Happy Lucky's Tea House

journalogging #3 of 4

I must admit that I had never heard of Gyokuro before seeing it in the bag along with the others in the “welcome to tea” samples that Bonnie benevolently sent last week. I’m so very glad she did though because it truly stands up on its own in terms of having a differentiated flavor profile.

I first tried the preparation method of putting 2tsp in the bottom of a gaiwan and then covering it with ice, drinking sips as it melts. I was so intent on following directions literally after my fiasco (albiet a tasty one) with the Pu’er from Happy Lucky’s that I missed the point entirely and allowed this process to unfold in an air conditioned room that gave me a small gulp’s worth after around two hours of ice melt. I prefer my Lagavulin neat and I must say that gulp of Gyokuro made the hair on my neck stand up! note to self – try that again, outside, in the sun, and borrow some common sense if you are temporarily in short supply!

Luckily I was able to salvage the leaves and run them through a more traditional hot preparation and it was significantly, no, drastically better. English pea and macadamia nut are what came to mind as I enjoyed a yummy round on the Green.

journalogging #2 of 4

This one is from a local tea house in Colorado that Bonnie was gracious enough to add in with the other samples she sent. Thanks!

Alright! This one makes Pu’er number two! So similar yet so very different from the first one I tried..

I should start by saying that although I wouldn’t undo this encounter for anything – now wouldn’t be now if then wasn’t then – you should probably stick to 1 tsp per cup like the tea house recommends instead of being savvy with a digital scale and thinking 3g is the same thing as 1 tsp just because you read it somewhere! ..insert anecdote about men and following directions.. Regardless and moving on, using 3g per cup will yield a blackened amber colored liquor that reminded me of the water in the okefenokee swamp from a camping trip I took with my parents when I was in primary school! (Although I’m quite sure this tastes miles better and the comparison is just as it relates to the color.)

My experience with Gong Ting Wang in the early western style steepings was reminiscent of standing on the beach in a light jacket waiting for a sunrise – the saline presence was light and airy like the breeze coming in off of the breaks at that time of day. Simultaneously, there was a humming profile of warm dark whole wheat loaf that had honey butter spread across and then was left to it’s own devices for long enough that the two had become one.
In the middle to later steepings, most of the briny top layer faded as a more velvety toffee sweetness carried the flavor arc to a deliciously subtle waning. Tasty!!

Story (I have a review of tea for the morning)
I’ve had quite a long day. My ex-Husband, needed me to get some legal paperwork together so that he could sell his house (not mine anymore). I had to prep and fax 47 pages off to California along with notarized proof of my name as a favor.

What did I do to relax afterwards? Go to Happy Lucky’s for tea!

I always know that it’s dead quiet around dinner time, nice time to relax at the tea pub.
Sam was about to get off work and Joe (the cute guy in the picture that some of you ladies commented on) was minding the shop alone.

After a few minutes at the bar, my granddaughter Schey came in with Purple Hair…very cute on her…and joined me for tea.

We really had a great time until….the ghost tour arrived again. The line of ladies (no men) filed behind the bar, downstairs, then up again…grabbing iced tea and back out the door.

We drank our pot of yummy puerh (this is a great and reliable, smooth and rich puerh! I’ve reviewed it twice before and this is my really tasty every day kind of puerh. Not fussy, makes a good latte too.)
So we’re drinking puerh and then Schey had a meeting and left.

All of a sudden, 7 women came up from the basement with purple, pink, black and blond wigs on…all dolled up. Older women looking like they’ve been up to something (no idea what though).

I have no idea where they came from.
Joe said, “Didn’t you see them go downstairs before?”
“No I didn’t!”, I answered. Which was true. I never saw them go with the other people and why were they coming upstairs long after the others had left?
Strange. Don’t you think that’s peculiar?

I pointed out the firehouse poll and said something really stupid.

“That’s where the employees pole dance.”
(“OH shut up Bonnie! Whatever are you saying!!!”, I thought, exasperated with my bad habit of speaking without thinking first.)

