that I have a typo..sorry about that…English is only my second language :/ )
I might add that Kusmi does make some great teas but I think they are a bit overpriced for what u get. I bet you pay for the name and the packing as well
I have found brands that are cheaper and the tea is better
I would agree they’re overpriced…most of my tea comes from elsewhere.
I’m not enough of a tea enthusiast to comment but I can see why you were tempted by that tin! (Guess I might be a tin enthusiast…)
I am a tea caddy enthusiast too! Have also been trying to figure out how I can get my hands on these — and don’t even know if the tea is any good:
https://www.williamsontea.com/our-farm-shop/elephant-caddies/limited-edition
After looking at those I’m thinking of becoming a tea-drinker – if only for the caddies!
Well, generally I prefer straight up Chinese black tea, with Yunnan for every day and Keemum (more expensive) for a treat–it has a lovely peachy quality. The only scented teas I really like are jasmine pearl teas and the French Blue Earl Grey tea from Mariage Freses. It has lovely blue flowers in it. Someone up there mentioned the Market Hall, and that’s where I get my French Blue Earl Grey (but I can walk there).
A tea importer you might want to know about is Teance http://www.teance.com. They have a really unusual fantastic herb tea that is Lavender Mint. Pricey, though.
Thank you! I have just started on Keemuns, so have nothing knowledgeable to say on the subject except that I like the ones I have tried.
I can tell you that Twinings Lady Grey also has lovely blue flowers and is very cheap and not all that good. So stick with your Mariage Freres
Even though I love nice teatins I’ve yet to try my first Kusmi tea. In the Netherlands they seem to be sold mostly in shops specialising in decorative items which makes me rather weary as to their quality.
I will have to try some of their teas however and this review and all the comments have given me plenty of ideas.
I do think many perfumistas will find the Violette a fun occasional tea. As for the rest, it’s a particular, Russian-influenced style that you may or may not like, and you do pay for the pretty tins / decorative value.
Well I pay for the MF brand whenever I buy those, but somehow I thought of Kusmi as not quite serious tea if you see what I mean.
Looking at their site I’ve discovered that they do really cute sets of 5 mini tins that look awfully tempting!
Well, it’s all perspective I guess. I don’t tend to see them that way, and will add that more than one person has told me MF teas are for (well, I can’t remember the exact word but it was essentially implying ‘novices’). It is true that most of MF’s big sellers, as with Kusmi, are flavored, and the whole flavored category is perhaps not what serious tea drinkers are after (although MF has a respectable selection of specific harvest teas in addition to their flavored things).
I am somewhere in between — I like flavored teas but rarely “dessert” teas, and most of what I drink is actually unflavored, but I do like a “fun” tea now and again. And I do buy from places like Tea Trekker but the level of seriousness there is sometimes more than I am after
I drink way more unflavoured than flavoured tea but I love to go “slumming” every now and again, else my tea drinking would get too solemn, for want of a better word.
Your opinion and that of all the other people who have commented here have convinced me to get that lovely little coffret of 5 mini tins.
I will just go and have a look at Tea Trekker it sounds a bit daunting
Their black tea with rose (not sold in tins, only in bulk in their stores) is also very good.
Thanks! The US store only had bulk teas for a short time, I wish they’d carry more. Hate re-buying the tins.
I was just in one of the Kusmi tea shops in NY yesterday! I happened to see their little outpost in the Plaza Food Hall, and I stopped in to get some Violette to try, having just read so many comments here about it recently. They were out, so I will visit their other shop.
I got a Russian sampler set in the tins and am looking forward to trying them.
I also stopped at Krigler for a moment – I had forgotten all about them, so they weren’t on my “places to go” list. Does anyone have a recommendation for a frag to try there? I will be in the city all week through Saturday, so if any of you NYC folks reading this would like to do a meet-up, contact me at standing dotttt armsakimbo attt gmail dotttt comm.
Jessica reviewed a few, I’m afraid I know nothing.
One I want to try is Cinnamon Rose by Tulsi. Test list:).
I have a few herbal things from Tulsi — but mostly I drink my holy basil tea plain
I drink a lot of iced tea all year long (just plain black tea & no special brand), but I like it unsweetened and it has to have a strong enough taste. Also, because I often drink it in the evenings, I like to have decaf on hand for those times. I do like to treat myself to Kusmi twice a year, once in the winter around Christmas and then in the spring (birthday present to myself). I usually buy the variety packages from Luckyscent. My favorite is the green tea with rose. I really like the muslin bags that Kusmi has.
My husband drinks iced tea also — and he prefers Lipton to all my fancy teas