Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kusmi
Tea Description:
Nana mint is the mint used for teas in the Middle East and North Africa. Its refreshing taste makes Spearmint green tea perfect for after a meal.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing I noticed about this one is how wonderful it smells – fresh, strong, sweet spearmint, right from the get go! I prefer spearmint to peppermint in general, but spearmint teas seem relatively scarce in comparison, so I’m pleased to have found this one from Kusmi. The dry leaf is very dark green and tightly rolled. There’s no indication on the tin of the variety of green tea this is, but I would guess Gunpowder from looking at the leaves alone. I could be wrong, but that’s my educated guess. For my cup, I used 1 tsp of leaf, and gave it 2 minutes in water cooled to around 180 degrees. The resulting liquor is a golden yellow, and smells primarily of spearmint with an underlying hint of green tea.
To taste, this one reminds me a bit of chewing gum, or softmints. It has the same intense initial sweet mint flavour, which lingers decently into the aftertaste. Spearmint is pretty much all I’m getting from this one, so it comes across fairly one note, but if spearmint is what you’re looking for, then it’s certainly what you’ll get. I had thought I’d be able to taste the green tea base a little more, but it remains firmly in the background. There’s the tiniest hint of it right at the end of the sip, but in a blind tasting you could tell me this was a pure spearmint tea and I’d probably be none the wiser.
As a fan of spearmint, I really like this one. It’s sweet, clean-tasting, and refreshing, and makes for a very pleasant cup on a warm summer afternoon. I imagine it’d also work well cold brewed, which is something I’ll have to try in the coming weeks. It’s not as punchy as peppermint in terms of flavour, and it lacks the intensely cooling effect that mint sometimes has, so this tea is just the thing if you like your mint a little softer and more gentle. This is a wonderful offering from Kusmi, and well worth a look this summer if you’re in the market for a mint green tea.
Green Zoubrovka Tea from Kusmi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kusmi Tea
Tea Description:
Green Zoubrovka is the green tea version of the exclusive Zoubrovka blend. It’s a green tea from China flavored with sweetgrass, which adds a subtle texture of honey to this beverage.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This has a very strong vegetal aroma. It smells earthy and grassy. The dry leaf looks like a large gunpowder tea.
To brew this tea, I used my Breville tea maker and added 2 bamboo scoops to the basket and 500ml of water to the jug. I set the temperature at 180°F and the steep time for 2 minutes.
The result is a cup of tea that tastes very much like green tea. Gunpowder green, to be specific. But there is a little more to it than that. I also taste the sweetgrass which adds sweetness as well as more of a grassy note. While many green teas taste somewhere between ‘vegetable’ and ‘grassy’ … this tea definitely leans more to the grassy than the vegetable.
There are sweet notes, honey-like flavors, hints of mint, and a clean grassy note. I can see how this tea would not be for everyone. If you tend to like that heavier, buttery quality to a green tea, this one will probably not be one of your favorite greens. On the other hand, if you appreciate the soothing vegetal/brothy qualities of a green tea, this one is going to be right up your alley.
The texture is brothy, reminding me both in taste and texture of sipping a hot broth. This would be a really nice tea to have on hand when feeling under the weather because it has that soothing quality to it – like drinking a hot cup of chicken soup. Only better because it’s tea.
While it is quite soothing, it also has an invigorating quality to it that I find quite appealing. It would be a good tea to drink later in the afternoon when you’re feeling a little drained of energy and need a boost. Sweet, a little bitter (but in a savory sort of way), and enjoyable. It has a moderate astringency that is slightly drying.
Overall, a pleasant cup of tea.
Bourbon Vanilla Tea from Kusmi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kusmi Tea
Tea Description:
Those who have a sweet tooth will enjoy this Chinese black tea flavored with Bourbon Vanilla from Madagascar.
We suggest to enjoy this tea during the afternoon.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Bourbon Vanilla Tea from Kusmi Tea is a tasty vanilla flavored black tea – very smooth and sweet and satisfying!
