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drank Christmas (Rois Mages) by Kusmi Tea
111 tasting notes

I was almost reluctant to try it, as I’m not a huge fan of spices in tea; had I read the previous reviews, I may have been more optimistic about it.
The smell is quite spicy, the tea looks very “normal black tea” in the small tin, with only a few orange peel pieces here and there.
The overall taste is really mellow, and honestly even weak, much milder than the smell might make it seem. Chai fans should be highly disappointed in drinking this.
The second steep already comes as very weak and light-colored and definitely requires a few new leaves to have some body, which is surprising in comparison with other Kusmi teas I’ve had, like if they had used a second (or third) grade tea base for this one.
I can taste a bit of clove remaining on my lips, but not as much as in the Spicy Chocolate. The orange flavor is to be searched for. The vanilla hasn’t been found yet.
Nicer than expected, as the spices are not as strong as I feared. I guess this small tin should be emptied in a reasonable future…
… and refilled with something else, as it’s not something I would try to get more of.
Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
5 comments
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Ysaurella
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this one was a great deception for me…I still get 20 gr in my tin of 25 gr…and unfortunately nobody never asked me to have it in a swap !

LaFleurBleue
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That’s the problem when someone makes a bad or not so good review of something, it’s difficult to convince people to give it a chance. I could tell you to offer it spontaneously and push it with potential swappers to see whether some might take to it and help you finish it… I guess everyone has the same problem with some not so good teas in their cupboard that they do not know how to get rid off without having to throw those away.

LaFleurBleue
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Finally finished it and I must say I’m quite glad to be able to restock the tin with something better tasting for my morning tea in the office.

Ysaurella
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I am with you on this ! I just finish another small Kusmi tea I wasn’t very fond of and have now a small tin to dedicate to a tea I really love enough to take with me to the office

LaFleurBleue
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Congratulations! I anticipate an increase in effort and time to be able to finish the last 3 and already know which will be the latest to be emptied, as it seems as full as the first day, though I have the feeling I drank it way too many times already.

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Comments

Ysaurella
Delete

this one was a great deception for me…I still get 20 gr in my tin of 25 gr…and unfortunately nobody never asked me to have it in a swap !

LaFleurBleue
Delete

That’s the problem when someone makes a bad or not so good review of something, it’s difficult to convince people to give it a chance. I could tell you to offer it spontaneously and push it with potential swappers to see whether some might take to it and help you finish it… I guess everyone has the same problem with some not so good teas in their cupboard that they do not know how to get rid off without having to throw those away.

LaFleurBleue
Delete

Finally finished it and I must say I’m quite glad to be able to restock the tin with something better tasting for my morning tea in the office.

Ysaurella
Delete

I am with you on this ! I just finish another small Kusmi tea I wasn’t very fond of and have now a small tin to dedicate to a tea I really love enough to take with me to the office

LaFleurBleue
Delete

Congratulations! I anticipate an increase in effort and time to be able to finish the last 3 and already know which will be the latest to be emptied, as it seems as full as the first day, though I have the feeling I drank it way too many times already.

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Bio

I’ve started drinking much more tea quite recently, almost completely quitting espresso for it!
I’ve been introduced to high quality tea by one of my best friend, MF Marco Polo addict since more than 20 years. I’ve only rarely bought tea-bags since then, preferring the quality-price ratio of loose leaves.
I drink my tea natural, without any milk, sugar or sweetener. I only add honey when a sore-throat is coming along.
I usually either brew a large pot at home or resteep my leaves at the office. I cannot seem to learn to master the use of a gaiwan in an elegant and not clumsy way…
My tea preferences :
- I really like flavored black teas, with a preference for fruity flavors, from a tangy Earl Grey to a real fruit smoothie-like tea. I’m trying some single origin unflavored blacks from time to time but always end up having trouble to finish them. I usually do not really enjoy the strong breakfast teas.
- I do not like chai or teas with strong spice flavors. Strange considering I really like spicy food, but not what I drink.
- I am quite afraid of pu-erh and lapsang souchong, though I probably have never drunk any real good ones and I’m quite sure it can make a huge difference… A few years ago, I had been introduced to scotch whisky and can definitely attest that you cannot say you don’t like whisky, if you’ve only drunk blended stuff and not tasted yet single malts. I hope to get the same happy discovery for those teas.
- I discovered very good oolong, without going through the step of drinking bad-one first, and really enjoy it, especially with a meal. I’ll definitely try some flavored oolongs in a near future.
- I’ve just started discovering white teas, which feels very delicate. The only problem is that those can be awfully expensive…
- I also really like rooibos which I discovered a few years ago while searching for low-theine/caffeine teas that I could drink at night without suffering from insomnia.
- As with green tea, we’ve had a long-standing difficult relationship. I’ve occasionally had some that were real smooth, refreshing and so very many that turned bitter very quickly. And I cannot stand a bitter tea.
- As for jasmine tea, I used to like it but have indeed drunk too much of some bad quality bitter brew, and now I even have problem finishing the high-quality pearls I bought in Beijing.
- Yerba Mate: I’ve had some in one blend and am quite convinced that I would never like that as bitterness is one of its main characteristics. I’ll try to avoid it like the plague.
- Herbal tea: I used to drink more or those before discovering rooibos; finding good ones is unfortunately really difficult – even in organic shops, the herbs sold are far from great.
I loathe artificial flavoring of any kind in any beverage or food.

I’m quite opiniated and try to leave room for further improvement and better discoveries, which explain why I haven’t rated any tea in the 95 and above range.
Teas above 80 are among my favorites
Between 60-80, I could or could not give them a second chance or recognize that they are made with high-quality ingredients though their taste does not please my buds.
Around 50, it starts to be rather bad and a not so pleasant experience to drink.
25 to 40+ cover low quality products that I manage to drink when nothing else is available.
Below that, it’s really vile and basically almost undrinkable IMHO.

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Singapore

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