Lapsang Souchong

The smell upon opening the bag made me hestiate to even try the tea. It reminded me of the smokey, peat bog reek of Islay scotch, I like scotch, but not that kind.
The first sip dispelled the imagined fear of it tasting like Laphroaig or Ardbeg. Reality wasn’t much better though. It was like liquefied ham or bacon. I’m not sure as I haven’t eaten either in 20 years. I was not thrilled with my tea tasting like meat water.
My husband who loves BBQ and scotch liked it, but I think I’ll pass.

This tea literally smells like liquid smoke. It’s almost overpoweringly so. The leaves are really long and curly especially when compared to a loose Earl grey. Just ran up to go pour my tea. I’m using my tasting set from Adagio. Alright, onto the flavor. I only brewed for two minutes so the flavor is very light. The beginning is very mellow but it ends with a smoky tinge. It’s very interesting. I really don’t know whether I like it or not. I’m so used to the mellow sweetness of black teas like English Breakfast, so I don’t know what to make of Lapsang Souchong. Okay, I just added this with a four minute brew and added in some honey. The honey (I’m guessing) took some of the odd bitter weird note. It still smells like I’m drinking a campfire though. I have no idea what to think. I know! It tastes like Mesquite smoke from barbecuing. Where I come from, bbq is big and we use a lot of mesquite and that it what this tea tastes like.

seriously smokey! cant wait to cook with it

I haven’t reviewed this tea? I could have sworn I did. Oh well, maybe I’m thinking about Teavivre’s version.

Anyway, it was 33°F this morning. A harsh wakeup call, if you ask me. So, I wanted something strong and wintery. No iced Earl Grey for me today!

I’ve had lapsangs before, but this one smells like straight up bacon cooked over a wood stove. Or cooked outdoors, at least. It’s smoky, but not in a cigarette way. In a nice fall way. You know that smell that fills your car for a moment when you pass someone burning leaves in their yard? It’s sort of like that.

However, the flavor is much less intimidating than the aroma. It’s actually a very smooth black tea. Hardly astringent and not bitter at all. It also doesn’t taste charred. More cured than burned. In the forefront are smoky pine notes, followed by leather and meat. I know it’s odd to think of tea as meaty, but I definitely taste something that makes me think of bacon.

While I know most people don’t like lapsangs, I still recommend this tea. It’s an unusual experience that I think people should have at least once. You never know, you might love it!

Smells like wood smoke, tastes like drinking rich, dark wood.

I was one of those precocious children with the tendency to stick my little nose, literally, physically into anything I found even remotely interesting. It was because of my innate curiosity, and inability to process a lesson until I’ve had to cycle through the worst of it some three-five times that I’m able to categorize so many different scents today. That being said, the moment I stuck my still little nose into this bag of Lapsang souchoung – a tea which I gave never even heard of until visiting this site – I was immediately brought back to the first time I’d hovered my face over my uncles barbecue during an annual neighborhood block party and inhaled a black lungful of burning hickory wood. I don’t recall actually liking that smell, something that naturally didn’t stop me from sticking my head in the barbaque some three more times before the end of the day. I still can’t pass by southern or Jamaican barbecue in Brooklyn in the heat summer with out taking in deep breath —just to smell that charred wood smoke. Memories.

Babbling nonsense aside; I haven’t tried this tea yet. I bought it with the sole purpose of creating a custom Russian caravan blend. So I won’t be giving this tea a rating, yet. -it’ll be far into the clutches of New York winter before I so much as glance at a black tea to drink again. shrugs Mostly I just felt like telling a story.

Backlog 9/67

What tea. So campfire. Wow. Much smokey. Many burning.

I am … floored. By the incredible similarity between taking a whiff of this tea and standing by a campfire. It’s incredibly evocative of a campfire. I mean, I feel I need a shower because obviously if I’m smelling this, I smell of smoke. Right?

I had to try this. I saw so many people talking about Lapsang Souchong and it sounded like something people really inflate with their descriptions because how could tea smell like a campfire? Well guess what. It does. It’s a freaking pouch of campfire. And I brewed it and tasted it. I was very brave.

It was not a bad taste. I mean, I didn’t expect it to be so… not-bad. I smelled it and thought “This will make me lose my lunch.” It didn’t. The warm flavor was smoky and strong, but not bad.

I can’t figure out why anyone would want to drink it tho. I mean, I can see how it smells amazing and reminds me of beef jerky that I used to get when I was a kid… but I don’t see how it would be something you’d think “Man I really want a cup of that right now.” Maybe in blends. But… straight? No. Not for me.

It wasn’t bad tho. It just … wasn’t something I see myself wanting to drink.

So I have tried Lapsang Souchong. I have done it. Now I know. That is all.

You’ll probably love or hate this tea, but I love it. The tea smells smoky out of the bag and maintains that smell after steeping. It reminds me of evenings spent next to a campfire with friends and then discovering you still smell like campfire smoke the next day. Maybe I’ll take this tea next time.

Aroma and flavor reminiscent of beef jerky. Not awful, but strange.

Dark and smoky. Made using a french press.