Any Lapsang is one of those things you either love or hate. It smells like leather, or a bonfire, or meat— or all of the above— and that’s kind of a turn off for a lot of people, but when you brew it up, it’s no smokier than a Russian Caravan tea most of the time. It’s great for winter. Good with sugar and milk. If you’re eating with it, don’t do anything too delicate— this is a tea for a fried breakfast, not for tea cakes (unless you have one hearty enough to dip without it falling apart; it’s good on a good buttery-sweet sort of cake).
Twinnings has a gentler one to start with. Stash has a bolder one to move on to. The ones direct from China are bolder still, and higher-quality tea makes them more complex.