The next thing that happened was that each woman had their picture taken in a sexy pose with the firehouse poll in the middle of Happy Lucky’s. Yes. Of course they did this. It was almost my idea!

Joe was laughing, I was hoping he wasn’t going to be mad at me later for my big mouth! (I did give him some news though.)

Hope the word doesn’t get out. I’d hate Happy Lucky’s to be the place in town for pole pictures!

Such is life. Never a dull moment.

Good Puerh and an interesting way to end the day!

What a great day! http://flic.kr/p/ccwmdJ (Ian with his Gaiwan)
Ian (my 11 year old grandson) and I went to tea at Happy Lucky’s Tea house. We had tea, and when we finished he had the WHOLE TEA WALL to choose a tea from as my gift. What does he pick? A PU-ERH! MY BOY! All on his own while I was sitting at the tea bar, he brought me the sample and asked if he could have THAT tea. I was dancing with joy, so thrilled!
We stopped at the Cheese Shop, the French Pastry Shop, then home. After setting chops to oven cook…we sat for a Pu-erh tasting before dinner.

The following is Ian’s review from my notes. My 11 year old buddy wanted to share his first ever Pu-erh experience!

I used a Gaiwan and there were 3 infusions at 1.5 minutes each.
The color of the liquor was light maple syrup, cocoa, light cocoa brown.

Ian’s Comment’s:
1. The first thing I tasted was water. Then, there was another taste like wet bark and a dry feeling. Something was like heat or fire.

2. I could tell right away the flavor popped. It reminded me of a smoky campfire in the woods and the leaves smelled like smoky leather.
(I added a little sugar to his tea) “WOW!” (He grinned from ear to ear) “That was good!It tastes like vanilla! I want some more!" He noted that the Pu-erh was making him “feel good”. (hee hee)

3. The last pour was a little lighter but Ian was anxious to have more tea. If it wasn’t dinner time I think he would have insisted on more steepings. The delight in this discovery was so much fun! I took a picture of him with his empty Gaiwan, leaves all wet at the bottom.

His last comment and the heart of the experience was…

“This is the best tea I have ever had!”

First Tasting Note

Yesterday I seasoned the Yixing Purple Clay Pot seen in the picture with tea (I took the photo and listed the tea). It was interesting to heat a lot of Pu’er, put the Yixing pot in the Pu’er and soak for many hours, rinse and repeat. There are several methods of seasoning pots but I liked this one. The Pu’er I used was a little 1 inch square that I picked up at a tea shop in Boulder for $1.29. When I began to brew it in my Gaiwan I almost went into shock! It was one of the finest Pu’er’s I’ve ever tasted! Vanilla cake…oh my…sweet and juicy…wah…I had to continue (but I did cheat and poured me a cup). This had better be a great cured Yixing pot!

Between the beautiful wood tray (shown) and Yixing I bought from Happy Lucky’s I spent about $50 for my 64th birthday coming up this month, and I think that I got a great deal!

This morning the rain was coming down steadily. What a glorious time to use my Yixing Pu’er-only-pot for the first time. I listened to Jim Marks comment on rinsing my leaves for less time so I only rinsed a few seconds. I let the leaves rest… (I think mine are not resting, they are bored with me). My Yixing looks like a little bird with a beak don’t you think?

I heated the pot, a little cup, and had boiling water in another glass pot under a cozy for multiple pourings. All set! (In the photo you can see how bark-like the tea looks.)

I used 1/2 tsp Pu’er for my steepings. The Yixing holds 4oz. water. I did 6 steepings before sloshing away with a smile on my face.

I’m used to Western Style brewing with longer steep times so, I could tell this new method would take some getting used to.

1. I like my Pu’er on the strong side. Beginning with 3 minutes…Huh?!…(a bit longer than the instructions say to do)…the wet leaves smelled sweet and fresh, like new fresh- picked tea and coffee beans. When I took my first sip of the dark liquor, I tasted almonds and salted pecans, then a dry peppery tannin at the front my mouth. This Pu’er was altogether sweet, rich and robust with a vanilla bean finish. A chewy first cup.

