Lapsang Souchang

Finally decided to rate it today, I like it. A lighter lapsang that has flavorful notes of smoke (duh), honey and also that sweetish/tangy barbeque type of flavor. Very clean and delicious! Would definitely get this one again… see previous notes.

I woke up early this morning after working late last night.

First of all, it’s black tea and I needed the caffeine to kick me in the pants. So I steeped up some of this Lapsang from Mandala for the first time this morning.

The description is accurate on Mandala’s website. By the smell of the leaves, I was expecting to drink liquid smoke, but two American style cups in, I can tell you that the smokiness is subtle. It does not overpower the flavor of the leaves, and its very satisfying on its own. I may have committed a cardinal sin, but I added stevia and fresh lemon juice to my second cup as an experiment. This tea can handle both very well. The lemon enhanced the flavor and brought a smile to my face.

Overall, another excellent tea from Mandala! I recommend this tea if you’re looking for something different in a black other than an Assam, Darjeeling, or Keemun.

For the first steeping, the color is a golden orangey color with a scent of ash or a campfire. This was my first ever smoky tea and it has a very strong taste of ash and smoke. The second steeping, there was a darker orange color and a stronger taste of smoke and ash. I wouldn’t drink it all the time, but maybe if I’m going to drink only once

Wow, it has been awhile. 3 months, hey? I think like a lot of the people I follow, I’m slowing down, and trying to be more thoughtful about the tea I keep and drink, instead of trying to have ALL THE TEA. I’ve even weeded out a lot of my teaware (just need to get the weeded into a box and dropped off at goodwill). It feels good to be simple. I do like to post pictures of my tea times on Instagram, and look at some of the folks I follow’s pictures of the same.

So, onto the tea. I’m actually logging a note because I am polishing off the bag. So I wanted one last mention of it before it leaves my cabinet here.

I quite enjoy LS, so I will get more for my cupboard, but I don’t know if it will order this or explore something else again. I will have to see what’s out there.

I actually didn’t have enough left to make a full pot, so I supplemented it with a couple of Dragon Pearls, which is a good match. It does dilute the smokiness, but they are both malty.

I must have bought a sample of this before and forgotten about it because I have reviewed this before. This is definitely a lighter smoked lapsang than some I have had. To be honest this time around I can barely taste the smoke. I get sweet notes behind the smoke, not sure how to describe them. This is excellent tea.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 3 min.