Lapsang Souchong?

[Jasonian]

I <3 Lapsang Souchong.

The first time I tried it, it reminded me of a Dunhill 965, a pipe tobacco blend that was my favorite (and still is, except swmbo doesn't really smile upon the idea of my smoking anything at all, despite the lack of inhalation).

I've loved it ever since. And it still reminds me of 965. (wikipedia says it is reminiscent of Latakia tobacco, which is likely a component of 965, so if you are a pipe smoker who loves Latakia, you'll probably like LS tea)

 

[Rorschuck]

I never had a good LS, which is a good thing. The last time I said something along those lines, I said "pu'er stinks". Six months and a thousand bucks later........

Yeah, but pu'er really does stink!

 

[Rorschuck]

I've lost track, but I have about 4-8 varieties coming from various sources: inpursuitoftea.com, imperialtea.com, some PA Dutch (or something) on eBay that someone here suggested (Scotto?), and specialteas.com.

Very excited to see how they compare to the Golden Moon (which I, with my vastly limited shallow depth of knowledge, think very highly of). Reports forthcoming.

 

[Rorschuck]

Whoo-hoo! Part of my "mother lode" came in today, and I'm quite excited to get to them. Mostly more Lapsang Souchongs from various sources (with still more to come), but also some Oolong samplers and other misc. stuff. First, to the Tea Porn:

The orange labels are from "In Pursuit of Tea", and are Lapsang Souchong and Wood Dragon.

The boxes contain the "Oolong Sampler" and "Fine Teas Sampler" from "SpecialTeas"; not tried any yet, but they include:

Oolong Sampler
---
Formosa Pouchong
Formosa Fancy Oolong Organic
All San Oolong
Ching Anxl Oolong Selectolong Fanciest Grade


Fine Tea Sampler
---
Jasmine Phoenix Pearls
Golden Monkeyy 510
Formosa PouchongMangalam FTGFOP1 (CL/SP) No. 264
Kenilworth OP


Also from them (my primary reason for buying from them): more smokey teas:

-Smokey Russian Caravan
-Lapsang Souchong Organic
-Lapsang Souchong Superior

Finally, some rock sugar, white and brown (very nice!), and four samples of various herbal teas: CinnaZing, Mate Tiramisu and Keemum Imperial.

I've just tried the LS from "In Pursuit of Tea" - which I'd heard is a very high-quality brand - and was not impressed. The smoke aroma, both from the dry leaves and just-wetted leaves, was nothing compared to the burst of smoke I got with the LS from Golden Moon Tea open opening the tin and then again when ading water (some might say the GM's smoke is over-the-top, but I found it perfect). Smokey taste was negligable, as well; quite disappointing. Not a bad cup of tea by any means, but it had nowhere near the complexity and appeal of the GM LS. But later cups may yield better results.

That's all I've tried for now, but I trudge on. Also have another two batches (three, maybe) from three different sources, so I'll keep things updated here. Cheers!

 

[Poulin]

Whoo-hoo! Part of my "mother lode" came in today, and I'm quite excited to get to them. Mostly more Lapsang Souchongs from various sources (with still more to come), but also some Oolong samplers and other misc. stuff. First, to the Tea Porn:

The orange labels are from "In Pursuit of Tea", and are Lapsang Souchong and Wood Dragon.

The boxes contain the "Oolong Sampler" and "Fine Teas Sampler" from "SpecialTeas"; not tried any yet, but they include:

Oolong Sampler
---
Formosa Pouchong
Formosa Fancy Oolong Organic
All San Oolong
Ching Anxl Oolong Selectolong Fanciest Grade


Fine Tea Sampler
---
Jasmine Phoenix Pearls
Golden Monkeyy 510
Formosa PouchongMangalam FTGFOP1 (CL/SP) No. 264
Kenilworth OP


Also from them (my primary reason for buying from them): more smokey teas:

-Smokey Russian Caravan
-Lapsang Souchong Organic
-Lapsang Souchong Superior

Finally, some rock sugar, white and brown (very nice!), and four samples of various herbal teas: CinnaZing, Mate Tiramisu and Keemum Imperial.

I've just tried the LS from "In Pursuit of Tea" - which I'd heard is a very high-quality brand - and was not impressed. The smoke aroma, both from the dry leaves and just-wetted leaves, was nothing compared to the burst of smoke I got with the LS from Golden Moon Tea open opening the tin and then again when ading water (some might say the GM's smoke is over-the-top, but I found it perfect). Smokey taste was negligable, as well; quite disappointing. Not a bad cup of tea by any means, but it had nowhere near the complexity and appeal of the GM LS. But later cups may yield better results.

That's all I've tried for now, but I trudge on. Also have another two batches (three, maybe) from three different sources, so I'll keep things updated here. Cheers!

SWMBO would kill me.

 

[Rorschuck]

SWMBO would kill me.

Yeah, she might me before all is said and done; more on the way!

But she started it, with her tea sampler and that darned stupid delicious Lapsang Souchong.

 

[Rorschuck]

The orange labels are from "In Pursuit of Tea", and are Lapsang Souchong and Wood Dragon.