2. I cut back the steep time to 2 minutes and still had a juicy, sweet, oat bread cup. There was a hint of leather flavor which sent me to the leaves for a whiff. Yes, the wet leaves smelled like a new Coach handbag. Finishing my small cup, I thought there was a sneeky bit of cinnamon hidden in the tannin at the end. Could be?

3. Shortening the steep time to 1 minute the flavor was weakening but still good. The wet leaves were leathery scented, and the tea was getting juicier and spicy. Here was where I added a tiny, tiny bit of sugar. Not enough to really tell it was a sweet tea. This boost brought out a molasses, pecan nutty flavor that was like drinking a Southern Pecan Pie Pu’er with brown sugar molasses and pecans.

4.-6. As steepings progressed, more cinnamon and vanilla came to play which was enhanced more if a bit of sugar was added. I ended up with combinations ranging from steep times of 30 seconds to 3 minutes which all produced fine tastings. I do love my big, strong and burly Pu’er at the longer steep times the best. (That’s as far as I’m goin with that thought!)

Finally. There was no detection of fishy, musty, earthy Pu’er flavors. I only tell this because some people hate the musty or earthy Pu’er’s that I think are grand. This one is nuttier and would appeal to new drinkers I would imagine, but it is very hardy and rich none the less. Not expensive which is always a plus!

Everyone should have a neighborhood Tea House! Happy Lucky’s is my Pub, my place that I can go to for a pot of tea once a week and chat with the staff about tea and what’s going on around town. I bring in a tea sample now and then for them to try as a friendly gesture, and they save special treats for me too.

This Glenburn First Flush Darjeeling was almost gone but the guys wanted me to try it so the brewing began. I always sit at the tea bar watching all the action. People coming in and out of the shop, what’s being brewed, and the view out the window. I smacked down some Verdant Laoshan Black on the staff for their tasting and while they slurped away.. I began my tasting of this darjeeling.
I was impressed at how floral and sweet this tea was. So I purchased the last ounce available and took it home.

My steeping tonight produced a delightfully golden liquor. I chose to drink this cup after a fine Pad Thai dinner from Yung’s down the street.
The tea was fragrant with citrus and pear. Taking a sip, there was almost a bergamot flavor and smoke. Yes, bergamot. The tannin was a bit much so I added sweetening to lift the flavor upwards to a delightful finish. Ah, better. So much better that now this dargeeling has morph’s into Nectar. Juicy! Sweet Springtime Honey! Thickly coating my tongue and memorable. (now I can’t talk)

Um, this is good! Uh…gotta go read my fortune cookie!

Bonnie! you inspired me to have some delicious Lapsang Souchong with your review the other day! thank you for the sample. Deeelicous!
This is malty and smokey and just overall good. Mmmmmm.
With a sprinkle of sugar and some milk, this is my cup of “country home”.
I’m trying to figure out how it differs from my other lapsang experiences… and I think the main thing is that I feel like the leaves are not just smoked… but burnt. In a nice way!
Also, somehow, it tastes alot lighter… but rounder yet not as deep.
Mmmm. Thanks again Bonnie! xxx

Second Review. This time…Hot Tea Baby!
The last time I reviewed this tea, I had it on ice. NOT ICED, rather UNDER ICE. 2 tsp. in a pot with several ice cubes slowly melting on top and WOW!!! it was so concentrated in flavor and good! Ninja Tea.

What??? would this Gyokuro taste like hot? I had no idea? I’d never had a Gyokuro before the iced one. Never heated!

I began with 1tsp dry dark leaves in my Gaiwan and a 180f 1min steep. Since this was my first tasting, I used a double wall glass cup to catch the color which was the most fantastic bright (but pale) yellow green. Almost fluorescent!

