Smoky Spice Black Tea

This unopened three-year-old sample bag of tea magically turned up yesterday as I was heading out for a day of meditation. Oh hurray and happy days! I love this one and the smoky cardamom spice worked beautifully on a bitterly cold day. All the flavours are in perfect balance. Exactly what I needed. I am currently on day two of this and enjoying it immensely. A profound help in dealing with the kid shrieking next door intermittently throughout the day.

Have we discussed tea and mental health?

Also, why don’t I have more smoky teas? They are such a delight to have on hand when needed.

See my full review on Sororitea Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2017/03/30/bonfire-in-a-cup-smoky-spice-from-52teas/

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – November 2023 Tea #3 – A smoky tea

It’s in the name!  There was an awkward amount of leaf left, and I’d rather have a too strong cup of chai rather than two steep sessions that are disappointingly weak.  So into the infuser it all went.  I do not regret it!  I probably should have been using more leaf the entire lifetime of the tea.  It’s much better stronger.  It’s slightly smoky while having a sweet aspect to it.  A decent amount of spices and then I can also tell there is some of the honeybush flavor peeking through.  I just noticed there was also vanilla bean in this one and somehow I always miss tasting vanilla in all 52Teas blends. I think I will raise the rating from an 82 because this is a well balanced blend (and again, I bet the overleafing usually improves a tea IMO.) I am extremely behind on my sipdown goal, which is a given, as I’m still away from the majority of my tea collection.   
2023 sipdowns: 93

Smokey spice black tea by 52teas review.

Ru Yao dragon teapot gongfucha.

Dry leaf: spicy, star anise, cinnamon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKI_Q8oBz0F/

Wet leaf: same but intensified.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKI_UxYhdKF/

Light steep: I taste/smell; light —→ cream, cinnamon, basketballs?, brand new nike shoes? Both In a good way. Note: Must have lapsang souchong in it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJAffiB2Qw/

Medium steep: I taste/smell, light cream. Medium —→ cinnamon, basketballs , brand new nike shoes.

Heavy steep: I taste/smell; medium cream. Strong —→ cinnamon, basketballs, brand new nike shoes.

All in all a very yummy tea. Nice blend and lovely cha qi. I rate a 100 even though I’m not much for blends.

There must be some lapsang souchong in there. I love that tea.

Many thanks to Anne of 52 teas for the free sample.

Extra photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/BKI_IfThyfT/

admittedly i’ve had a litte wine now…so i’m not focused on this note. omgsrsly sent this to me and indicated on the bag that i should have it as a latte or nogtea…so i did. and it was goo esp once i added a little vanilla sugar to the mix.

…also jr mints + red wine = happy place for Sil.

Final Count: 164

Soooo. When Bear With Me mentioned this tea I had to get a packet of it as well. It sounded so intriguing! And I thought the “Secret blend of spices” bit was cute and a little cheezy.

Opening the bag, it’s kind of intense. The spices and lapsang mix to give almost a meaty scent. If you do not like smoky teas, stay away from this one. FAR away. Srsly.

Steeped for my standard time, it smells like a campfire. OMG, so good. Campfire and some spices. This is not a usual chai. I think I have to add some milk though. The weather is pretty perfect for this tea right now too. Although it got nice and warm today, now that the sun’s gone down it’s nice and crisp outside and I can smell that people are burning wood fires in my neighbouhood.

Letting it cool as recommended is hard.

Whoa.

This is seriously a smoky spice tea. There’s really nice smoke. There’s spices toasting in a cast iron skillet. There’s charcoal briquette BBQ going on a bit too, with everything rubbed in the toasted spice mixture.

I think I like it. Definitely not your usual tea. And actually fairly smoky. It’s almost as smoky as the Murchie’s Russian Caravan that I loved with maple whipped cream. So I might have to get some heavy cream and mix some up have with this tea.

(2 tsp in 12 oz for 3 min at 195F)

I was sure I’d like this the moment I read the description. Ever since I’d tried a lapsang souchong, I’d wondered how a lapsang chai blend would be. I steeped this mostly according to the instructions. The temperature didn’t quite make it as high as recommended, but it was a temperature I like to brew at. And after letting it steep for 4 minutes, I let it cool while I took a shower (probably longer than the recommended 10 minutes)

This chai is a little different, I’ll grant, since it’s heavy on the cumin (I think cardamom is usually the most predominant flavor I get from most other chais), but I do get a bit of the chai flavor, and the warmth of the cumin blends beautifully with the smokiness of the lapsang.

I think I’m going to want a larger bag of this one. Or two. It’s so fiery and warm. And again, different from anything I’ve had before.