What do you look for in a tea?

LOL, good answer!

Yumminess = critical. Lack of astringency = second most critical thing. Perhaps the third most critical thing is a bit of forgiveness with brewing parameters? I need teas that can be oversteeped/overleafed/brewed a bit too hot. Or at least, ones that don’t taste terrible if the water temperature is 2 degrees too high, or if they’re oversteeped by 15 seconds.

Totally a good call, Kittenna. I always tend to over-steep, either because I forget/get distracted or intentionally because I like my tea strong. I also can’t always get the temperature exactly right since I just push a button on my kettle and don’t use a thermometer. I get annoyed with teas that punish me for that. =) Basically I like it when my tea prep is an art, not a science.

It’s hard for me to admit this, but I’m finally coming around to the idea that I don’t have to like every type of tea. But it still bugs me! I’ve only tasted lapsang souchong once, and it made me physically ill. It also infected my mug for like two days, for which I kind of resent it. =) Seriously, though, if you have some suggestions for preparing it, not to make it more palatable but to help my own tastebuds learn, adapt and appreciate it, I’m all ears.

I don’t know if this will help, Nik, but I think LS is very much an acquired taste — kinda like limburger cheese. I was surprised at first that the taste was very different than the smell (for me at least). I didn’t like the smokey scent at all. (Someone I know tossed a brand new tin of Twinings Russian Caravan before even tasting it, based solely on its scent.) I tried to avoid the smell, at least until it was brewed, in order to drink it. Soon I began to enjoy the scent as well; and now I love it. If I were you, I would try to separate the smell from the taste (not easy, but it can be done) — if you don’t like either, then LS is probably not for you. If you like the smell but not the taste, try brewing the tea very weakly and see if you develop a liking for it.

Nik- you could always try a flash steep with the LS if its a bit much for you, I see now that cuppa already suggested weak brew :)

Thanks, folks! cuppaT, I don’t like the fragrance or the flavour (they were the same for me: smoke, smoke and more smoke), so maybe it’s just not for me. I think that I won’t go out of my way to try more, but if I somehow end up with a sample, I’ll give it another go. I’m sure there’s as much variety in LS as there is in any other type of tea, so no reason to write it all off because I didn’t like the one I had. I appreciate your input!

Nik, if you have any LS kicking around, try marinading meat/veggies in it! It’s my all time favourite cooking tea (though i love to curl up with a cup of it to drink too). Just a thought ;)

Thanks for the suggestion! But wouldn’t that just make the veggies taste smoked? That’s definitely not for me.

I like it for hearty veggies like asparagus, or other veggies that I normally grill on the bbq in the summer (but can’t when the rain comes). I usually do 1tsp LS leaves, 1c hot water, 1/2c honey, 1/2c low sodium soy sauce, and a couple tbsp of sesame seeds for a marinade. Let it cool to room temp, then add meat/veggies to it in a sealed container/large ziploc bag, and do meat for about 24hrs and veggies for 20-40 minutes. It’s a subtle smokiness, but definitely there. It’s not for everyone, but I really enjoy it

I wish Twinning’s Russian Caravan was still available.

The first time I tried Lapsang Souchong, I had a large sample sent to me by a wholesale company (This was in my early stages as a tea company) – it must have been 4 ounces. I opened it and was totally repulsed by its aroma. But, I still stuck it out and tried brewing it, and I hated it. I hated it so much that I had to throw out the whole four ounces – and that’s something I DO NOT like to do. I hate throwing out tea. But, I could not even stand to have it in my house, that’s how much I hated it. When other companies would send me their Lapsang Souchong, I wouldn’t even bother opening the package, right into the trashcan it would go. Even in my earliest months as a tea reviewer, way, way back when, I would throw out Lapsang Souchong teas and Caravan Teas because I knew I’d hate it.

Then, I tried brewing it in my gaiwan. A quick rinse of the tea using the same temperature water you’d brew with (in this case, boiling) – a 15 second rinse, dump that … this does WONDERS! Then I brew it the same way I’d brew any tea in my gaiwan. 45 seconds for the first infusion, 15 seconds each subsequent infusion.

You still get a rich flavor, but you don’t get the really HEAVY smoke essence. You will still get some smoke, but, not nearly as bad as you’d get steeping a Lapsang Souchong using other methods. And a little smoke is not bad at all, in fact, it’s kind of nice. It’s just when it’s REALLY smoky … when it smells and tastes as though someone dumped an ashtray in my teacup, that’s what I don’t like.

Milk + sweetener make LS delicious for me. Otherwise, the ones I’ve tried are just a bit much. I like smokiness, but can’t handle it terribly well straight.

Thank you for all the ideas, everyone. I think I have another smoky sample or three somewhere in my stash. I’ll give some of these suggestions a go!

If ya ever have to make yourself finish a cup then you aren’t enjoying it, very true. I enjoy many weird flavors and tastes so I try to find something to enjoy in all teas but sometimes ya just can’t enjoy one if it don’t suit ya.