The scent was not very vegital…but the flavor…ah…oh…ouch! WOW AGAIN! The flavor is like sweet corn but not. Creamy, buttery…and then…cool without tasting minty.
I wanted to say that I had just had chicken on the grill with fresh white corn…and had a swig of crushed ice from an empty glass…still sweet from Southern sweet tea. All of those flavors coming together…THAT! is what I tasted.
There is no bitterness at all even when cool. The coolness just gets more buttery and silky.

I Love this! I really Love this tea…!

http://youtu.be/WZ6HOUGE-Ok Aretha Franklin Baby I love You

Clouds are gathering…black and bulging with rain…waiting for the right moment to let loose and expload with a clap of thunder boom and clap of lightening!
Steepster is acting like it took a vacation. I strolled over to Facebook and noticed that my local tea shop (Happy Lucky’s) offered a free pot of tea to anyone who could guess the mystery tea of the day by figuring out a clue. Hum…“What tea is smoked over a fire…blah blah blah?” Lightbulb…“Lapsang Souchong”, I answered in my head.
Time passed. By 1 PM noone had guessed correctly, and Steepster was still on vacation.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I picked out some tea samples for the nice employees who are so kind to me at the shop and off I went for tea.
When I arrived, and they saw me they knew I would guess right the mystery tea so I earned my free pot. BUT, what a marvelously wonderful pot it turned out to be!

I’ve never had Gyokuro tea before so this was special indeed.
A cast iron pot was prepared with 2 teaspoons of Gyokuro tea (high quality). Then, ice cubes were laid on top and allowed to melt slowly…providing small tablespoon sized tastings over and over again of the most delicious rich liquor.
This was beyond tea! The flavor was salty and rich like venison or the finest roasted lamb without any gaminess. The amount of coating on the tongue was unreal…more than any tea I’ve ever had. Aftertaste…beyond belief…lingering on and on. Each cup remained as good as the last. I can’t say enough about how good this tea was. It hit every taste bud, broke all the rules and stopped just short of what your pleasure center can tolerate.
Amazing tea! Amazing brewing method for this tea! I am going to repeat this method and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! What a treat! Thank you to Happy Lucky’s!

Shinobi cha video…how to prepare: http://youtu.be/4UEZcq1qVtw

Sipdown 5

I’m pretty sure this one was from a swap at least 6 or 7 years ago. It still smelled super smoky but didn’t have a ton of flavor left. This was one of my first smoky teas and still one of my favorites. I recently found out I live not too far from this tea house so I’m definitely going to need to get some more soon! Especially since my partner recently discovered he also likes smoky teas!

Still the best Lapsang Souchong I’ve tasted. Wish I had more! I shared some with my roommate and she said she really liked it and it reminds her of bonfires with friends in high school.

I was definitely a little nervous about this tea at first. From what I’ve read of Lapsang Souchongs, you either love or hate them. When I opened this wonderful sample from Bonnie, it smelled like a bag full of smoked meat. While that sounds delicious, I was a bit hesitant for it as a tea flavor. Turns out, I really like the smokiness! I think it would have thrown me off if I hadn’t been expecting it, but this is very good! When I was eight, my grandmother’s house was still heated by burning wood, and this feels like being with my grandmother again. I feel like she should be here, sneaking me cookies when my dad isn’t looking :)

300th Review

I really thought hard about what to do with my 300th review. It should be special. Memorable at least to me. What tea would I choose?

I received tea in the mail today.

Still, I couldn’t decide.

Tick…tick…tick…

Stalling, I stopped by Happy Lucky’s Tea House after mailing 5 packages of tea off to Steepsters, and all my buddies were at the bar. I was greeted warmly as always.

My purse was jammed with gifts…a Butiki Good Morning Sunshine Guayusa, Verdant Laoshan White, Xingyang 1998 Golden Leaf Puer for Andy from Verdant, Butiki Blue Nettle Green Tea, all samples for my friends to try. Even the owner popped in for a taste. A gaiwan and little gonfu pot flashed into action.
I sat smiling and drank Lapsang Souchong, watching with glee as my Happy Lucky’s tea shop friends enjoyed their tasting.

Which brings me to the point of my 300th review.