I like that it’s a Chinese black tea used for the base, because it makes for a very solid, rich tasting background of flavor. It is smooth, not overly astringent, and not at all bitter. It has a robust, malty tone to it that melds quite nicely with the sweet, creamy vanilla flavor.
The flavoring is not overly strong here, and while some have commented that this tea is not vanilla enough, I would disagree with that. I like the level of vanilla flavor here – it’s not overwhelming, it’s not hitting me over the head – but then again, this is vanilla and I think it should be a softer, more subtle flavor and should take a more sophisticated approach. It shouldn’t be too strong. It should allow the flavors of the tea to be explored, not coat the palate with a heavily creamy taste.
It is silky and creamy, but, it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the Chinese black tea. I like this, it would make a great afternoon tea (as suggested in the description above), or it would make a nice dessert alternative.
Apple Tea from Kusmi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kusmi Tea
Tea Description:
Chinese black tea flavored with apple.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve tried a tea from Kusmi, so I happy to receive a sampling of this Apple Tea from Kusmi Tea to review. I’ve always been pretty impressed with the quality of Kusmi, so I was pretty confident that I would enjoy this tea as well.
This cuppa has a really nice apple flavor. What I’m enjoying is that the flavor is strong, but it isn’t interfering with the smooth, rich flavor of the black tea. There is a good balance between the flavors. The black tea is a strong tea, but, it isn’t an aggressive tea. It’s very smooth, with underlying notes of caramel and cocoa. It’s got a slight “bake-y, cake-y” kind of taste to it. It’s a very nicely round, rich tasting black tea. Once it cools, I notice a hint of smokiness to this tea as well.
The apple notes are tart and sweet … similar to a green Granny Smith apple. Because of the richness of the black tea and the touches of apple notes, it is vaguely reminiscent of freshly baked apple pie filling – but not that canned stuff. Think homemade apple pie but without the crust … and not a heavy glaze of sugar either. Sweet … but not too sweet. Tart … but not too tart. All that’s missing is a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg!
One of the nicer apple teas I’ve encountered … I like that I taste the apple, but it isn’t smacking me upside the head. Because of the gentle apple-y notes, it has a more natural taste … I don’t taste an artificial note … I taste a true-to-the-fruit kind of taste. Very enjoyable, and tasty served hot, straight up, and I’m also thinking that this would be nice as a latte, because I love baked apples with a touch of cream! It also makes a nice iced tea and since it’s that season – this one would be a good one to add to your pantry for your iced tea enjoyment.
If you’re an apple fan – try this tea!
Samovar Tea from Kusmi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kusmi Tea
Tea Description:
This tea owes its name to the heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, a classic symbol of daily life in Russia. This tea is a blend of lightly smoked black teas from India and China. Perfect with savory or spicy dishes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The very first time I was given a sample of this tea, I sent it off to a friend without even trying it. All I did was take a quick whiff of it, and the smoky tones were immediately off-putting to me.
That was several years ago.
Since that time, I have been slowly gaining an appreciation for smoky teas, and while I doubt I will ever proclaim them as my favorite “flavored” tea, I find myself enjoying them far more than I ever thought possible back when I was put off by the mere scent of them.
And of the many smoky black teas that I’ve tried since that time and have enjoyed, I think that this one may be one of my favorites. I really like this a whole lot more than I ever thought I would, and now as I am sitting here, enjoying this cup of Samovar Tea from Kusmi, I am regretting sending off that sampling of it way back when.
The dry leaf actually presents a stronger smoky presence than the flavor offers, in my opinion. Sure, I still taste that smoke flavor, but, it mingles with tones of caramel and malt and even a hints of freshly baked bread notes that the smokiness is hardly a detraction. Instead, it becomes part of a unique set of flavors that has me coming back for more.
The flavor is rich and satisfying. There is some astringency to this, and it is quite noticeable, but, I find that it too, adds to the satisfaction of this tea as it cleanses the palate between sips and keeps it from being too overwhelmed by richness – and yes, the smokiness – of this tea.
Overall, a delicious cup of tea. One that I’d not only be happy to enjoy again, but one that I could see myself buying in the future! Given my apprehension about smoky teas … that is saying something!