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Lapsang Souchong Smoky Black Tea (Yan Xun Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong) from Teavivre
91

The last of my samples just arrived today from Teavivre – thank you again!

I know it seems like I was the only person on Steepster who was bothered by this, but I’m glad my samples all came in one large envelope this time instead of the little prepackaged samples each in giant envelopes. Yes I am fussy, what can I say. Go Mother Earth! heh…

I was glad to see this tea came from the Wuyi mountains and it has the characteristic smoky aroma that i have just come to love… yay! I did end up steeping this at a slightly hotter temp than what is suggested on the bag, they suggest 194F. The cup is a clear reddish/brown and was steeped via regular infuser mug method.

This is really nice! The smokiness is present but is definitely not overwhelming to me. The tea has a lovely, lingering sweetness in the finish which I really appreciate. If you don’t want to be overwhelmed by tons of smoke this would be a really nice one to try. I also feel like this has a slightly fruity element, a bit of peach albeit a pine smoked peach… yum. A bit of honey also and perhaps some cocoa? I would definitely purchase this one and may need to, soon!

If you’re not a fan of smoky teas, I doubt this will make you a convert, but I’m enjoying my afternoon cup very much. Compared to the Harney and Sons L.S. tea this is downright dainty.

I also got a respectable 2nd steep out of this, which is not as smoky but still good.

Thanks Teavivre for the cool samples. :)

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Comments

Bonnie
Bonnie 2012-05-29 17:58:52 -0400

Since you said it’s cool in S F today (like that’s rare!) L S arriving is Perfect!

Amy oh
Amy oh 2012-05-29 18:03:36 -0400

Very much so!

ashmanra
ashmanra 2012-05-29 19:27:17 -0400

Ooo, I got this one, too! And my samples came the same way as yours. Everything was in perfect condition, even the outer box. I am looking forward to this one. My youngest daughter likes smokey tea – she and I will probably have a special tea time for this together!

K S
K S 2012-05-29 21:16:08 -0400

I am a wimp. I turned this one down. If it has smoke in the name I get scared.

The Purrfect Cup
The Purrfect Cup 2012-05-29 21:49:28 -0400

Nice, I wish this had been in my samples, I love a good Lapsang!

Amy oh
Amy oh 2012-05-29 22:10:00 -0400

KS – I used to be like you but now I have converted!

ashmanra
ashmanra 2012-05-29 22:32:52 -0400

I dreaded my first Lapsang, but really wanted to try EVERYTHING. It surprised me, and I like many of them now. My fourteen year old loves smokey tea. Go figure!

Scott B
Scott B 2012-05-29 23:30:10 -0400

I got this in my free sample pouch today too-can’t wait to try it. Also broke down and bought Mark T. Wendell’s Hu Kwa.

Amy oh
Amy oh 2012-05-30 00:04:19 -0400

@Scott B – I love the Hu Kwa & hope you like it!

Scott B
Scott B 2012-05-30 00:29:10 -0400

Thanks, Amy. The Hu Kwa smells wonderful and unique, I will try it very soon!

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Profile

Bio

My profile pic is of a pink dahlia at Golden Gate Park.

Hobbies include: tea, making art, animals, vegan things, buddhism, nature, creativity, books, writing, cooking, meditation, yoga.

I am a fan of many different teas but my favorites are blacks and oolongs, also like darjeeling and pu-erh. I’n always learning and expanding my horizons!

Dislikes include: bergamot, jasmine, highly tannic or bitter teas, overly judgmental and bitter people. :)

Live in San Francisco, I’m a SINK (single income, no kids) and love the urban life, but traveling out to the middle of nowhere is always fun too.

I tend to not drink things I know I will hate so a lot of my tea ratings are on the higher side. Here’s my rating system, sorta

95-100 I love this tea and would like to keep it around

94-90 An excellent tea which I may or may not repurchase

89-80 Pretty good, above average

79-70 Acceptable

69-60 Mundane – Will probably drink it if I have it

59-50 Ick

49 and below Nasty

Location

San Frandisco

Website

http://sanfrantea.teatra.de

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