Anastasia

A bit bitter

This tea is extremely strong and can be overwhelming. On the other hand, the flavor is especially nice if brewed not too strong. It has an earl grey, smoky, sweet flavor. I first tried this at a cafe and had to have it. I enjoy it from now and then, but not every day because of how intense the strength is.

This one came from my Kusmi sampler, in one of the cute little tins they use for those. I’ve had no problem with the others, but I couldn’t open this one, try as I might. I had to get my Dad to take a look, and in the end he managed to pry it off with a spoon. It was a struggle, though, and a little odd. Anyway, this is actually the third time I’ve tried this one now. The first two were in my Timolino, and I didn’t log them because I was rushed and harassed when I drank them, and because I couldn’t recall the flavour very well later.

My third cup is getting a fairer reception. I was expecting an Earl Grey with a combination of citrus flavours, but that’s not really what it’s like. The base tea is a pleasant Ceylon, with its own citrus notes, and it brews up quite strong. I added a splash of milk to make it palatable. To taste, the main flavour I’m picking up is a fresh but slightly bitter lemon. After that comes the bergamot, but not as strongly as I expected, followed by a semi-sweet orange blossom flavour that’s actually very pleasant. There’s apparently supposed to be lime, but I can’t taste it at all.

While I like this one well enough, and find it a drinkable tea, I’m also a little underwhelmed. I wanted stronger, brighter citrus flavours on an EG/Ceylon base, and that’s not really what this is. It’s a half-hearted EG at best, and a little too bitter for my tastes. The initial lemon is nice, as is the orange blossom end note, but it’s fairly blah in between. It’s a tea I could drink any time of the day, but it’s not especially remarkable. There are definitely other Kusmi blends I prefer, not to mention other EGs, other citrus teas…

Interesting name. I would have thought a tea named Anastasia would pretty much be lemon though. I’m not really a fan of citrus teas. If I liked citrus I’d probably like this. Like the cloth tea bag. That’s different. Tried to like this one bit really don’t. Not enough bergamot for an earl grey. Can’t even really taste it.

Anastasia was my first tea from Kusmi and my ultimate favorite of their venerable Russian blends. In fact, Anastasia inspired me to explore Russian tea and Russian tea culture more extensively – And what a deliciously beautiful exploration it has been!

This tea makes me want to sing!

“Anastasia, Anastasia
Beautiful stranger
Step down from your star
I only know I love you so
Whoever you are!”

I’m sorry I’ve kind of been neglecting Steepster as of late. Between unexpectedly having to stay in the city for a lot longer than anticipated, walking 20+ kilometres per day, and never being around to actually drink tea, I feel like such a stranger to this wonderful place right now. Hope everyone’s summers have been fantabulous!

Onto this tea. I ordered this last time I was at Remedy rather than having one of their legendary chais, which is kind of crazy, but come on, they put me in a difficult position! While they have the greatest chai in Canada (I’m sure!), they also carry a wide variety of loose teas that no other cafe in Edmonton does. On their tea wall, you can find Kusmi, Løv, and Sloane, and probably more cool ones if I took more time to look.

This sounded like a good idea on a rainy day. Earl grey with orange blossom. Count me in. I let it steep for a few minutes as I walked down the street with the teabag still in the cup, not wanting it to forget about it and ruin it. It ended up just tasting like black tea with a hint of orange blossom and a whisper of citrus. It was so incredibly faint. The base was bold but not bitter, at least. Overall, it was an uninspiring cup. But I’m looking forward to going through that tea wall of theirs and trying more.

This is a review from about a week ago, as the page for this tea has been down.

This seems to be Kusmi’s version of a Lady Grey. It’s less intense than Twining’s Lady Grey, but has a similar “Froot Loopy” flavour. I don’t remember much else about this. It’s not remarkable, but it’s nice.

Monthly TTB Club.

This is a good tea, but not quite to my tastes. I prefer my earl grey with either a stronger floral flavor, or with vanilla or cream flavors. But I would recommend this to anyone who likes citrus black teas. It has a mild flavor, isn’t bitter, and the flavors come together well and taste very natural. I won’t restock, since it’s not my favorite tea, but I do recommend it for anyone looking for this kind of flavor.

For some reason, bergamot and I don’t always get along when it comes to tea. It’s quite hit or miss with me. I picked up an adorable sample tin of this sometime a year or two ago— it came as part of a sampler set. Though the teas were definitely of good quality, I wasn’t a huge fan of most of the others. However, I rather liked this one.

Smooth and sweet black tea base. The flavouring isn’t too overwhelming— the bergamot is tempered a little by the lemon, lime and subtle orange blossom notes. Quite comforting, like being wrapped up in a warm blanket.

Tasty! Would drink again. Would also pair with almond-flavor cookies.