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Sirentian drank Traditional Smoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong * Lapsang Souchong Black tea by Yunnan Sourcing

261 tasting notes

Finally, two years later in my tea journey, I’ve returned to this tea. Brewed at 200˚F, but I think 195 or 205 would’ve worked too.

I had to venture out into the world of Indian teas and British high teas to appreciate this tea: like a CTC, this NEEDS to be drunk with milk and sugar. It is robust enough to hold up to these additions, and then it becomes a lovely companion to any high tea of sandwiches and pastries. I will finally be finishing this tea and enjoying it!

Will probably purchase more Assam teas in future to fill this role, but some of my guests really love the smokiness of this tea so I’m glad I have it.

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C

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Bio

Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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