When Pavel started out in business, all he knew about tea was that it was something that his family drank all day long around the samovar. This bitter liquid was sweetened by a lump of sugar or fresh fruit placed in the mouth before taking a sip of tea.

In Russia, where tea had for centuries been a national beverage, the tea merchants had attained such perfection in the blending and flavoring that their blends became known as Russian teas.

Pavel learned about the tea that was imported into Russia at the time. A rarity in Europe, Russian tea was of excellent quality as it was imported overland and so saved from the ravages of damp caused by sea transport. The young man learned to enjoy teas from Yunnan with their taste of damp earth, and low caffeine Keemun tea. He discovered strong Assam teas and fine Darjeeling gardens gradually learning to make blends that satisfied every type of customer. Pavel created a number of blends for all tastes and times of day. Most of these blends still exist today and contribute to the richness of the Kusmi tea range.

In true peasant style, he numbered his creations so that today we can easily date the various blends. In chronological order, we have the Grand Yunnan N°12 and 21; the Polish Blend N°18; the Russian Morning N°24 in its red packaging, N°27 for the English taste, now called the English Breakfast, and Darjeeling N°37. “Caravan”, the Russian Evening tea, N°50, was named after the caravans of camels that brought the tea from China before the Trans-Siberian Railway opened in 1900. These teas were the first sold by Kousmichoff between 1867 and 1880. Then came N°108, Bouquet of Flowers in 1880, this was the tea drunk by the tsar right up to the Revolution. Then the Souchong Imperial N°110 in a black box, the Jasmine tea N°155, and the smoked China tea N°210.

In addition to these classic blends, Pavel also created a number of fruity teas using fruits, flowers and spices. Every Russian New Year he treated his customers to a special blend called Prince Vladimir, a happy blend of citrus fruit, vanilla, and spices. He created this blend in 1888 to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the foundation of Holy Russia by Vladimir the Great. The very same recipe is still used today to produce the most popular of Kusmi teas.

Around 1910 Viatcheslav made his own contribution to the company's blends with the Windsor and Victoria teas created in London that are still sold today. Viatcheslav's arrival in Paris marked a turning point in the history of Kusmi teas, raising them to the heights of haute cuisine. He created a whole new range of perfumed teas based on the available flavors to perfect his blends. Viatcheslav, and after him, Constantin, created a multitude of aromatic teas. The most famous is Anastasia, created in memory of the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the youngest daughter of tsar Nicholas, who was rumored to have survived the massacre that engulfed the rest of her family.

More recently, numerous new blends have been added to the Kusmi tea range: Kashmir Tchai, a blend of tea and spices, Green Tea with spearmint, the Spicy Chocolate tea specially created for the Salon du Chocolat, and Saint Petersburg, created for the city's 300th anniversary in 2003. Ginger and Lemon Green Tea has become a great classic alongside the new range of wellness teas such as the Detox Tea with seaweed and decaffeinated Earl Grey with citrus fruits.