Lapsang Souchong

I’ve had so many lapsangs lately but I thought I would give this one a whirl too, to see how it stands up to the competition!

The aroma is very smoky – woo! This tea certainly packs a wallop. The aroma is definitely that of a campfire I would say. The aftertaste is definitely not as sweet as some I’ve had so I’m missing that a bit, this is more like liquid smoke all the way!

I thought I would try adding some soymilk to this but I accidentally got vanilla soymilk at the store instead of my normal plain. Could not resist the urge to try it with this tea, it actually isn’t too bad… ha ha

There’s something about a lapsang that seems strong and fortifying. I thought this was pretty good but there’s a few I like better right now.

I feel the need for some smoky tea.

It’s weird, it’s kind of like wanting a cigarette, though I can’t imagine that now after having quit about 14 years ago. I wonder if there’s nicotine in lapsang souchong. ;-) Golly, I hope not. It’s scary, because breathing in the smell of the dry leaves in the sample packet is rather like taking a long drag. It’s calming. They’re very smoky. A little salted meat smelling as well. I feel like I could tap my cheek and watch a chain of tiny O’s float skyward after inhaling this.

After steeping, the aroma is significantly calmer. Much less like smoked meat, or even smoked wood. There’s a piney, woody smell that is mellower than pure smoke. The color of the liquor is somewhat lighter than I expected. A light to medium amber.

The tea is gently smoky, not intense or tarry. It’s been a while since I had the GM lapsang, but this is similar in feel and character to the way I recall the GM lapsang being. It’s pleasantly sweet at the finish and in the aftertaste as well. There are woody, piney tastes and something bread like at the end of the sip.

Maybe it’s just the mood I’m in today, maybe it’s just been a long time since I had lapsang and was craving it, but I’m loving this right now. It’s really hitting the spot.

I have the wonderfully generous and beautifully kind QuiltGuppy to thank for my sample of this tea.

We all know that Lapsang Souchong teas are smokey, but the aroma of this tea dry gives my smoked salts some seriously smokey competition. The smokey aroma lessens a bit as the tea steeps. At first sip this tea is, you guessed it, smokey. This develops into a slightly peppery and far less smokey body, and then to a nice savory finish. The black tea is very smooth and not the least bit bitter. This is a very good tea, but I have to admit that I’m not a huge Lapsang Souchong fan in general. However, I do find myself wanting to marinate shiitake mushrooms in it. Add some diced shallots, olive oil, a splash of mirin, a little tamari… yum!

On a side note, my puppy really seems to enjoy this tea. I’m having a weird busy morning, so I decided to have leftover yellow curry for breakfast. Leftover yellow curry and a cup of Lapsang Souchong makes for a dicey breakfast combo at best. Well, I left my questionable breakfast unattended for a moment and my puppy apparently figured out how to jump onto the cocktail table. When I returned, he had eaten a few big bites of curry and lapped up a good 1/4 cup of my tea. I called my vet, because I worry, and he’ll be fine. BUT my afternoon may prove to be very interesting… I can hear his belly gurgling now :/

When I was younger I had a very nasty Lapsang experience.
I only recently started purchasing them again, because it was a tea that my coffee drinking husband had shown some interest in.
I purchased this and then a Lapsang from Mountain Rose Herbs.
I enjoy the polite or elegant Lapsang from MRH over this one.
This one seems a tad rough or harsher to me.
I am glad I started with the other Lapsang though, because I can appreciate this tea and enjoy it when I am sharing a pot of it with my husband (who declares this tea..“Now this is a Manly Tea!”)
I just noticed that the smokiness in this tea almost tasted a little bitter compared to the last tea which the smokiness was smooth.
I feel rather silly doing this review since I have only three Lapsangs to compare too, and one of those was over 10 years ago and terrible (or my taste buds hated it at the time, maybe it was not all the tea)
But, this is not a bad Lapsang, maybe not one to try right away as a beginner of Lapsangs.
To all those Lapsang Lovers out there, I am supposed to ask you if there is any stronger Lapsangs than this one from H&S…apparently if there is a more manly Lapsang out there, my Hubby wants to know about it. (long suffering sigh inserted here)
Brewed in my Bodum for 4 minutes.
The color is a beautiful amber.

This is an excellent Lapsang Souchong. Good, strong, stick-to-the ribs heartiness. I’ll reorder. It might be the best LS I’ve tasted thus far.

The tropical white stuff is great and all but I’m freezing and it’s time for something a little more hardy. This one was another sample gift from Doulton.

I tried smelling the leaves in the little envelope, but I’m not entirely certain half of what I picked up wasn’t really just the envelope. I did find an awful lot of smoke down there though. A dry aroma, and a bit rough. Quite nice. I’m looking forward to a strong smoke flavour here.

After steeping it’s very smoky! Like really prickling the nose smoky, but there’s a sweet, almost honeyed note underneath, laying the bottom for the aroma.

Tastewise, this is very smoky! But it’s not rough as such, not the way the aroma was. It’s way smoother than you might have thought and I’m a little bit disappointed by that because I was rather looking forward to something RAWR! and it’s only a mini-rawr.

But it is a nice lapsang.

I didn’t actually drink this, but I’m logging it anyway. Harney & Sons (the store) really went above and beyond the point of generosity. Emeric sent me some teas they decided they didn’t care for and not only did they not want anything in return, they sent me a sample of one of their senchas and… LAPSANG SOUCHONG CHEESE! I completely flipped out when I saw this.

