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Kusmi teabags are getting ubiquitous on some trendy cafés. The selection is usually not quite exciting, but well, it´s better than Lipton. Except this one, I truly disliked it.

It being a teabag I am not quite sure what it was on it. Green tea for sure, and lemongrass absolutely. Steepster description does not mention any spices, and I thought I could detect some hint of something. Maybe I was wrong. But this tea was very wrong for the teabag in a mug and almost boiling water method: it turned out both bitter (the mate? the tea?) and I could detect a strong sort of seaweedy-fishy tone. I really disliked it. But OTOH the next one I tried, Boost, was a winner.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Ysaurella

you are breaking the heart of so many Frenchies who think this tea is the best Kusmi’s tea…this is one of their best sellers in France. Sure I won’t taste it now …I already had doubt about its qualities

cteresa

Maybe it was just not right for the way it was brewed – at a french chain bakery actually, Eric Kaiser, very lovely pain au chocolat though am a bit sad at their location which used to be a bookshop :( But I swear it smelled seaweedy, fishy to me. If it is only green tea, lemongrass and mate not sure what could be fishy about that but it did. Boost was quite nice though, though nothing extraordinary.

Ysaurella

oh God Kaiser opened a bakery in Lisboa ! It’s one of our best baker but by the way soooooo expensive. (I remember I found Lisboa expensive when I visited one century ago !)
Anyway sure tea shouldn’t be fishy ! they may have used a sencha ? senchas can be a little bit “seaweed” aftertaste sometimes

cteresa

They got two bakeries in Lisbon now, one a bit out of the way, and another right in Baixa, at Rua do Carmo. It was not too expensive, well not by standards of Baixa, which are now a bit geared towards tourists. IIRC tea was 1.80 (teabag in a mug. But still, cheap compared to some really poncey places where they charge you a lot more for that priviledge. Oh and bring the intact bag by the side of the cup full of hot water rapidly cooling.). The simpler pastries, croissants and chaussons aux pommes and pains aux chocolat were a bit less than 1.50€. A bit less than twice the price they would be in a regular place in an average town but pretty OK by tourist center standards. And really quite good pastries!

cteresa

And about Detox, that could be it indeed, I have been known to have some issues with some japanese greens. I saw some for sale the other they they talked of a “seaweed” note as if it were a good thing, really". And the method for brewing Detox was not too kind, a bag in a mug, that could be it. But I really really did not like it.

LaFleurBleue

One of my friend told me it was a fantastic tea; I’ve never had tea with him and do not really know his taste and whether he can be trusted on this.
I guess I’ll try you on this and will definitely not jump on this one, as I do not feel like taking risks with something that might be so vile.

cteresa

LaFleurBleue, be careful with this. It was just sort of rank to me. I will try it again if i get the chance, but am not recommending it to anyone, particularly you!

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Ysaurella

you are breaking the heart of so many Frenchies who think this tea is the best Kusmi’s tea…this is one of their best sellers in France. Sure I won’t taste it now …I already had doubt about its qualities

cteresa

Maybe it was just not right for the way it was brewed – at a french chain bakery actually, Eric Kaiser, very lovely pain au chocolat though am a bit sad at their location which used to be a bookshop :( But I swear it smelled seaweedy, fishy to me. If it is only green tea, lemongrass and mate not sure what could be fishy about that but it did. Boost was quite nice though, though nothing extraordinary.

Ysaurella

oh God Kaiser opened a bakery in Lisboa ! It’s one of our best baker but by the way soooooo expensive. (I remember I found Lisboa expensive when I visited one century ago !)
Anyway sure tea shouldn’t be fishy ! they may have used a sencha ? senchas can be a little bit “seaweed” aftertaste sometimes

cteresa

They got two bakeries in Lisbon now, one a bit out of the way, and another right in Baixa, at Rua do Carmo. It was not too expensive, well not by standards of Baixa, which are now a bit geared towards tourists. IIRC tea was 1.80 (teabag in a mug. But still, cheap compared to some really poncey places where they charge you a lot more for that priviledge. Oh and bring the intact bag by the side of the cup full of hot water rapidly cooling.). The simpler pastries, croissants and chaussons aux pommes and pains aux chocolat were a bit less than 1.50€. A bit less than twice the price they would be in a regular place in an average town but pretty OK by tourist center standards. And really quite good pastries!

cteresa

And about Detox, that could be it indeed, I have been known to have some issues with some japanese greens. I saw some for sale the other they they talked of a “seaweed” note as if it were a good thing, really". And the method for brewing Detox was not too kind, a bag in a mug, that could be it. But I really really did not like it.

LaFleurBleue

One of my friend told me it was a fantastic tea; I’ve never had tea with him and do not really know his taste and whether he can be trusted on this.
I guess I’ll try you on this and will definitely not jump on this one, as I do not feel like taking risks with something that might be so vile.

cteresa

LaFleurBleue, be careful with this. It was just sort of rank to me. I will try it again if i get the chance, but am not recommending it to anyone, particularly you!

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Inconstant tea drinker – I mostly drink tea when not too hot. I hang around steepster much more frequently in (northern hemisphere) cold season. Experimenting with cold steeping, for summer.

- Teas -

I like all sorts of tea, flavoured and unflavoured, though I am picky.

I am one of those people who actually loves Lapsang Souchong. I am not crazy about Earl Grey, in general. I don´t quite get Darjeeling teas, but I am exploring.

I like rooibos, though not all bases. I loathe hibiscus. I do not like fennel/liquorice/anise in blends or teas with chicory. I am picky about what I consider true cinnamon.

As you can probably tell from my cupboard, the brands I find more interesting right now are Mariage Fréres and Thé-o-Dor.

I am always willing to try anything new. I am now particularly interested in single origins.

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Portugal

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