Lapsang Souchong

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.

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.

Made a nice Thai-style soup for lunch with my sweetie; dropped an infuser with a pinch of this into the broth and it was simply amazing! Really enhanced the smokiness found in most Thai soy sauces.

It’s been cold and rainy for the last two days…making Lapsang the perfect compliment to the weather.

Seeing its supposed to be sleet and rain today, I figured a cup of nice smokey tea would be comforting. Bringing the campfire in the house….Is spring ever going to come?

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

Enjoying this on a cold day

Very strong smoky scent, of course. But, to me, this one is not overwhelming. The underlying tea has a lovely character which shines through – more like a dark oolong than like a black tea. Nice and mellow with a touch of briny saltiness. Leather and wood notes for sure, but with some slight hints of dark fruit as well. A great budget buy. I find that this is a tea I can drink on the regular.