Lapsang Souchong New Style

Yeah, baby!
It’s drizzly outside, raining on & off. My house is heated with radiators (water, not steam), so it’s nice & toasty in here. I’ve been practicing on & off all morning, taking breaks to teach when a student shows up, & now I’m finishing off my lunch. I’ve drank some other teas, & will try to post them, but for now, I wanted this one, & I’m loving it! This cool weather really makes me want something smokey & rich, & this is it!
Some Lapsangs taste like somebody added liquid smoke to the tea, or like you’re at a BBQ. Not this one. The smoke is subtle, & it’s buttery & sweet! A nice caramelized brown sugar taste, & I didn’t even add maple syrup! Delicious!

Thanks, Sil, for the sample, & if you want to split a larger quantity with me, or with our BBB, THAT would be awesome!

mmm dexter was kind enough to rehome this one to me as it wasn’t her cup of tea and i seemed to enjoy it the last time i had it. I have to say…yes. Bumping the rating up a little because it really is a great smokey tea with maple. this plus maple syrup is really damn good and was perfect yesterday in the COLD! haha

Final Count yesterday: 166 (plus the travelling tea box)

Currently sipping gongfu. 5g in the porcelain pot, water off boiling, no rinse.

This tea is a bit deceptive once it finally gets going. I didn’t bother with a rinse since the tightly twisted leaves mixed with golden velvet tips are very small. Ten seconds for the first steep was not enough; I would’ve gone longer. But once the tea opened up, the aroma was very rich and reminded me so much of a Laoshan black with chocolate syrup, molasses, tobacco, pumpernickel, brown sugar vibes.

I was a bit confused with the first several cups because the intensity of aroma didn’t translate into taste. It seemed rather flat but also like it might be a good enough quality tea with long-lasting tongue tingles. Kind of a brisk mineral-forward taste mixed with clean redwood bark and whispers of dried fruit and chocolate after the swallow. Steep times really need to be pushed to get a good body which also brings out a nice, soft bitterness. Once I realized that’s what the tea had to give in this session, I let go of the underwhelmed feeling. That’s when I noticed the qi. It’s heavy, warming and drowse-inducing, perfect for this drizzly evening. I suspect this tea may be past its prime but I’m enjoying it. Thanks for the winter warmer Togo :)

Rainy season has finally arrived! To think a little over a month ago we were on fire.

Song pairing: The Boxer Rebellion — Fear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=832OhxFvxKc

At first, I did two quick infusions, which yielded a nice and easy to drink tea with a good balance of woody, malty and sweet flavours.

For the third infusion I upped the time and temperature, as a result of which the pine notes were enhanced and the tea possesed a very enjoyable bitterness to counter the sweetness.

The cocoa and coffee notes I only noticed in the smell (cocoa in wet leaf, coffee in the liquor), not really in the taste.

The aftertaste has a bit of a sheng vibe to it, very vibrant with hints of fresh herbs like thyme.

Overall I found it to be much fresher than the smoked versions of LS and I prefer that. Also, this tea has a fairly strong cha qi for a black tea I reckon, it can warm you up on cold days (like today).

Time to try another lapsang! I must say, I’m a bit nervous for this one after not liking the lapsang from TeaVivre, but too bad! This is a sample from Dexter. The leaves are extremely small and short, and quite thin as well. They so smell quite smoky, but it’s a pleasant smoke like a campfire combined with smoked meat.

Hm… The steeped tea has a much stronger smoke smell, and it’s veering more toward charcoal but still has some of that savory character. Hm… Well I definitely prefer this one to the other lapsang I tried. I still don’t love it, but it’s better. There’s a strong woody flavor (which makes sense) and it reminds me of scotch a bit. I wish there was more of that smoked meat that was in the aroma, the smoke here is much harsher and it’s almost mineral. I added a touch of maple syrup, and it definitely does make this much more tasty.

This LS is magical. It’s not harsh charcoal ashtray flavor. The smoke is subtle to compliment the chocolate notes. But it’s there. I would compare it to a chile spice dark chocolate which brings chocolate to a new level.

Half way I added tiny bit of maple syrup. OMG. Maple syrup is meant for smoky teas( thanks Terri and Sil)
But… But maple syrup masked that slight minty flavor which was surprising too.

I did resteep@5min. It was very very good. This time I didn’t add anything except I had small piece of cheddar on a side.

Very enjoyable experience. So happy I picked this tea on recent 50% sale.

Western 3G 8 oz 205F
3min/ 5min