TeaChat

Has anybody ever tasted Lapsong Souchong. Its definitely an acquired taste. Its's rosted over pine needles/wood. The initial taste is very smokey but the after taste becomes sweet. I'm wondering if anybody out there likes Lapsong Souchong.

As a tea taster, the Lapsang tasting is the toughest for me! It just stays on your palate for a long time...you have to really like the smokiness. :p

But Lapsang does have a devoted following. People who enjoy it really love it and will have it as their everyday tea.

The only Lapsang I've ever had completely stunk my room up, made it smell like someone made a campfire in it. To tell the truth it scarred me.

I have to agree. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't get past the super heavy piney-smoke smell ... it seemed to overpower the actual tea.

CynTea- I'm curious. You said that you are a tea taster. Do you taste tea for a living or is it a serious hobby?

On the Lapsong. I bought a pretty big bag. I think I'm going to have one cup every Saturday to see if I can acquire the taste.

I love lapsang souchong.

There are lot's of different lapsangs, so maybe you just got the wrong one. Some seem like they are drenched in liquid smoke, and those could turn anyone off of lapsang. Out of the real smoked ones, there are different levels of smokiness. Some can be lightly smoked, and some can be aged to lessen the smokiness. The aged ones often don't have any smokiness left, it becomes a fruity flavor that is supposedly similar to longan.

Mmmm Liquid smoke.

Heh, I will have to try some lightly smoked lapsang someday. I'll just give it a little while...

jashnew wrote:CynTea- I'm curious. You said that you are a tea taster. Do you taste tea for a living or is it a serious hobby?

On the Lapsong. I bought a pretty big bag. I think I'm going to have one cup every Saturday to see if I can acquire the taste.

jashnew,

yep, it's a living and part of what i do for Adagio. i'm a lucky girl!

good luck with the lapsang, i can 'appreciate' it, but it is um, not my cup of tea. for smoky i like a nice keemun, especially on a wintry day!

~CynTEAa

I think you really have to prepare yourself in order to drink LS. The only LS that I have tasted was from Numi Teas. It was really not my cup of tea and had to really force myself to finish it.

Cyntea- Thats cool. You're living the dream. I started reviewing tea on my website. Would you mind reading my reviews to see if I'm on the right track.

(edit...please limit blog promotion to the blog thread)

jashnew - yes, living the dream!

I took a look at your blog and you are on the right track. If you do a search for 'tea glossary' you can find some things to help build your tea vocabulary. It's fun to try to find those characteristics in the teas.

Lapsang, (to get back to the topic) can be pure smoky and smooth, or deep, edgy and tarry. Luckily, I haven't had the misfortune of cupping one with liquid smoke added - pleh!


~C

Love the LS! It is an acquired taste for sure.... sometimes I fortify it with a splash of brandy on cold winter nights.
It's not everyone's cup of tea for sure....

Brandy & Lapsang....

I've never had them together (or lapsang for that matter), but I do enjoy a snifter of Brandy on a cold evening ...

You got it right eastree. Same goes for me.