Lapsang Souchong

I’m new to trying teas. I perhaps should have been more cautious when choosing a type. It tastes like a bonfire. Not a fan.

My first Lapsang Souchong and second time drinking it. Very different from most of my other options but very lovely nonetheless. Strong smoked smell but much more mild taste. Very earthy with no discernible bitterness. Reminds me of a campfire or a fire in a hearth. Not my everyday drink but certainly an enjoyable option when I’m looking for something a little bit different.

I haven’t posted a tasting note in a while. The reason is my teas were piling up again and I needed to consume some of the ones I had to make room for new containers in my cabinet.

I found this Harney & Sons Lapsang Souchong at the local Fresh Market for an exceptionally good price. I’ve seen some comments on Steepster that this product may have been discontinued. That could explain why its price was too economical to resist.

All of the Harney & Sons teas that I’ve experienced and bought by the pound have been great values for the price. I was highly hopeful that this one would continue that pattern.

When I broke the sealing tape and opened the black metal tin for the first time, my nostrils were filled with a strong but pleasant smokehouse aroma. It smelled very natural and without the presence of “helpers.”

I steeped the medium-length dark brown leaves for five minutes at 212 degrees. The finished color was orange-gold. The odor was deliciously smoky without making me want to open windows for fresh air.

The taste of this tea was absolutely exquisite. The smoky attribute was definitely the dominant player but there was also a striking, yet delicate, sweetness to the brew. These two flavor forces were extremely smooth and savory. Astringency was non-existent and the aftertaste was lasting but congenial to the end. The last time I partook of a sweet and smoky combination this perfect was probably two years ago when my wife brought home a honey-baked ham.

I have absolutely nothing derogatory to write about this tea. It was completely satisfying from my first to my fourth cup. I sincerely hope that Harney & Sons does not discontinue this tea. It would be a tragedy for Lapsang Souchong lovers everywhere.

My first Lapsang Souchong and I very much enjoyed it. It has a very sweet smokiness that is hard to describe. Very cozy and one of my all time favorites.

Here is another blast from the past. I somehow completely forgot this one. I have had 4 ounces of this tea sitting around for awhile now, and after packing some up to take to a friend, totally forgot I had any left. Luckily, it hasn’t faded in storage.

I ended up preparing this one gongfu. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 205 F water for 5 seconds. I followed this infusion up with 13 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 8 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted powerful aromas of char, cedar, smoke, and pine tar. After the rinse, each of the above aromas intensified. I also caught slight hints of malt and cocoa. The first infusion produced a similar, albeit slightly maltier, smoother bouquet. In the mouth, the expected notes of char, pine tar, cedar, and woodsmoke were balanced by notes of malt, cream, cocoa, honey, and roasted barley. Subsequent infusions saw the smoke, tar, char, and wood mellow and the grain, malt, cocoa, cream, and honey notes become more prominent. I was just barely able to detect a hint of maple syrup on a couple of these infusions. The mineral note so common to lapsang souchong also appeared at this point as well. The later infusions emphasized mineral, pine tar, and woodsmoke notes, though I could still detect faint impressions of malt and roasted barley on the tail end of the finish.

I was not expecting much out of this tea for whatever reason, yet I ended up being pleasantly surprised. It was a very woody, smoky, malty lapsang. I could see it being a good morning or afternoon tea on a cold day. Though it was not the most complex or sophisticated lapsang souchong I have tried (I found the layering of flavors to be a little too unrefined in places), it was still good.

As smoky as this one smells from the tin, it actually brews up into a balanced cup, with a round sweetness and a slight salt-and-pepper flavor underneath the smoke.

The second steeping is, frankly, weird — the smoke becomes thinner and more acrid, the pepper note grows more dominant, and the sweetness disappears.

I just ordered a pound of the stuff, so I guess I like it.

Edit: Bumping up the score on this one, I really love this stuff. Might just be my desert-island tea (although it would probably be weird to actually drink on a desert island).

When I first tried a Lapsang Souchong, it was too smokey for me. Then gradually, after a while of mixing it with other teas, I got more used to it. Now it’s at the point where I can drink it by itself, and it’s even one of my regular morning teas! In terms of this Lapsang, it’s got wonderful flavor. I like my teas to have a heavier mouth feel, so I often blend this with just a little bit of Harney & Sons East Frisian, which I definitely recommend.

First of all, this is my first experience will LS so I really have no idea what a good LS is supposed to taste like. Someone else in the comments said that this tea would taste really good with smoked salmon and I agree. I can see myself really enjoying this in certain contexts, like during a blizzard or sometime I want to feel badass and manly while drinking my tea. However, on a lazy Sunday it was just good. Fine.

I brewed it for 5 minutes as the company suggests, and I found it to be much milder than I expected. Next time I am going to either brew it for longer or increase my ratio of tea leaves to water.

Everybody in the club!

How is your tea journey? I just discovered a great tea class from Adagio (http://www.teaclass.com/) that has been helping me get perspective and insight into how tea is made and what differentiates different types of tea. I’ve also been taking notes, so if you don’t want to go through all the lessons you can take a look at my cheat sheet – www.bit.ly/1ESq0yP

I’ve reinforced how important water quality is, and I’m looking forward to expanding my palette/training my smell and taste. I’ll need a cupping set at some point as those seem pretty nifty. Very happy with the Breville, however, it’s sometimes hard to finish 500mL in a sitting each time. What say you, fellow Steepsterites? Any experience with more formal tea tasting?

Lapsang Suochong is a black tea originating from the Wuyi region of China’s Fujian province. After frying and rolling, the tea is placed into bamboo baskets hanging over smoking pine fires. It’s really amazing how so much of that smoky flavor is absorbed into the leaves themselves and are capable of being transferred back to the boiling water that we use in our homes halfway around the world.

If you’ve never tried a Lapsang Souchong, I do encourage picking up a sample, but be warned. They are not a typical tea. It really is more of a smoked bacon beverage.

And again, check out my notes @ www.bit.ly/1ESq0yP

Today I just decided to go for this one with maple syrup for the whole mug since I loved that addition the last time. I normally never add anything to my teas, so this is a change, but I like it.

Just a touch sweet because of the syrup, but I love the added dimension that it gives the smokiness. I think I’m done after one mug of it, though.