Laspsang Souchong is a smoky tea that I have been waiting to get my hands on. It has a very unique (and delicious) flavor, so I am happy to be sharing a lapsang souchong from The Spice & Tea Exchange today! Click play to learn how this tea gets its smoky flavor and to wet your taste buds while sipping happily ever after.
THE HUE
Black tea, in my opinion, can be described as an 'amber-y' color. It is the adjective that I use constantly to describe black tea...so you'll have to get used it. This lapsang sounchong is a little more translucent than other black teas that I've steeped.
THE SCENT
This tea smells like smoky herbs or burning grass. Even though the smoke aroma is dominant, you can still detect a slight herb-y scent which is pleasant and balancing.
THE SIP
Soft smoke. I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. How can smoke be soft to the taste? Well, this tea is very smoky but remains pleasant and soft. Towards the end there is a vegetable taste similar to cabbage right off the grill. The taste seeps in between your teeth with quite an airy, light and clean pleasantness.
THE EFFECT
This tea reminds me of camping trips and being in front of the fireplace. Lapsang Souchong is usually smoked with a type of pine and I so happen to love the smell of a camp fire made with pine. It also reminds me that I found one candle that I absolutely love! It smells like a log cabin! I can't find it anywhere though, perhaps you can help me?
I purchased this tea on a trip to visit a friend who lives in one of the few states that grows tea in America. If you would like to purchase this exact tea, you can take a trip to South Carolina (The Spice & Tea Exchange | 124 N Main St., Greenville, SC 29601) or you can simply go to www.spiceandtea.com.
If you would like to try lapsang souchong and you aren't attached to the brand of the tea that I reviewed, you can always taste lapsang souchong by Harney & Sons.
Have you ever tried a smoky tea (lapsang souchong)?
How did you like it?