sophistre

sophistre drank Lapsang Souchong by Golden Moon Tea

So…RELIEVED.

I was so afraid that brewing this was going to make my house smell like cigarette ashes. I don’t smoke. I can’t stand the smell of it. More than that, I’m actually allergic to nicotine, so it weirds me out on a totally different level than I think just finding the smell unpleasant would weird me out. Thank HEAVENS that isn’t what this brewing produced. To me, this is campfire. Campfire and the pungent, tart scent and flavor of pine sap. I don’t have any trouble whatsoever locating the pine in this, which is…really quite the unusual sensory experience. It’s a completely independent flavor from the smoke. I can even taste the tea after I swallow each sip.

This is another one of those teas that brings to mind instantaneous memories for me, all of them connected to cabins and wood stoves, most of these enjoyed alongside a feeling of utter boneless exhaustion at the tail end of long day of snowboarding. It makes me think offhandedly of the trips I took to Mesa Verde when I was living in Colorado; some of the old Anasazi cliff-dwelling areas still have fire pits that seem as though they’re going to be stained forever with this sort of scent, where the red rocks have been blackened for all time.

I didn’t expect to like this, but I hoped that I would. I definitely do. I don’t know how much of it I would find myself wanting, but I could easily see myself adding this to my order. It’s so…cozy. So curl-up-on-a-futon-in-front-of-a-fire cozy.

Now that I’m getting halfway through the mug and it’s cooling slightly, it’s becoming surprisingly sweet on the finish! I really didn’t expect that. I thought I was going to have to add milk and sugar to this at the very least, and I haven’t added either, because I’ve been too interested in the flavors to risk covering them up. That’s a good sign.

Yeah. Yummy. Quite believably not for everyone, but I think most tea-ites recognize that lapsang souchong is a love it or hate it affair. I can’t even say that I like it broadly yet; for all I know I might just like this one…but I do like this one. Hallelujah.

2010-01-23 17:45:43 -0500

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Harney & Sons The Store 2010-01-23 18:14:41 -0500

Lapsang Souchong is one of the best black teas ever! It’s easily accessible and the flavor is just amazing. We refer to it as standing next to a bonfire, so we’re all on the same page. If possible, I’d recommend looking for the other kinds of Lapsangs and Souchongs, like Maocha Souchong and Wuyi Shan Lapsang, both high end smokey teas from the Wuyi region in Eastern China.

sophistre 2010-01-23 18:38:38 -0500

Oh, wow. I didn’t realize there were different kinds. And so…Lapsang and Souchong are two different things? Is the Wuyi Shan Lapsang an oolong? O.o

Robert Godden 2010-01-23 19:40:05 -0500

Once you get bitten by the LS bug, you’ll drink it all the time

Harney & Sons The Store 2010-01-23 23:04:20 -0500

Lapsang Souchong actually originated in the Wuyi area, but of course can be produced elsewhere. The Wuyi Shan Lapsang is another Chinese black tea, of higher quality, dried over the same types of smoking pines. Wuyi refers to the region of growth, processing and production.

Maocha roughly translates to “rough tea” or rather tea that has been plucked, and immediately put through the wilting, bruising and then drying process. Many raw Pu-Erhs are Maocha. Maocha Souchong simply meant that it was a rough tea that was not specifically dried over the smoked pines, but rather.. infused with the smoky flavor during the processing, giving it a much milder smoky flavor, allowing the brute of the flavor to be the raw tea.

Both these other options will sport the same great smoky flavor that we love, putting a stronger emphasis on the tea flavor itself, using the smoke as a backdrop.

I hope this helped, cause I feel slightly more confused after writing it!

sophistre 2010-01-24 06:10:21 -0500

It did help! I’ve got a lot to learn, and every little bit helps. Thanks for the information. :) I’ll have to track them down to give them a try. This morning my kitchen still smells like a campfire…thinking I should’ve thrown the sample packet away, whoops. Good thing I like this stuff! Kind of sad I don’t have any left, actually…

teaplz 2010-01-24 23:59:49 -0500

I find it HILARIOUS how divisive this one is! Part of me is really disappointed that I didn’t like it. I really wanted to like it! takgoti sent me some of Samovar’s, so maybe I’ll like that better… or maybe I just need time to “acquire” the taste for this one and get over the fact that it’s savory and smokey. Because I tend to like smoke in other things! And I liked Scarlet Sable… hrm.

sophistre 2010-01-25 07:28:09 -0500

Everybody’s palate is a little different. It’s definitely not a subtle cup. Maybe you’d dig on the Russian caravan tea? That’s like…lapsang, keemun, and…one other tea, isn’t it? …Now I’m not sure. I wish like heck that Andrews & Dunham accepted AmEx. x.x I’m really interested in trying their Caravan from series 3.

Harney & Sons The Store 2010-01-25 07:54:19 -0500

I think sometimes the 3rd part of RC is Formosa, though ours is just Keemun and LS.

Welcome to Steepster, an online tea community.

sophistre

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