I decided to christen my taste buds w/ a simple grilled ham and cheese so I didn’t over power the cheese w/ a bunch of other flavors- a thin layer of mayo on each side of the bread, cheese on each side of the bread, and one piece of ham on good french bread and toasted in our George Foreman machine.

I think this is the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. Honestly, I’m not too thrilled w/ the cheese right from the wedge because the cheese itself is a little strong for my personal taste (I have no clue what kind they use), but when melted it’s perfect. Both the taste of the cheese and the tea (although I wish they’d use a little more) hold up to the sandwhich instead of just being a glue that you can’t really taste. Normally the only cheese I put on grilled cheese is pepper jack so I think next time I’ll add just a pinch of red pepper flake to my sandwhich. And maybe some cooked red peppers. I normally put roasted red peppers (the kind in the jar) on it, but I think the brine would be too much. I served this w/ a 2nd infusion of maple sugar black tea and it paired wonderfully w/ not only the smokeyness of the lapsang souchong, but the flavor of the cheese itself. I’ll wait til I can actually rate the cheese individually, but this cheese gets a 100 in my book!=D

brewed a big strong cup and used it to poach salmon. Came out moist, juicy, and slightly smoky. Hooray for Lapsang Souchong, which I just can’t drink, but do enjoy cooking with.

_{Brew temp 208}

I HATE the heat.

Although I love hot sauces and spicy food, hot weather and I do not get along. Cold Miser? I’m more hard-core than him-I’d be happy to never have a day above freezing.

Anyhow, living in the States usually guarantees hot summers and for some reason I love Lapsang in the summer. When it gets really hot (like today) I can be sure to sit outside and drink a cup or two. It’s like I’m saying to the heat “Bring it on!”

This is a good solid Lapsang. Campfire smoky. Not tarry. If you absolutely must be so overwhelmed with smoke as to require a respirator, this is probably too mild for you-it’s more of a middle-of-the-road smoky.

Right now, I’m starting to think Lapsangs are like local Chinese take-out/away restaurants in the States. Sure, the restaurant/tea company name is different wherever you go, but the menus/flavors are all pretty much the same. Maybe some minor variations, but not enough to be noteworthy. It’s reliable, inexpensive, and predictable. Now, sometimes predictable is a good thing-very reassuring. However, I’m hoping to find something that keeps the essence of Lapsang but is a little more unique in its flavor. I really like Lapsang, so I don’t mind trying different ones in hopes of finding something distinctive. Only bought an ounce of this, so I’ll try something new soon.

Mmmm. Liquid campfire. Perfect for the coming of fall. Added a touch of brown sugar and maple for a super yummy treat. :)

I bought this to mix with Keemun, but it is excellent all by itself. Its very smoky but not overpowering like the twinings tea bags. I added 1/4 tsp of splenda and its a very comforting tea on a very cold day here in Maine. I love smoky tea and would not recommend this tea to anyway who is not so inclined.

My favorite tea in the world, but definitely an acquired taste. Also it’s a great deal. After having this tea at Samovar Tea Lounge while in San Francisco, I was hooked. I was determined on getting some of my own. After looking on their website I saw that the tea was $13.00 (on sale from $16.00) + $7.00 shipping for the 3.5 ounces. However when I was ready to purchase the tea a week later it had disappeared from the website (discontinued?). Either way, I decided to look for another option and found Harney and Son’s Lapsang Souchong at $19.00 for a pound of tea, (4.6X’s as much tea for only $6.00 more). It’s every bit as good as it was at Samovar and at a great price.
However, a warning to first-time drinkers, this tea taste exactly how it is described: smokey. Tea connoisseurs much like wine snobs always insist that a tea/wine “has a hint of” this or that, but sometimes it takes a pretty refined and trained palate to know what they’re talking about, without just nodding your head in skepticism. Not so with Lapsang Souchong, it literally is like drinking a campfire. As a vegetarian I like to refer to it as my “bacon tea”.

Very smoky. Reminds me of genmai-cha

It’s warmer out today (41!), but I’m drinking this anyway. Smooth, smoky, and a discussion piece at the office (because everything smells like smoke). :-)

I could sit here an smell this tea all day! This is one on the stronger Lapsang Souchong’s I have smelt. Very strong smoke/resin/salt smell. It seems that most people either love or hate this style of tea. I guess I’m lucky enough to enjoy it. Being a fireman probably helps. It reminds me of this strong hickory smoked salt I use to rub on steaks. Maybe I’ll try adding this to a rub.
Anyway, on to the brew….Brewed for 5min. @ 212F
Still strong smoke in the nose, but the resiny smell has just about fully fallen to the back. Lightly brisk and fairly thin mouthfeel. Flavor is great though…smokey, woody, and tree bark. Very straight forward example of the style. The wet leaves are broken between 1/4" to 3/8" in size.

What a deal! $5.00 for a 3oz tin. I will defiantly be trying their Lapsang Souchong #1…It is a early picked Lapsang and is supposed to be sweeter.

Went to Harney Soho this morning and tried this tea. It is truly the scotch of teas. Fantastic smokey flavor that doesn’t leave you feeling like you just drank smoked wood. I loved it so much i bought some! This will certainly become a new constant in my tea cabinet.

I am drinking this on this rainy day and it is great

Did not like this one. Had a strong … smokey smell? And a woody flavor that did not appeal.

Smoke and spice. Mostly smoke.

I personally love the smokiness. I tried to give my Chinese co-worker some and she smelled and said no. She had never turned my tea away before!