March Tasting Notes: Lapsang Souchong

[scruffmcgruff]

Post your Lapsang Souchong (a.k.a. Zhengshan Xiaozhong) tasting notes here! Do not feel obligated to like either one! I probably won't either. This is just a learning experience.

Sample A = Lapsang Souchong from The Tea Gallery

Sample B = Organic Lapsang Souchong from Teaspring

You should receive ~10 grams of each. If something went wrong and you didn't get an A and a B, let me know!

[Wesli]

B isn't lapsang!!!!

[Salsero]

Anyone have brewing suggestions? TeaSpring suggests 2 grams in a 150 ml yixing pot for 1 minute. That sounds just wrong. Oh well, I'll probably give it a whirl that way. Plenty here to experiment with.




P.S. It arrived. Lapsang on board.

[Warden Andy]

I had very good results brewing the organic one from teaspring using about a tablespoon of leaf in a 90ml gaiwan (maybe 1/6 leaf?). I didn't rinse, and started with a minute infusion.

[Salsero]

I tried the TeaSpring directions and I'm pretty happy with the result, perhaps just a little weaker than I would like and it has a sweetness that is not one of my favorite characteristics ... though I know that some people like this kind of sweet. Actually it reminds me of the Long Jing Huang Pao that Proinsias treated us to last year. Some very nice aftertastes going on even in the third steep. I might even find the white fruits (Longan) that the vendor description refers to, a little lively sweet thing, not quite enough to call it acidic.

I think it might work even better with Andy's parameters, which I will try next.

BTW, Andy, good to see you in on one of the tastings. I hope you will join in mine next month with Chinese greens.


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Addendum:

15-yr-old son approves of second infusion.

[Chip]

Package received today along with a pack of pot sniffing dogs.

This will likely be a most memorable tasting for me, whether I like it or not.

Thanks Brent!

[Victoria]

Got mine too! I'll be trying it at work tomorrow.
Almost makes me look forward to going to work ... almost.

Thanks!

[Chip]

Actually, the dry leaf did not smell that bad, especially compared to the schitz I had before. It had a certain allure to it ...

[scruffmcgruff]

B isn't lapsang!!!!

?

Actually, the dry leaf did not smell that bad, especially compared to the schitz I had before. It had a certain allure to it ...

Yes, it was... interesting. FWIW, when I took them out of their bags for the first time, the Tea Gallery sample smelled a little stronger than the Teaspring one. I haven't tasted them yet, but I will soon.

[Wesli]

They're still like that. That's why I tried the B first. hehe

Used about 2 tsp in ~140mL gaiwan and ~30s infusions; came out a little weak, so I started filling it up only halfway with water. Then it came out really good. After just taking a hike, it was a nice continuation of the down-to-earth feel, with the charcoal-mesquite flavor. With each steep there was less smoke and more hongcha flavor, which was a really nice transition.

Surprising as hell, but I really liked it.

[fencerdenoctum]

Laaaaaaaaapsaaaaaaaaang Souuuuchooooooong!

Yeah, I got it. Tasting soon.

[bi lew chun]

I had very good results...

I tried the TeaSpring directions and I'm pretty happy with the result...

Actually, the dry leaf did not smell that bad, especially compared to the schitz I had before. It had a certain allure to it ...

Surprising as hell, but I really liked it.

I smell a Lapsang craze on TeaChat!

I opened the package while eating some waffles with a dollop of mango ice cream, and it was not particularly pleasant, so I'll hold onto my thoughts for now.

[Victoria]

I tried B today here at wok. The aroma was less on this one, I figured it was a safer place to start.

To me it seems to the flavors are contrasting and it has a strange after taste, but over all it's drinkable. Not bad.

Sample A tomorrow.

[Wesli]

Tried A, and sad to say, it's too much for my tastes. Had nice longevity though, I got 6 good steeps.

[Salsero]

Tried A, and sad to say, it's too much for my tastes.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you, Wesli. If I hadn't known it was from Tea Gallery I would have sworn it was flavored. I brewed the same parameters as I did B yesterday, and found the first infusion to taste like a watery chai: notes of ginger, cinnamon, anise. Really quite astounding. The third infusion smelled just like grilled meat ... beef, I suppose. I also got 6 good infusions, with each very different from the others. I actually liked the last 3 more than the first 3.

Curiously, I did not find smoke to be the dominant character of either A or B. Certainly it was there in abundance, but there were lots of other things happening that drew my attention away from the smokey character.

But all in all, neither A nor B are my favorite tea types, though I am really enjoying exploring them and learning about them. I like to get out of my rut and try different things, and these are certainly different. Great tasting, Scruff. You are truly a master tea host ... again bringing us new experiences and broadening our horizons! Thanks.