I have to say, I was rather shocked when I smelled this tea. The other Russians I have tried from Kusmi have smelled overwhelmingly of bergamot. I was therefore not prepared for this one to have such a spicy smell. That being said, it was a very pleasant surprise – as soon as I got a whiff I was very excited to try this. The dry leaf has a very strong scent of spice (anise maybe?) along with a heavy bergamot smell. There are also notes of vanilla and other citrus present.
I was surprised that the brew smells strongly of black tea with added bergamot and spice scents (the spice is a little bit different than in the tin, more of a clove maybe?). The first thing I noticed is that the black tea base of this tea tastes much stronger or harsher to me than the other blends I have tried. The tin simply says it’s a blend of Chinese teas. When the tea is hot, the predominant flavors are bergamot and a surprisingly mild but warming spiciness that I would categorize as a blend of different spices. I added a very small amount of sugar. As I let it cool, I really started to taste the vanilla and the lemon, which I must admit are perfect with the spice. The bergamot became more of a background flavor than I would expect. There is supposedly grapefruit in this blend but I could never seem to pick it out, which I actually am glad of. I don’t feel the extreme tartness and bitterness of grapefruit would mesh well with this.
Overall, I enjoyed this tea very much and I just know that it would be fantastic with milk or as a latte. Must try!
Flavors: Bergamot, Lemon, Spices, Vanilla
This was one of my ex boyfriend’s favorite teas. Sadly he passed away earlier this year. :(
i’m so sorry for your loss