My tea journey is about community. I have never tried to write a certain number of reviews per day, or crank out reviews to beat a record. It’s all about YOU really.
My relationship with you on Steepster…and my family, my community, my past, the environment, the whole World and God!
That sounds deep and you know I get funny, silly, crazy even.(That’s my celebratory side. Joyful abandon! The love of life.)

How can tea do this?

It’s like a mirror. Reflective. When you take a moment to stop…to be quiet in life and to be present in the moment…amazing things can happen inside. Amazing and healing things can happen.

I want to thank Happy Lucky’s Tea House for being friendly to me at a time in my life when I have had no other friends.
For accepting me at their tea bar as I am.
For picking up my cane when it falls.
For always smiling at me when I walk in the door.
For accepting my small gifts of tea.
Thank you so much! (sniffle)

Review:
Lion and Lamb is a Lapsang Souchong with a tender side. This is a blended smoky tea for those who just can’t hang with the full strength China Lapsang Souchong. There’s a bit of orange peel and a large amount of the best freeze dried Jasmine I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s just like Jasmine popcorn (which I said in my first review).
The first thing I do before brewing is pick out a few flowers for myself and crunch away. (so tasty and puffy light)
After 4 minutes, the pour is light and smoky without being overdone. You can taste a hint of roastiness from the Jasmine somewhere along the line of corn.
I like to have my smoked tea sweet, so I added a little bit and enjoyed my cup even more. ScottTeaMan likes this blend. He has no idea that I just picked some up as a gift for him. Surprise Scott! Happy 300th from me to you!

My review makes sense now doesn’t it. I brought my 300th home to where I am right now.

Here’s hoping that everyone can find a place like the one I have right
here in Fort Collins that welcomes you as a friend and serves you a good cup of tea!

http://youtu.be/bnvGwpO3bms My Town

First Review. I like smoky tea and this morning I was in the mood for that fire in the fireplace, cabin in the woods and bacon on the grill taste that a good Lapsang Souchong can give ( especially during Lent when the Eastern Orthodox world, moi,does not eat any meat or fish at all)…yeh bacon! Well…the fact that this has dried big puffy Jasmine flowers and small dry pieces of Orange rind was interesting. What would those additions do to the tasty tea? I set the steep at 4 minutes (3 was suggested). My first pour and sip was smooth, lighter than expected and smoky salty in a corn-on-the-cob sort of way. You could not taste floral or orange. Curious. You don’t need sugar with this tea but of course I added some just to see what would develop. A smidge of sweet produced the flavor of the brown (but not black/burnt) part of grilled marshmallow. Really good. This is my favorite Lapsang blend. You can drink a whole pot without feeling like you’ve been fighting a forest fire. Love that! I drank a pot and then had a second somewhat weaker steeping (should have let it set longer).

Last night, after many months explaining the health benifits of tea and constant invitations to join me at Happy Lucky’s Tea House, two members of my Fibromyalgia Support Group showed up at the tea bar!

I was so elated!

Like most (if not all) our group members, these ladies don’t leave their homes unless it’s necessary. It’s just too painful to move and walk even short distances, and a sort of brain fog is a common side effect that comes and goes…making it embarrassing to dialog with other people.

I know how hard it is to function, but being alone is worse!

We sat at the bar where I introduced my friends who graciously served us tea and explained how tea benefits health. Eric served some of his personal tea from a gaiwan before we ordered an herbal blend and finished with Chocolate Aire.

As much as my friends enjoyed the new world of tea, which they did, was gift of inclusion offered to them in the tea shop. They were not outsiders looking in, but accepted. This is what I love about my tea shop, many beloved tea vendors and the people here on Steepster!

It was ‘Food Walk’ evening in Old Town. This is an evening where many shops give out free samples of food as you walk through town every third Friday of the month, and it’s fun! There was a Fall ’Apple" theme, with Apple Pie Tea at the tea shop.

The ladies wanted to try a walk around 1 block. Can you imagine not knowing if your body can take the pain of 1 block?

