Bouquet of Flowers No. 108

Free sample from Kusmi! yay!

First off, I don’t love Earl Grey. Never did. But this has a floral taste that kind of overpowers the actual taste of tea, so the Earl Grey is more of a sideshow than the main event. It also leaves a sort of floral aftertaste, which is a little weird. Like eating flowers. But they were certainly spot-on with the name of this one.

Also, I’ve never seen one of Kusmi’s tea bags, but I love them. They’re little fabric bags, kind of like cheesecloth, which allows the tea to expand without getting crushed. So it’s almost like using loose leaves, but without having to clean up afterward. Bonus!

It claims to be “Earl Grey with citrus fruits and flower petals”. It tastes like an oddly spiced soup with lemon. Not at all like tea. I’m almost getting a hint of mushroom… an oddly savoury beverage. Not really my bag.

Just like the name suggests, it’s a floral extravaganza. Earl Grey x 10.

Violet is the predominant flower in this blend, not lavendar. Which is why it evokes strong opinion as violet is a taste you either hate or love. Think C Howards Violet Candies … the light purple squares in the dark purple foil wrap that was super popular in the 70’s. I’ve come to notice that many Kusmi teas have candy like essences. Anastasia in particular smells like green Life Savers.

As far as Bouquet #108: It has a strong violet scent in the tin that relaxes when brewed. It is not a strong tea by any means but definitely distinct. If the violet is intriguing but you find it a bit much, try blending it 50/50 with your favorite Earl grey before steeping. You’ll still get some of the floral bouquet, and as I’m drinking a cup right now I find it very tasty that way.

As with most Kusmi Russian blends, the black teas used are of a good quality, and have characteristics that stand up well to flavoring.

Not as “everyday” as their Anastasia blend, but still worth having a quantity on hand for a change of pace every once in a while.

I like it – it is quite pleasant. Not over the top wow good but very solid. The flavors are subtle – the bergamot/citrus is muted but there.

Heavy floral perfume. Like a perfumerie. Sitting on top of a nice earl grey. Not sure it integrates well enough to make me want to come back for more. Maybe a little over the top.

I am so surprised to see bad reviews for this tea, but I notice that most of them are from people who hate either bergamot or lavender. I like both of those things on the right base, so this bides well for me.

The aroma of this tea is heavenly to me. I could bring the tin to my bedside and sniff it until I fall asleep and dream sweet dreams.

I was surprised to see that they recommend 195F water and since my kettle just had 190 or 200, I went with 190F. Next time around I will try 200F to bring out more of the base tea flavor. My only criticism is I wanted more base tea flavor and I think that is fixable with either time, temp, or leaf amount.

Something about this also reminds me a little bit of Perseus from The ODor.

I did not find the bergamot to be too strong. I don’t like super strong bergamot and when I do have bergamot I prefer it on a Chinese base. The main scent to me is fruity candy. A big sniff of the tin brings to mind a wonderful tangerine tea I had long ago plus American Smarties. I have heard of a powder candy in Britain they refer to as sherbet but seems to be something they dip lollies in. That might be similar to the flavor of our Smarties, so if anyone has tried both things, please let me know if they compare! Layer that with lavender and bergamot. If that doesn’t appeal to you, may I have your tin, please?

I am so happy right now.

1 sachet (full leaf within) to 300mL water @90C steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.

Definitely not getting the soapy thing that many others have. Then again, the floral scent here, ylang-ylang, is in just about everything from soap to body wash to lotion to shampoo …

The citrus gently cuts the floral, and the black tea base is, once again, decent-to-good, as it should be for the price.

I love floral teas, so this totally works for me, The contrasts blend into one delightful and very smooth yet complex tea.

I’ve kept the bag in … at 5 minutes, the tea really starts to take over.

Out of their Earl Grey influenced teas, I liked this one the best. Easy everyday, early morning wake up tea! Just perfect for the spring that’s coming soon (it’s less than a month away!!) It’s just a hint of floral, kind of creamy tasting. Might try to have it iced. On the fence of ordering again. Glad I tried it!!!

First try of this tea. I have a lot of Kusmi and have never been disappointed—this was no exception. Great base tea, and very light floral. Nothing jumped out at me, just overall lovely floral mix.