I spent most of my day drinking this tea.
I bought 50g of it during my last Camellia Sinensis order because I’m seasoning my first ever yixing with Lapsang Souchong and Camellia Sinensis’ version is pretty well reviewed and very affordable. Plus the idea of a “licorice” note present in a LS intrigued me. You can see a picture of my pot here:
Doesn’t the little dragon spout just seem SUPER appropriate for a pot dedicated to smoky/ashy Lapsang? Pretty sure I’ve nailed the “matching the pot to the tea” aspect.
I spent A LOT of time researching the best way to season my pot, which is what I did today, and while I was REALLY tempted to use the boiling in a pot method I ultimately played it cautious and am instead going to be naturally seasoning it through general use. While flavour sucking is the big concern about seasoning a pot that way I figured that LS is such an incredibly potent/strong full bodied tea anyway that some flavour sucking wouldn’t be a terrible thing especially if I just overleafed my first few Gong Fu sessions to compensate. And to be fair, today was my first time trying the Camellia Sinensis Lapsang Souchong but I didn’t feel like much flavour was lost.
It tasted like Lapsang Souchong: strong smoke/ash notes and a defined woody taste as well like described on the website/packaging. Certainly, this wasn’t the sweetest or smoothest LS I’ve tasted (there definitely were NOT licorice notes) but it was enjoyable. Enough so I had at least ten different cups worth. The only reason I stopped making cups was because I had to leave to go do laundry. As well, when is Lapsang Souchong ever really smooth? The first taste ALWAYS slaps you in the face with the harsh flavour. You just have to kind of… settle in to it.
Today was a success though! I loved brewing with my yixing, and I’m very happy with the shape/style of it. I can hold everything comfortably and pour with precision and ease. Already, the desire to purchase another one (or two or three) is bubbling up…
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That’s a cute pot! I don’t think I drink any one tea often enough that devoting a pot to it would be worth it, but there is something appealing about yixing pots. I think about the only teas I drink almost every day are peppermint or maybe earl grey. Although, I guess I have been getting pretty fond of Bai Mu Dan/White Peony. Lapsang Souchong is a bold choice for a first pot. It’s not one I like straight, but I’m really curious how it would taste in a blend.
That’s a cute pot! I don’t think I drink any one tea often enough that devoting a pot to it would be worth it, but there is something appealing about yixing pots. I think about the only teas I drink almost every day are peppermint or maybe earl grey. Although, I guess I have been getting pretty fond of Bai Mu Dan/White Peony. Lapsang Souchong is a bold choice for a first pot. It’s not one I like straight, but I’m really curious how it would taste in a blend.