Lapsang Souchong Star (Organic)

Resteeped as well, yummers. Preferred the one that Cavocorax sent me from Tea Desire, though.

I love the “open bonfire” smell, but the taste was weaker than I expected.

Following a suggestion on here, I added some steamed/frothed milk. Now it’s definitely…different! I’m still undecided on it, though.

WOW this tea REALLY smells like a campfire. I love it! There’s something else in there too that I can’t quite pinpoint. I was surprised when I steeped it that the tea smells as strongly as the dry leaves do. The taste is just the same, it’s like drinking that campfire smell. Which is kind of weird, you know? But I think if I had it a few more times I could really start to enjoy it. I see other people have compared it to a bacon or jerky taste and I think there is something vaguely meaty about it. This is just soooo smoky and leaning towards too bitter for me. Now I’m curious to try other lapsang souchongs.
Also, weird fact: lapsang souchong is mentioned in the song Beautiful World by Colin Hay, a song my friends and I would listen to when we used to go camping!

I have been searching for a Lapsang Souchong for a long time. I have tried many but never found one that really works for me because I like the smoke flavor but I don’t want to feel like I am drinking thinned out barbecue sauce and I also want to be able to taste the smoke. I’d almost given up but then I figured that I would give in and try David’s Tea’s Lapsang.

I think this may become my go to Lapsang Souchong. It’s a midpoint between steeped smoky death and just barely smoky. The smoke was pleasant and not at all artificial tasting. The tea also didn’t have that astringent, bitter taste that the other brands I tried had. It tasted like Johnny Walker Double Black which is just about the best thing in the world. I think this may just be my favorite straight black tea.

My only issue with this tea is I was unsure how to drink it. I usually drink my tea with a touch of sugar but that didn’t seem right with this one. I did add a bit of lemon zest to the tea after I brewed it. I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the lemon. Any ideas?

Still hurts my brain thinking about it…

I am a huge fan of Single Malt Whiskeys to the fact its what I drink when I am not drinking tea. So immediately after smelling this tea I knew I had to try it and to be honest I do not know where I sit with it. This is a very basic tea as it is not really ‘flavored’ even though it has the smokey taste to it, as everyone knows this is a byproduct of the drying method for Lapsang Souchong.

Dry the leaves are your typical black Chinese tea leaves, nothing out of the ordinary. One whiff of the tea and you will have flashbacks to times you have gone camping or childhood memories if you grew up in a house heated by a wood stove. This tea has a complex peaty smoke aroma to it that is just awesome, I honestly walked around the DT store smelling this tea while browsing stuff, yes I am aware I need help!

The moment you steep the tea it really cuts back on the smokey aroma but it is still present. The brew is a very dark tea, almost black from what I could tell, sadly I was too lazy to wash my clear mug when I brewed this one. It has a similar complex peaty taste as one would expect from whiskey but seeing as it is a water based drink of a alcohol based drink it is missing all the other components of whiskey that a true connoisseur would be looking for. It was a good tea, but I am highly undecided on it, simply because as a whiskey drinker my taste buds go “Hey it’s whiskey” then my brain goes “Shut up stupids is just Lapsang Souchong” Before I totally dismiss this tea I will try it mixed with some of my Oh Canada, as it apparently makes a maple bacon flavored tea.

When I was a kid, I remember my Mum served us a Lapsang Souchong after a family dinner one night, and we all hated it so much that the very mention of the name today is still enough to make my sisters pull faces.

But I am brave, and much cooler than them, so when I started to see recipes that suggested using Lapsang Souchong to impart a smoky flavour to the dish, I was intrigued.

Now when I smell that distinctive smoke from this tea, it hits me in the same spot as the smell of baking bread, or macaroni and cheese. It’s completely comforting, and makes me want to snuggle up with a cup of this and a book and read late into the night.

The smoke flavour profile in this one seems to be lower that whatever it is that I had as a child. It’s definitely strong, but not like drinking a cupful of ashes. The tea adds a nice astringency, and the smoke lingers in a very toasty aftertaste.

I think I can consider myself a convert. I don’t think anyone here would see this as an everyday tea, but it’s an evocative experience in a cup, and I’m a fan.

purists are going to be horrified by this, but because this tea isn’t particularly strong, to bring out the flavour a bit more by way of contrast, i sometimes add lavender & i find the combo delicious. if you are someone who likes sweet smoky, this might be a way to invigorate this tea if you have a bunch of it left (like i do).

I was very hesitant when I brewed this for the first time, this morning. In the bag, the smoky smell is so intense, I felt like I might find some ashes at the bottom of the bag. It did remind me of the old woodstove we had when I was young, but somehow, the idea of drinking something that reminds me of a woodstove wasn’t that appealing.

Brewed, the smell of the liquor is almost as strong as the dry leaves, and I was still suspecting the leaves might have been coated with ash (hey, you never know!). But drinking it is a totally different experience. The smokiness is definitely there, but it is not overwhelming at all (as it was when smelling). The balance between the taste of the black tea and the taste of smoke is perfect for my taste, just like good smoked salmon has a smoked taste without masking any of the salmon (it actually compliments it in a great way). It remains quite an unusual tea flavour and is definitely hard to compare with other kinds – flavour-wise, it just stands on its own.

This tea makes my upper lip quiver in longing of a fine, curly moustache. The first sip I ever had of it was the best, the first cup so perfect, so warm, so affirming – like a pat on the shoulder from Ron Swanson. No cup since then has been the same.

Let me start by saying that this tea has an extremely strong smoky aroma, reminiscent of bacon and campfires. But don’t be put off by it! Once steeped, the aroma is slightly muted. The taste is smoky and comforting. When drinking, the muted aroma reminds me of the smell of old books, and I feel compelled to curl up in a big comfy chair, with a book, while drinking.

Lapsang Souchong has officially taken place of Hojicha as my favourite smoky/roasted tea. Complex yet simple, strong yet subtle, it’s a paradox of a tea, and is my new go-to for when I’m feeling sad.