I had a friend over this weekend for a tea party and an excuse to catch up. As we discussed tea, she told me how one of her greatest favorites is a nice Lapsang Souchong. Knowing that I had just received a sample of this tea, I showed it to her and she immediately wanted to try it!
I enjoyed the smell of the dry leaf quite a lot. It’s mildly smoky and chocolatey. I could tell it would have a hearty flavor. It reminded me of camping trips with my family and standing around the fire as the tenuous breeze would blow the smoke onto each of us in turn.
Once I brewed the tea, I was a little less optimistic. The smokiness had become a much stronger aroma than it was with the dry leaf. Like when the wind puts the smoke from the fire on you alone for too long, to the point where you have to move. Unfortunately, the flavor, for me, was much the same. Almost like I had inhaled too much smoke. It reminded me more of liquid smoke than tea. So, personally, I wasn’t a big fan of this.
My friend with me loved every sip and refilled her cup 3 times. So it’s definitely still a nice tea, but just doesn’t fit my tastes. If you are interested in it or have a particular love of Laspsang Souchong, definitely give this a try!
