Prince Vladimir

I had this tea for the first time in Paris of all places (!!), and I don’t know if it was the overall Paris experience that sent me over the edge, but this tea is so perfect. The packaging is so well designed too! I’d never tasted any thing like it, and indeed, it is wonderful on its own or with a small dash of cream and honey. The citrus, vanilla, and bergamot blend together beautifully. I can imagine drinking this both in winter and summertime. Finally found a loose leaf tin for a reasonable price at Monsieur Marcel’s at The Grove in Hollywood, CA. Thank you Kusmi!

As my other tasting notes indicate, I’m a big fan of Kusmi teas. Given that this is listed on their site as one of their most popular teas of course I was obligated to give it a go. I can honestly say I’ve never experienced a tea quite like Prince Vladimir. From the initial aroma to the final brew, it is a decidedly unique tea. In fact, the first time I opened the canister in the presence of one of my friends and he had a whiff, he asked me if the contents were legal!!! Like most Kusmi teas, the final brew is very smooth with virtually no bitterness and the spices are easily discernible on the palate with or without adding sugar or milk. In my opinion it is the unique nature of this tea that is its most endearing quality (as opposed to the taste alone, which is still quite good). Its always fun keep some on-hand to expose my “non-hot-tea drinking friends” to “something different”. This is just a fun tea, period.

Prince Vladimir makes a nice cup of tea.
It’s very light, sweet and refreshing.
The vanilla in the tea makes it smooth and easy to drink, very relaxing.
I had it black but I imagine it would be just as nice with milk and something to sweeten it (honey, sugar, etc.), though it would make the tea more heavy and I would assume you would have steep it a little long so the flavour of tea is not lost to the milk.

This tea was delicious both with sweetener and just as it is. I loved the smell and think I will try to brew it for a bit longer, as I wished for a bit more taste. I also want to give it a go with milk or with lemon, to see what that brings out of the tea.
It smelled lovely and tasted very good.

I love Russian blends like this one and Kusmi really is a great option for those who look for a true Russian flavor. One can’t avoid thinking of Samovars and Winters in Moscow. I always add at least some sugar to my cup, but this is obviously a matter of choice.

Spices. Nuttiness. Warmth. Autumn in a glass. I love this tea, especially when it’s cold outside. I couldn’t see myself enjoying it in a warmer climate or during the summer. It tastes like sitting by a fire.

Wonderful black tea. The brewed tea smells like Coca Cola to me. For some reason, the cloves in the tea make my mouth feel like I just ate an Atomic Fireball candy.

My family was in Paris and randomly stopped in the Kusmi tea shop for a quick lunch. I was extremely hesitant to try any of the teas, because they typically don’t add milk to them in France and I usually dump so much milk into my tea it’s almost the same shade as my porcelain mugs.

I have a high sensitivity for bitterness, and this tea is literally the only tea I’ve ever been able to drink without adding copious amounts of milk to it. It’s light and creamy with hints of cinnamon and a definite citrus flavor, which I love.

This is a tea I would whole hardheartedly recommend to anybody who likes flavored citrus teas. It’s simply fantastic.

When I serve several Kusmi teas at my annual borscht party, this one is always the favorite. Some guests sweeten it with a bit of Earl Grey jelly.

Relatively lightly flavored black tea, very nice. Nicely balanced fruit and spice.