Off we went to the cheese shop for apples and goat cheese and chedder, then a spice shop for cherries with 5 spice and apple cider…past the outdoor concert where families were dancing and a booth with childrens meals had the biggest Rice Krispie Treats I’ve ever seen!

We made our way in and out around and back to Walnut Street where Happy Lucky’s is located, watching the hummingbird moths gather nectar in the flowers.

Our evening cost under $4 for a pot of tea but was priceless for the joy it gave me to share with these ladies.

Tea is my amazing friend, but it’s meant to be shared.

A note on sharing: (Many already do this, some may like to begin)
When I read about sip-downs it makes me a bit sad, as though tea is something to be gotten rid of. Forgotten, old, unwanted tea once enjoyed or loved.
Consider, instead of ‘sipping down’ unwanted tea’s, could they be sent to a student or struggling Steepster short on funds to buy tea? Newer Steepsters would benefit from the run-off from many of our overstocked, bursting cupboards too. Swapping isn’t always necessary. When one person has nothing in their cupboard to swap gifting would be an act of hospitality! This is the way of tea.

I had just enough left of this Pu-erh to review again. It has been awhile!

After my experience with the mind altering Pu’er from Verdant yesterday, I wanted an experience where I could look down at my feet and see that …yes…there were my toes and the nails were painted purple just like I remembered! Those of you who have tasted the Xingyang 1998 from Verdant will understand what I’m talking about. I’m a bit hungover!

So, I had a hankering this morning for chocolate and Happy Lucky’s uses cocoa nibs instead of flavoring mixed with their Pu-erh in this blend. What a good idea. I am moving further and further away from the desire for artificial flavors. Don’t get me wrong…I like flavored tea! My preference now is for Organic and Natural flavors since there are so many available and they taste better.

My steep time was about 4 minutes and this brewed up very dark! The chocolate was closer to a bittersweet chocolate than a milk chocolate. There is no way I would drink this tea without milk and sweetening. It screams for it to be added! The flavor was rich and creamy like a hot chocolate, but not. There was a chocolate shot (liquor) flavor that was not like cocoa. I think the only down side for me was the lack of Pu-erh flavor. I missed the earthiness that Pu-erh has. Ah well.
For those that dislike Pu-erh’s but want the health benefits this would be the perfect choice.

First Review. Medium light chocolate puerh mix with cocoa hulls. The dry scent is almost a sweet pipe tobacco slightly cocoa. The steep is 1tsp per 8oz. for 5min. resulting in a mild, slightly earthy cocoa brew that is best enhanced with sweetening and cream as a latte for dessert (unless you are a true espresso drinker and drink puerh straight). In such a case I would even suggest a tiny twist of lemon or orange peel. There are many more elegant and refined puerhs for sure out there however, not everyone enjoys the stronger flavor that comes with them. Lighter or flavored puerhs like this one allow more people to drink without fearing strange fishy or super earthy tones.

It’s been 5 months since I tasted this Oolong! Wow that’s a long time!
I almost forgot it was in the Happy Lucky’s bin and then…I was looking for a trio of tea’s to share with Fr. Evan today and saw this one. Ah ha, that was the one for sharing with him, I thought!

Since I’m still car-less, Fr. Evan said he’d come by my condo on his way home to the wife and kids for our regular chat. When we visit we go on and on talking about Food and Faith. (His family owns one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in Denver)

I had already warned him to leave lots of time for drinking tea.

First, there would be this Oolong, then a nice malty Black Pearl Tea and last a Shu Pu-erh. (All three his first tastings of those kinds of tea’s ever.)

I set up my wooden gonfu tray, two gaiwans and glass cups (shouldn’t show off but I did anyway).

The Oolong was not what he expected. Fr. Evan likes Black Tea best and grew up drinking Greek Chamomile Tea with lemon and honey.
This was delicate and slightly floral with a little vegital background that he enjoyed. "I like this tea and would drink it which I didn’t expect, " he said. Of course I nodded in a knowing manner. (I thought he’s like it because it’s a very tasty tea!)