The Golden Moon Lapsang Souchong is still my favorite; the others I've tried, including the one above, simply don't measure up: they lack the true smokey taste (and aftertaste) of the GM LS, as well as the smell. Now, oddly enough the GM directions indicated a long steep time of 5-7 minutes; the Lapsangs from the other places called for much shorter steep times (about half, IIRC). If I steep the non-GM Lapsangs for the 5-7 that GM suggests, they start to taste more like the GM, but still don't quite get there. Now, for all I know, the Golden Moon LS is super-cheap crap with liquid smoke added and the others are all "real"/quality teas: I know not, but I do know the GM LS is far and away my favorite.

The Wood Dragon mentioned above is pretty good, and unique. It's twiggy, with sticks mixed with the leaves and it does have a very nice "roasted" twiggy flavor, and is low in caffeine, making this a great evening sipper.

The boxes contain the "Oolong Sampler" and "Fine Teas Sampler" from "SpecialTeas"; not tried any yet, but they include:

The oolongs were good, but nothing super in my opinion.

Fine Tea Sampler

Meh. These were just tea; nothing that made my taste buds leap to attention. I do not like jasmine or rose (to drink).

Also from them (my primary reason for buying from them): more smokey teas:

-Smokey Russian Caravan
-Lapsang Souchong Organic
-Lapsang Souchong Superior

Same deal as the above smoked teas. They were okay, but could not hold a candle to the wonderfully complex smokey flavor the Golden Moon LS had. I did get in some LS from a couple of other sources: ImperialTea and some place on eBay that's been mentioned here (something about the Pa Dutch in the name), and they all seemed about the same as the stuff from Special Teas: nothing that special.

 

[Chacki]

Love Lapsang.

Mostly get mine from Twinning's as tbh , even tho its a common brand (tho slightly expensive) its one of the better ive tried.

Nothing like a mug of Bonfire as my misuses calls it.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I love lapsang too--in fact, I'm just about to brew up a pot. I've been drinking Taylors of Harrowgate lately.

Rorschuck--your pearl jasmine sounds good too. I like watching the pearls unfold as the tea steeps. If you opt for a lower priced variety of jasmine, it also makes an excellent iced tea in the summer (served as is).

 

[knlgskr]

He wasn't a drinker, was he?

Those smoked teas are enjoyable especially when it is cold, wet, and windy. They are also excellent cold, not iced with BBQ and smoked meats.

Richard

 

[MotoMike]

I like a cuppa LS on occasion. It does remind me of a smokey single malt. I make a rub for meat by grinding a couple tea spoons full, mixing with spices and rubbing on a pork roast. slow cook till tender. good stuff.

 

[Tigger23505]

You might want to try M. T. Wendell www.marktwendell.com I'm really enjoying their LS. Though over the last couple of days I've been java fueled for some reason.

 

[SilkySmooth]

A physician I work with gave me some LS tea last night. I tried a cup this evening. It was very nice and mellow. I'll definitely will have to get some more.
Months ago I had him try some Russian Caravan Tea which is a blend of LS and another Black tea. It was very strong compared to the LS he had me try.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

Has anyone try Upton's LS? How do they fair compared to other online vendors? How do we judge which LS is better or worse? Just by the taste?

LS is an unexplored territory for me.

 

[Scotto]

It has been a while, but I recall not liking Upton's LS. Of course, I am not a fan of Upton to begin with....

It depends a bit on your personal preference. I find a lot of LS oversmoked, sort of like the trend with over-oaking Chardonnay. You can cover up a lot of lousy base tea by smoking it to death.

The lapsangs I have had made with quality leaf have a clean smokiness combined with a sweetness that is unforgettable. Unfortunately it has been quite a long time since I drank any lapsang souchong, so I can't direct you to a specific vendor.

Good luck!

 

[Rorschuck]

I've not tried Upton's, either.

The LS from Golden Moon Tea is still my favorite. At first, in my inexperience, I thought maybe it was oversmoked exactly as Scotto says many are; it was certainly the "smokiest" (in a good way) of the various Lapsangs and Russian Caravans I had tried.

As I drink more and more of it, though, and more of other teas (mostly green (mostly Dragon Well) and oolongs), and as I revisit the various sources of LS I have, I am becoming more and more convinced that the GM LS is very high-quality indeed. There's a nice hint of orange under the smoke that I don't find in most others I've tried thus far.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

Thanks for the replies. I am going to order small batches from couple of vendors to get a general sense of things. I might make my visits to some of the local chinese tea shops over the weekend to see if they carry any LS. I never looked for this tea.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

Earlier today I bought a small sampler LS from a local tea shop called, "All Things Tea." I haven't got around to brew the tea. The tea smells very very heavily of campfire. It's true that it really smells like pinewood smoke.

I am looking forward to tomorrow morning.

 

[joyfulwoogie]

I am somewhat of a camping enthusiast, thus I cannot not like this tea.

This will be one of my favorite teas not because of its actual taste but the memories the tea's smokiness bring to me. Wow, LS is my new found joy. I wouldn't drink this too often lest it would overwrite my thought/memory association of this smell with my tea time in front of my desk rather than those memorable wilderness trips I go on throughout the seasons. Still very nice.

This store's LS might be a bit too smoky, though. I am going to order from the suggested online store when I am done with this sample. I got 50g so still got a good month ahead.

 

[Milbink]

This is the only tea I think that actually does well with a slice of lemon.

Hmmm, better go brew one now (the tea not the lemon).

Cheers,

Adam