Sloe Gin Lapsang

TTB Review #33: Not a fan. I like to smell the smoke of a fire, but I don’t want to drink it. VERY heavily smoked, this one. Ash, grill, fire, coal. I don’t know, maybe in a different setting this could be okay, but today I didn’t care for it.

I’m not a lapsang fan, but I’ll try any B&B tea. The main flavor I taste is lapsang, but I suppose there’s a bit of something else – almost a mintiness at the end of the sip. Really it’s not too overly smoky, which is nice, but I wish I could sense some of the other flavors here.

As I was thinking about how to describe this while having a cup over breakfast, I read through the notes and realized Cameron B. painted Sloe Gin Lapsang better than I could. My experience mirrors theirs so why be redundant?

https://steepster.com/CameronB/posts/410015

It doesn’t taste like gin per se but there’s an element to it that does call gin to mind. I’ve never had sloe gin, let alone sloe syrup; I wonder if the elderberries serve as a decent stand-in. Very good savory-smokey-berry blend that you’d be foolish not to steep a second time.

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity, Martin!

From the Bird & Blend October subscription box.

I admit, I find myself not loving smoky teas lately, and I also didn’t really enjoy the other Lapsang blend from this month. But I love elderberry, and gin is one of my favorite spirits, so this sounded very interesting to me. I had never heard of sloe gin before (which I suppose makes sense given it’s a British thing), but now I definitely need to try it! I love the taste of gin and the added plummy notes sound amazing.

Hmm, I actually quite like this one! The smoke is light and very pleasant, with a soft savory yet earthy flavor. The ginger goes very well here, and it is also well-balanced and doesn’t overpower the other flavors. I taste the elderberry in two ways – as a light tartness that lingers at the back of my palate throughout the sip, and also as a dark syrupy berry note that’s quite subtle and supports the other flavors well. I’m also getting a bit of pine, especially at the end of the sip, which really does remind me perfectly of the juniper in gin. Not sure if that’s an added flavor here, or just coming from the Lapsang, but it’s yummy.

Gin? Check. Elderberry? Check. Going on the wishlist? Check! :D

I had to search what Sloe Gin is. That spirit sounds interesting and i would like to try it.

To the tea… be cautious; aroma is very pungent; not sure if it is elderberries; but probably yes :) and it smells after gin (actually rather the base — drupes). But it’s so strong!

While brewed, it is still very aromatic. Even my father noticed it and he said: “What the … are you drinking again?” Hihi. I told him and well, he was surprised.

I took one heaped tea spoon and second was quite empty, as I was afraid it won’t be too tasty. How wrong I was after three minutes steep! It is with nice base, some sweetness and although no actual gin (not sloe gin, as I have no idea) notes, there were some drupe notes I think… Smoky in the finish and back of tongue.

Not a tea which I will look for every day, but certainly an interesting blend worth trying and I think I will finish it without problems when looking for something bold and flavourful.

This tea has turned in an odd way. Both the dry leaf and the brewed tea are smelling a bit…footy? Like a berry foot. My cat jumped on the table as I was brewing this and I actually asked her why she smelled so bad…and then I realized it was the tea (yes, I did apologize to my cat). It still tastes decent, but the smell is so off.