Next the Black Pearl delighted him since he loves a malty black tea.

But…the winner was…the Pu-erh! I’m the one who made a convert out of my Priest!!! Ha! (Now I have to buy some Pu-erh as a gift for his Church office tea set-up!)

We had such a lovely time sipping our tea and talking about how tea relaxes you and brings a person into the ‘present’ where you are able to be still with God. He understood why tea has meaning for me and how it is helping shape and heal my life.

He noticed at one point that I have a small beeswax candle on my icon shelf shaped in the form of a beehive.
“Where did you get that?” he said with some excitement in his voice.
“At the honey store by Terry Lake”, I replied.
“Did you know that the architect for Hagia Sophia modeled the great dome of the church after a bee hive…that’s how it was created and why it has remained all these century’s?”
“Wow, I had no idea!”…(I always learn something new from Fr. Evan)
What a kind man.

First review.

I was sitting at the bar at Happy Lucky’s and Andy slipped me a shot of this tea. My life passed before my eyes in a moment…(maybe longer) and every tea thing I knew about unflavored tea CHANGED (hear the drumbeat) right then! I had NO idea that you could taste Bahddah (butter) and popcorn and a bit of floral with all it’s sweetness in a tea. No idea that leaves smelling and looking like fresh spinach cooked in butter could produce tea that is so remarkable. Who knew? I bought 1 ounce of precious tea but find that you can resteep many times without the tea getting weak. I have to be careful not to steep too long or the tea gets overly vegital tasting.
This is a wonderful addition to the tea cupboard and opened me to trying Oolongs and other unflavored Tea!

Second tasting…the leaves dried while I was busy doing other things and here in Colorado it’s in the 70’s and the air is quite dry all the time. I’m so surprised at how large the leaves are! Really big! I have one of those safe plastic large 20oz dishwasher safe insulated cups that my silicon steeper just fits in perfectly…has a lid and I used for multiple steepings…easy to transfer leaves from pot to this method and also portable. Anyway…a 2 minute steep was plenty long for a supurb brew. Oh this is lightly sweet and buttery good. Slight orchid…very very slight….not nutty like nuts but like brown rice. Maybe a reason why people may like this is that it’s like rosotto… that buttery, nutty rice flavor. Well… today this is what it tastes like to me.

A fantastic Oolong. I am so greatful that my local tea people have tastings or I would never have known this kind of tea existed. What a pleasure!

It has been a very long time since I reviewed this Lapsang Souchong from Happy Lucky’s Teahouse here in Fort Collins. It happens to be a tea that I’ve sent to England, Canada and all over the United States when sending out samples of tea over the past two years. I even sent some to David Duckler at Verdant to use as a rub! (I have my nerve!)

Not too long ago, the Manager at the tea shop, Andy, had some ‘other’ Lapsang Souchong tea’s that he was sampling.
Andy said that he had some tea’s for me to try…so several Lapsang Souchongs were lined up for tasting. Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh.

None were as good as the original China Lapsang Souchong!
Why? Smoke without bitterness, depth of flavor and a little sweetness.

All agreed that there’s no point changing a favorite tea of so many people! This is one good Lapsang Souchong!

Personally, I’m never without a few ounces of this tea.
I grind it into a powder with freeze dried garlic and onion and sprinkle it on vegetables when steaming them (broccoli and cauliflower). I make meat rubs, and can’t wait until my daughter’s goats produce milk for cheese so that I can dust them with tea.

For those who received this tea from me and loved it, you can now buy it directly online. There’s another Lapsang blend with toasted jasmine and orange that’s called Lion and Lamb (less intense).
www.happyluckys.com

Third Tasting Note.

I keep coming back to this tea and using it in different ways.

First I added a pinch to other tea’s to smoke them up a little…especially good with a floral tea or Earl Grey.

Next, I started to steam my broccoli and cauliflower with a pinch of ground Lapsang Souchong and sometimes I grind it with smoked pepper or freeze dried garlic, sprinkling it over the vegetables in the steamer. The house smells so good and the veggies taste wonderful.

