Lapsang Souchong Wild Black Tea (Ye Sheng Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong)

Wow! I was unsure how this one would be because the normal flavor profile of a lapsang souchoung is not really my favorite but this is great, really something unique. It has a chocolate, caramel, dark honey flavor with no bitterness or astringency! Definitely worth a try!

I had a good chuckle when I checked to see what this Teavivre sample was, and saw it was the unsmoked Lapsang that ashmanra and LuckyMe recommended to me a few days ago. Didn’t remember I’d grabbed it… oy vey.

Anyway — yes, this is nice. It’s so sweet — reminds me a little of LP’s Shui Xian Hongcha that leaned toward stevia. I get some almond meat/amaretto, roastiness, sweet potato, malt, cocoa dancing in the background. Caramel in the bottom of the cup.

Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | May 2023 | National Eat What You Want Day: Drink what you really want!

I’m a day late with this prompt, but oh well!

This is barely a sipdown because the sample I grabbed from the TTB last year had just two small servings in it. But I’ve been saving that final tiny serving!

As I was rooting around in my box of caffeinated teas this morning, I couldn’t decide what I wanted. Nothing appealed. And then, suddenly, I knew exactly what I wanted! It took me a moment to find where I’d stashed this packet, but now I am drinking this tea at my desk with the window open, listening to the birds chirping and singing loudly right outside. The tea is just as good as I remember it.

I just saw a goldfinch, the first of the season! It’s sunny and warm and it feels like spring. I’m happy right now.

2023 sipdown count: 34

Quite nice tea on a Saturday night. Most unique black tea I’ve tried so far.

Dry leaf: orange zest.
Wet leaf: wet earth, malt.
Taste: tangy, orange.

There’s just something about a tea when you know Sir Patrick Stewart wanted it on Star Trek instead of Earl Grey that adds an extra bit of Geekiness to the whole affair. Seriously this is some great tea.

I ended up buying 100g of this because I loved the sample so much. This tea is just so delicious. I’ve realized this is really my ultimate black tea- sweet potato, brown sugar, and a hint of white floral. As such, I’ve raised my rating to 100. I could drink this tea everyday without getting sick of it, with is pretty rare.

Sipdown! (23 | 96)

I’ve been neglecting my straight black tea samples. Well no more!

This is very yummy. It has a rich malty, bready flavor and a thick body. There’s a little touch of savory that reminds me of smoked meat or something similar. But also here is a creamy, starchy honeyed sweet potato sprinkled with dark muscovado sugar, and a tart yet deep syrupy dried cherry note.

Such an interesting combination of flavors! It’s a highly satisfying tea that makes me feel as if I’ve just eaten a small meal. And the sweet potato with the dried fruit and deep sugar tastes like autumn in a cup!

Happy National Compliment Day! Unsmoked Lapsang Souchong is one of my very favorite teas!

I’ve technically reviewed this before, under the listing for Dazzle Deer (as I hadn’t realized at the time they wholesaled from Teavivre), though I’m fairly certain that was a 2017 harvest (review is here: https://steepster.com/mastressalita/posts/379074 ). This is an April 2018 harvest of the same tea, which I bought from Path of Cha, which, like Dazzle Deer, also wholesales a small selection of Teavivre items, so you don’t have to buy freaking 100g at a time (which I refuse to do).

Used 2.5g of tea for 350ml 195F water, steeped for 3 minutes. The aroma of the steeped tea is warm spices, honeyed oranges, and a slight smokiness that, when combined with the sweet citrusy scent, reminds me of BBQ sauce.

The flavor is warm and inviting. It’s a bit malty/bready, with a lovely light smokiness, and some notes of sweet potatoes, honey, orange peel, and a very subtle hint of cocoa. It has such a lovely, smooth liquor.

While I don’t like this unsmoked lapsang as much as the sample I had from Whispering Pines once (that particular one had this amazing rose note to it), this is still a staple Chinese black for me.

This one is tasty! I’ve always steered clear of Lapsang Souchong due to the smokiness, but since this one was marked unsmoked, I picked up a sample.

The flavours here are malty cut through with hints of a coppery-ness.

DIY Advent Calendar – Day 22

Sipdown (320)

Thank you for sharing this one with me Sil. I noticed the smell of it was not overly smokey but instead it had almost a malty cocoa smell. That took me by surprise. And when it continued through the taste I was even more surprised. So surprised that I even checked the package to make sure it was the right tea. This is my surprise favorite of the day! It’s just so cocoa-y and bready. If someone brewed this for me and didn’t tell me what it was, I would never guess it’s a lapsang. There is hardly any smoke at all. Plus, it’s reminding me a lot of Jiri Horse by teabento. Yum!