It was a visually arresting window in a modern high rise on Third Avenue in New York… and on closer inspection it was a purveyor of tea! If you’ve read this blog long enough, you would know that I am a tea drinker, and don’t really care much for coffee. So I was intrigued by this store and the second or third time we passed it, decided to see what they had to offer. Set in a very modern, almost antiseptic white space, the colorful cans of Kusmi tea were almost jarring… I had never heard of the company before, relying on either Mariage Freres or simply my daily Twinnings Earl Grey for as long as I can remember…
It’s Mrs. MM that is more likely to try new blends, and with the variety on offer in this store, we got several tins of tea. They were all excellent. First, that clean taste of the base tea, then the layers of flavor, whether bergamot, orange, almonds, vanilla, etc. For the christmas holidays we served their Christmas Tea that had black teas, orange rind and essence, rose, vanilla and spices. Very uplifting. And I just took a whiff of the last few leaves in the can right now and it smells as fresh as ever…
Read a bit about their history here…
…the Teen and Mrs. MM browsing…
…and an impressive selection of green teas as well. The packaging is really unusual, tins you want to keep even after you have consumed all of the tea! Kusmi Tea website, here.
17 Responses
Nice looking tea boutique! Do they do tea tastings as well? I’m missing the Chinese tea houses..
haven’t heard of this particular brand of tea but i would like to try them. for now it’s ‘uji no tsuyo’ (japanese green tea) from the local supermarket. i love those kusmi-tea cans!
Tea gives you a variety of aromas and flavor….an English breakfast tea for breakfast…Lunch can be Lemon,Green Tea or Persimmon….a soothing tea for afternoon like Chamomile or Green Tea. After Dinner…hmmm…Raspberry or Bergammot….even Jasmine…such a wide variety for our picking…… Am glad we now have a wider variety here at home…very few when I was younger>
You mentioned Twinnings Earl Grey–is that a popular tea with Filipinos? I ask because it was the tea my mother (also from the Philippines) and I used to drink together when I was a child.
That is a stunning store!
I’m not really a big fan of tea, but I do love my Earl Grey, green tea (hot or iced), Thai iced tea, and Devonshire tea with cream. :)
I’ve been to the Montreal store on rue St Denis. I bought a sampler for my in laws. They love it.
The boutique is visually arresting. I personally like the Anastasia and the Detox teas from Kusmi. Wonder if these are sold in the PHL at this time.
Such beautiful packaging…I love this tea. Perfect pasalubongs for the sisters! Friedneurons…there is a place in life for a proper English high tea…God knows I’m slightly obsessed with finding the perfect place for it…but a real Devonshire cream tea is a magnificent thing :-) There is nothing I like better than to sit amidst the beauty of the Southern coastline of England and have a good pot of tea, a freshly made scone, homemade strawberry preserves and a dollop of that incredible clotted cream to lather all over it. Just the thought of a cream tea is making me smile :-)
I do love tea and here in Singapore there’s quite a few tea shop that sprung up over the years and one of them is TWG tea that also serves a stunning desserts and sandwiches https://www.twgtea.com/AboutTWG-Story.php
NY Giants won the super bowl.
I discovered this tea in Paris four years ago. I’ve been a fan since, and buy loads everytime I fly to the City of Light. I’ve recently found out Lane Crawford in HK now sells Kusmi tea but in limited selection.
Very colorful tins! I love tea!
i love tea! i droll just looking at all those tins of teas… hay would love to have one :)! thanks MM for the post
If you haven’t been there yet, do drop by the Museum of Tea Ware during your next visit to Hong Kong: https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Arts/english/tea/tea.html
They are also available at zabar’s. They sent me a sample and I’ve been a fan since.
Best and cheapest place to buy Kusmi tea in Paris is De Tou which has carried the teas for many years. I can only surmise that Kusmi has gotten a recent infusion of capital to be able to expand all over the globe. De Tou also the most extensive selection of baking ingredients.
I love Kusmi Tea! Its packaging is so cute. I like their Detox tea and Anastacia:)
For those looking for luxury/special tea in Manila, you should go to Fort Bonifacio. Hediard tea is sold in the store, The Cake Club. They sell both loose leaf tea and tea bags (paper and crystal form). They surprisingly have lots of flavors there, around 20, I think.
I normally like single origin tea but I quite like their different blends, especially their Blue Garden, Hediard Sencha Blend and their Vanilla Bourbon. They even have yellow and white tea there (first time for me to see those being available in Manila). I like their Darjeeling (really good quality!), Ceylon and Hediard Earl Grey as well. I love taking their tea with the matching dessert cakes in the restaurant :)