I moved on to pasta. Yes, pasta water and a little tea…smoky pasta…which I used first with Cheese Tortellini. Fabulous…just add a little olive oil and some herbs and um….!

Finally I want to try cooking meat and fish with this smoky tea. I know there are people who use it with BBQ rubs. You can google this and try out those options.

I had some WHISKEY CHEESE from my local cheese shop (The Welsh Rabbit in Fort Collins) that I ate while sipping my tea and ohhhhhh it was perfect! Whiskey and Smoke!

That’s it for this round! I love the smoke!

I still like this tea a great deal and especially enjoy playing with adding it to other tea’s and cooking with it. Here is tonights discovery:

No more stinky veggies!

You will never, ever, ever, ever, ever guess what I did with my Lapsang Souchong tonight. Well, I don’t like the smell of my broccoli steaming in the steamer basket (and I had 2 bunches from Whole Foods on the stove) so I put 2 pinches of …you got it…Lapsang Souchong in the water and….OH WOW! The smell was wonderful, and the flavor super fantastic. Not too smoky but just right! My house didn’t smell like old socks either! Um…Um…good! Playing with my food, playing with tea!

ok, another thing I did with this tea was put some in a steeping basket then in the water where I was boiling some cheese tortellini. This was also a big winner. I added a little olive oil and dash of Greek seasoning after draining the pasta…so good! Smoky in a mild yummy delicious way!

First review.

Last night my daughter and 3 teenaged granddaughters (18,16,14) came over for laughter (we seem to laugh till we cry at the dumbest things) and have tea.
I had fresh strawberries from California, cookies, 3 pots of different tea…Czar Nikolas II with Cherry Jam first, then Sweet Potato Pie Tea, ending with this very smoky Lapsang Souchong. I knew that noone had ever tasted anything like this tea before.

When we ended our array of tastings ending with this tea, my youngest granddaughter was absolutely loving it! Only the oldest didn’t prefer it… and thought it was like having a piece of smoked meat. Oh well, everyone else enjoyed it.

Here are the comments:
It tastes like you’re in a cabin in the woods…it brings you to memories of camping or a Winter day when the snow is falling. The smoke is real and not artifical or chemical tasting. Comforting…like having a wood fire in the fireplace and candlelight. I had only steeped a scant teaspoon for 2 minutes for 10 oz.

I’ve added Lapsang Souchong leaves to other tea’s that I wanted smoky like Czar Nikolas II once and in Earl Grey which was good also. I think this would be tasty while eating chocolate so I’ll try that next time. Good tea time.

Went to the tax lady today…got that ordeal over with!!! As a reward (as if I need an excuse) I stopped by Happy Lucky’s Tea House which has THE BEST service in the world! The regular 2 guys are terrific but today was the first intro of a new employee Diana who went out of her way to make sure I’d have a great time. I decided to try something way different than anything I have at home. Smoked Earl Grey. What in the Sam Hill would this taste like? There was a new frosting of snow out the window to look at…and a bamboo tray with a lovely white ceramic pot and cup was brought to my table “another 2 minutes and I’ll be back”, she said. OK. (about 4 min total on the steep I’m guessing). The first pour….transported me to a mountain cabin with a log fire crackling away to warm the room. There was the scent of flowers gently edging in under the smoke from some other room. Comforting but a really big smoke. I wanted some dark chocolate or a pear or aged dry goat cheese with this. The pairing would be the same as some red wines that I love. I added sugar and it brought out the floral in a good way. Diana and I were in cahoots (is this spelled right KAHOOTS?) “Let’s try a second steep and see where it takes us!” (I’m drinking a lot of tea…slosh) but…the second steep was way better…less smoke but not bland at all. So good. Not artificial. I liked this tea. Never thought of drinking anything like this. I did buy another smokier tea to cook with but may return soon for this one to keep forever. Thank’s to Happy Lucky’s for a memorable tea time!