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“On first sip the smoke is almost too much, about half that of a Lapsang, but erasing other tones. Later sips bring all the other flavours to bear. While heady and strong when drunk black, it can...” Read full tasting note
“I cold steeped this overnight and it was quite smoky. Like, not quite lapsang levels of smokiness, but definitely maybe-this-got-contaminated-with-some-lapsang kind of smokiness. It was ok, I had...” Read full tasting note
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On first sip the smoke is almost too much, about half that of a Lapsang, but erasing other tones. Later sips bring all the other flavours to bear. While heady and strong when drunk black, it can stand up to a lot of milk and sugar, so doctor as you see fit.
One of the best preparations is Vietnamese style, with a tablespoon of condensed milk. There are few teas that can stand up to the fattiness and sweetness of condensed milk, but this tea makes it lovely. When prepared this way the smoke and bitterness recedes, bringing out more of the malty and stone fruit flavours. It also takes on caramel tones and an almost dark maple hint.
I have found that this tea is spectacular for blending. 1/5 of a tsp to 4/5 tsp Kenyan CTC Milima will add a complexity to the caramel and copper notes. Very soul soothing on a winter night.
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Malt, Pine, Plum, Smoke, Wood
I cold steeped this overnight and it was quite smoky. Like, not quite lapsang levels of smokiness, but definitely maybe-this-got-contaminated-with-some-lapsang kind of smokiness. It was ok, I had it with some sausages and veggies for lunch which kinda worked out, but… meh. So then I took the steeped leaves (probably 4-5g) and decided to try resteeping them with boiling water (10oz mug steeping) and after 3min I had quite dark, malty, smoky, slightly piney brew. Not bad. Then steeped them again for 4min, and it was very similar but lighter. I don’t know, it’s ok but… I’ve had other keemuns I like better.
I guess it doesn’t matter too much since Teayama seems to have gone quite decisively out of business. They might have actually been sued out of existence by Teavana for trademark infringement! (http://www.cba.org/CBA/sections_IP/IP_CLS_2014Sept/Default_Judgment.aspx) Fascinating.
My goodness, what corners of the earth has teavana not reached? also, I’ve never thought of cold-steeping a smokey tea! interesting.
When I picked it out to cold steep I was thinking, “there’s a black tea I haven’t had in a while”. So I was a bit surprised by the smoke, though I definitely noticed it last time I had this tea as well. :) I like blending smoky teas with chai or spicy teas, which might be what I try next with this one.
