What is your favorite smoky flavored tea? Need suggestions.
I wish I read this thread before trying Lapsang Souchong….namely had tried milder smoky teas to get used to the flavor.
I also wasted money on Lapsang Souchong, but love Keemun. The one I drink the most is Keemun #1 from Teavivre. It isn’t the best, but is a good value, and is quite smoky, but nothing like the Lapsang Souchong. Some Keemuns have very little smoke.
LOL Actually it was in a sample pack from Teavivre, got it for free in return for reviews:) I am thinking sometime after Christmas there are some more teas from Teavivre that I’ll be ordering, hopefully
Surprising as it may be, but the stronger the smoky aroma of the dry leaves, the lower the grade of the Lapsang Souchong you’re sampling. High-grade Lapsangs are milder on the smoke, and have a beautiful, complex taste. The best can even take a little bit of milk. So when choosing your LS, try to take one that isn’t very in-your-face compared to others. The alternative is to go for Keemuns or Keemun-based blends, (e.g. Twinings’ famous Prince of Wales).
As for Gunpowder, there are so many varieties of that, I wouldn’t count on dry leaves smell at all. I’ve tasted one that was all smoke and turned out to give a very mellow, sweet taste with no hint of smokiness. Of Chinese green teas, Pi Lo Chun is sometimes described as having a smoky taste (but not aroma). A low grade Pi Lo Chun will have that in spades, while higher grade ones will have progressively more complex bouquets.
I like houjicha, it’s a roasted green tea. If you get one with a heavy roast, it’s quite smoky. Also low in caffeine.
this is an excellent, outside-the-box suggestion! and reminds me…it’s not smoky per se, but kukicha, which is the twigs of tea leaves, is good as a naturally low in caffeine alternative to coffee for after dinner—again, not smoky, but it has that satisfying roastiness you might be looking for as well. i really like both hojicha and kukicha and am a big fan of smoky teas (lapsang souchong, russian caravan, baker street afternoon blend, smoky earl greys, etc.), yum.
Russian caravan as a blend varies so luxj from each brand. Last one I tried was loose leaf from Fairway market. Its more fruity then smoky. Lapsang souchong, if its high quality is not that great on its own. I blend it with keemun and Dian hong, just like Caravan Triad from Brooklyn tea blends. My wife could not stand the smell of bagged lapsang, but she drinks caravan triad non stop with milk and without.
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