Lapsang Souchong Organic

Well, this tea had a somewhat smokey taste…
I kid, I kid.

It was alright. I got it at Teavana, because they were selling the tea, and the tin it was in, at 30% off. It was a tempting combination of price reduction, my lack of Lapsang Souchong back in my dorm, and the fact that I always have room for another tin. Always.

Lapsang is always a good tea for the day-to-day, and a nice (and inexpensive) trick for inexperienced tea guests, to whom you can play the resident alchemist. Despite its characteristic scent, it’s not really much of a “special” tea in my book of tastes. Very distinct, yes, and probably the easiest black tea you could ever distinguish by scent, but the taste isn’t absolutely enthralling.

Evading classes today, mostly because I didn’t redraft my essay or annotate an article for English. Also, I need to catch up on sleep, because I failed to do that on my usual friday afternoon through monday break. So, I made a pot of this for myself and my roommate, who’s working on his second essay, something about relating a book to the philosophy of Nietzsche and some other guy, for class today.

Tea’s a little sour this morning. No fault of Teavana’s, just my own – I think the water was a bit under temp. What I will call teavana out on, is calling this “superior grade.” I’ve tasted some fine black teas in my time, and this is no SFTGFOP1, my friends. Not that I trust much of what Teavana says, anyway…

Fortunately for me, my roommate’s only tea experience really comes from me, so he won’t notice the poor brew. On that same note, the tea holds nothing enticing for him – he has no sense of smell. This time, I don’t kid.

In any case, this tea generally isn’t anything too exciting, once you get past the smell (which I, personally, like). I like the color, and the taste is pretty smooth for me. A good any-time tea, and Teavana can’t mess this one up TOO bad. One of the few teas I don’t have too many qualms with buying from them. On the other hand, maybe someday I’ll taste some absolutely astounding Lapsang, and have another reason to look down on this company.

In any case, I guess I didn’t talk much about the tea here. Oh well. Ignorant sippings away!

This has been my absolute favorite tea since I first had a cup of it. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you appreciate something different or something with a strong flavor, this tea is for you. Lapsang Souchong is quite an experience – first you’ll notice the smell, which is very smokey, thoughts of a campfire always spring to my mind. The taste combines the flavor of black tea with bacon or other smoked meats. Because of the connection with food, I tend to drink it with a baked snack or other food. I definitely wouldn’t add anything to this tea – drink it straight for the perfect flavor. So good!

For any other fans – have you tried any brand beside Teavana? I bought a large canister of it from there and have just about used it up – now I’m looking for another place buy from to compare. I have heard some places don’t use the authentic process of roasting though, I want to stay away from flavor-by-chemicals stuff.

Based on the smell, I was expecting this one to taste like bacon. The taste and smell are completely different. (Try holding your breath for a second while drinking.) Maybe next time I’ll add some salt.

I had to recover from two fairly poor tasting experiences, so I pulled something out of the cupboard that I was sure would set everything right in tea-world again.

This tea has all of the classic lapsang qualities; of course it’s “smokey,” “piney,” etc. What I love about it is that it LACKS any of the sourness or off-notes that I’ve found in a few other specimens of similar type. It’s actually difficult to explain the flavor of lapsang because you really can’t taste “smoke.” The closest I’ve been able to verbalize is a very faint tartness with a hint of rosemary. The black tea behind it is always bold.

This tea brews to a pleasant rust color and it literally makes my mouth water each time I drink it. The flavor and aroma hold to the very end. This is a really satisfying and consistent tea that I keep on hand for rainy days or wiping out bad tea memories.

Good, every day tea. Smokey smell, sweet taste.

Anyone else think this tea smells like Disney World / EPCOT Spaceship Earth’s Rome section?

smoky flavor and frargance. great!!!

Served: Hot
Smell: campfire, smoke
Flavor: mild plain black tea, strong sweetness from the sugar
Aftertaste: none

Lapsang Souchong is comfort tea for me, so I was thrilled to find Teavana carrying a solid version at a reasonable price. I’m also quite peeved that it’s been discontinued. It’s rather hard to find locally without getting robbed or getting something subpar.

Theirs has the right balance of smoky scent but smooth drinking. I tend to prefer it steeped longer than they suggest, but that’s because I like a strong cuppa. I have yet to wind up with a bitter brew. I always have it with a smidgen of sweetener, preferably something brown and earthy to complement the smoky scent, and a splash of milk. Take it easy on the extras, though, or you will overwhelm the tea’s natural flavor.

I loved the smoky rich flavor of this tea, but my officemates were very grateful when I finished it. Not for everyone.

So smokey, and very manly! Great for when you want to keep the girlfriend away.