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drank Anastasia by Kusmi Tea
1737 tasting notes

I had no idea that Russians were/are obsessed with Earl Grey. I say this because all of the tins in my Russian collection from Kusmi contain black tea scented with bergamot! My first foray into the set is Anastasia, which smells just like a fine Earl Grey in the dried form.

The liquor is a dark red amber, and the flavor is more floral than citrus to me. Perhaps it is the power of suggestion, but I do believe that I am tasting and smelling a bit of orange blossom in this blend. I like Anastasia: a nice combination of citrus and floral aromas and flavors. I drank this, my very first glass, with light cream.

I forgot to taste the tea before adding cream, so I’ll have to wait until next time to attach a number to Anastasia. The black tea base does seem better than the average Earl Grey—both China black and Ceylon are included—but I need to taste it au naturel to be sure.
Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec
6 comments
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boychik
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You are right. Russians were not obsessed with EG. But we always liked tea with fresh lemon and cubed sugar. I like Anastasia a lot. Nowadays I have it when we have some company. Usually with Russian pastries

sherapop
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Thanks boychik, I appreciate this insider perspective. Now another question for you: Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy? ;-)

boychik
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If you would ask me like 20 yrs ago Tolstoy. Now I think I’m leaning more towards Dostoevsky. We were forced to study them in middle school mostly. I think it was wrong and gave wrong impression. I wasn’t mature enough to appreciate.

sherapop
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Interesting, boychik! I’ve always been a Dostoevsky gal myself. I enjoyed reading Anna Karenina, but I especially love Dostoevsky’s psychological insights and existential perspective. Needless to say, we in the United States were not forced to study these authors. I found them myself.

I wonder whether anyone will be reading such long novels a century from now, when every human being will have developed ADD from attending to their gadgets…

boychik
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Well if you like some unusual reading I can recommend you Michael Bulgakov “Master & Margarita” . If you decide to read it some history lessons needed 1917 revolution and aftermath. Till probably 1939.

sherapop
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Thanks for the recommendation, boychik!

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Comments

boychik
Delete

You are right. Russians were not obsessed with EG. But we always liked tea with fresh lemon and cubed sugar. I like Anastasia a lot. Nowadays I have it when we have some company. Usually with Russian pastries

sherapop
Delete

Thanks boychik, I appreciate this insider perspective. Now another question for you: Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy? ;-)

boychik
Delete

If you would ask me like 20 yrs ago Tolstoy. Now I think I’m leaning more towards Dostoevsky. We were forced to study them in middle school mostly. I think it was wrong and gave wrong impression. I wasn’t mature enough to appreciate.

sherapop
Delete

Interesting, boychik! I’ve always been a Dostoevsky gal myself. I enjoyed reading Anna Karenina, but I especially love Dostoevsky’s psychological insights and existential perspective. Needless to say, we in the United States were not forced to study these authors. I found them myself.

I wonder whether anyone will be reading such long novels a century from now, when every human being will have developed ADD from attending to their gadgets…

boychik
Delete

Well if you like some unusual reading I can recommend you Michael Bulgakov “Master & Margarita” . If you decide to read it some history lessons needed 1917 revolution and aftermath. Till probably 1939.

sherapop
Delete

Thanks for the recommendation, boychik!

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I have fallen off the “tea log boat”, as I am now in New Zealand and was really flailing about for a while, having depleted all of my Chinese and Japanese green tea supply! Fortunately, my first order of 2015 has now arrived! I should begin writing very soon about tea at my new blog, sherapop’s tea leaves. Please stop by and contribute your ideas—all viewpoints are welcome!

A long-time tea and perfume lover, I have recently begun to explore the intersections between the two at my blog: http://salondeparfum-sherapop.blogspot.com//

The scent of tea can be just as appealing as—sometimes more than—its taste! Tea also offers boundless visual beauty in its various forms and states of preparation.

A few words about my ratings. In assessing both teas and perfumes, my evaluation is “all things considered.” Teas do not differ very much in price (relative to perfumes or any luxury items), so I do not usually consider the price when rating a tea.

What I do consider is how the particular tea compares to teas of its own type. So I might give a high rating to a fine herbal infusion even though I would never say that it is my favorite TEA. But if it’s good for what it is, then it deserves a high rating. There is no point in wishing that a chamomile blend was an Assam or a sencha tea!

Any rating below 50 means that I find the liquid less desirable to drink than plain water. I may or may not finish the cup, depending upon how thirsty I am and whether there is another hot beverage or (in summertime) a source of fresh water available.

From 50 to 60 indicates that, while potable, the tea is not one which I would buy or repurchase, if I already made the mistake (I have learned) of purchasing it.

From 60 to 70 means that the tea is drinkable but I have criticisms of some sort, and I probably would not purchase or repurchase the tea as I can think of obvious alternatives which would be better.

From 70 to 80 is a solid brew which I would purchase again.

From 80 to 90 is good stuff, and I probably need to have some ready at hand in my humble abode.

From 90 to 100 is a tea (or infusion) which I have come to depend on and look forward to imbibing again and again—if possible!

If you are interested in perfume, you might like my 2400+ perfume reviews, most of which have been archived at sherapop’s sillage (essentially my perfumelog):

http://sherapop.blogspot.com/

Finally, please note that after a great deal of debate with myself, I have decided to use the cupboard here at Steepster as a “museum” of sorts—to commemorate all of the various teas which I have purchased and truly enjoyed since December 2013.

I do not currently possess all of the teas listed in this cupboard, but am using the function as a way of recording how many times I drank every tea which I did own at some point and wish not to forget. Teas found both in my “cupboard” and on my “wishlist” are those which I did own and intend to restock. Teas best forgotten have been removed from the cupboard once depleted (in some cases tossed…).

I have also decided (beginning in 2015) to use the tasting note function to maintain a chronological record of the teas I’ve consumed since December 15, 2013. Most new reviews will now be posted directly at my blog, sherapop’s tea leaves.

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Curio Bay, South Island, New Zealand

Website

http://salondeparfum-sherapop...

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