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“This is a good mass-market introduction to smoked tea. It’s got some rather artificial smoke notes in the beginning, and a woodsy intermediate that goes to a dry tannic finish. Nothing too...” Read full tasting note
“I bought a box of this a long while ago and didn’t remember that I didn’t like it until I bought another box. Brewing this hot is rather uninspiring if you’ve had a good smoky and smooth Lapsang...” Read full tasting note
“As it cools, the pine notes come out. When it’s warm, there’s smoke and campfires. Astringency, yes, and sugar isn’t helping. I can’t sweeten the smoky aroma. There’s nothing wrong with it. ...” Read full tasting note
“I decided to try this tea on my then boyfriend, now husband’s recommendation. This is the first lapsang souchong I’ve ever tasted and so far it’s the only one. The flavor came to me as a bit of a...” Read full tasting note
Lapsang Souchong, also referred to as smoked tea, is one of the worlds’ oldest and most distinctive black teas. The tea is grown in the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian Province of China and is made by only a select number of estates. Once a very secretive process, Lapsang Souchong is prepared using the same manual techniques today that have been passed down from generation to generation. After the tea is plucked, the leaves are withered over cypress or pine wood fires. They are later placed into barrels so that the smoky aroma intensifies. As a final step, the leaves are placed into flat wicker baskets and positioned on bamboo trays over smoky pine fires, where they dry and absorb even more aroma. The finished tea leaves are thick and black and when steeped in hot water, produce a rich tea with a unique, smoky taste.
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This is a good mass-market introduction to smoked tea. It’s got some rather artificial smoke notes in the beginning, and a woodsy intermediate that goes to a dry tannic finish. Nothing too complicated or nuanced here. It’s the training wheels on your smoked tea bicycle.
Smoked teas in general are rather divisive. I am a fan but my partner says they smell of barbecue sauce. It is rather off-putting to some, which I definitely understand. For me, this was the gateway tea to more sophisticated smoked blends. I have heard Twinings reformulated this blend in the orange box into something awful in a new black box. I won’t bother trying the new blend since I have some upleasant Palais de Thes to get through and thus have enough upcoming tea tragedies.
Flavors: Pine, Smoke, Tannin
I bought a box of this a long while ago and didn’t remember that I didn’t like it until I bought another box. Brewing this hot is rather uninspiring if you’ve had a good smoky and smooth Lapsang Souchong. I don’t mind trying a bagged tea as they are easier for traveling and go cups.
I also don’t drink a lot of iced tea, its not something I gravitate towards, it seems un-natural to water down my tea. But we’ve had some hot days here and we started boat tours this week so I need something cool to sip on while I blather on about the history, rocks, plants and big horn sheep in our canyon. So I gave this a shot, brewed it hot in my go cup and added ice to the top. Wow that mellowed this tea out. Now its just mildly smoky and can stand up to 8 oz of ice. Not bitter at all. I’ll finish what I have, but won’t be buying again. Iced its not that bad, hot its barely drinkable.
Flavors: Smoke
Yeah, I just refrigerate my teas that I want to drink cold because I hate the idea of watering them down!
I not only don’t like the “watering down” aspect, but no matter what I do the ice always seems to make the tea taste like freezer scum. Blech. I usually cold brew (dump tea in mason jar with cold water, leave over night, strain next day) but occassionally will brew hot, dump in a mason jar, and stick in fridge.
If I’m going to make an iced tea, I brew it stronger and then pour over ice so it’s being “watered down” to the correct potency if that makes sense?
As it cools, the pine notes come out. When it’s warm, there’s smoke and campfires. Astringency, yes, and sugar isn’t helping. I can’t sweeten the smoky aroma. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a mild tea with a heavy dose of smoke that doesn’t balance the intensity of the smokiness.
The 4/10 is for the fact that the smoke seeped out of the package and made my entire tin of mixed teabags smell of smoke. I’m airing out the tin so I can re-close it.
I decided to try this tea on my then boyfriend, now husband’s recommendation. This is the first lapsang souchong I’ve ever tasted and so far it’s the only one. The flavor came to me as a bit of a shock. It’s very smoky. Like drinking a campfire smoky. And the black tea base is very strong. I know it’s probably not the best lapsang souchong out there but given the bold flavor I have to say it’s definitely an acquired taste. I can only drink it when I’m having Chinese food, and only when I’m in the mood for it with my meal.
Flavors: Astringent, Burnt, Smoke
