Scott B Send Message

Brew temp 208

I HATE the heat.

Although I love hot sauces and spicy food, hot weather and I do not get along. Cold Miser? I’m more hard-core than him-I’d be happy to never have a day above freezing.

Anyhow, living in the States usually guarantees hot summers and for some reason I love Lapsang in the summer. When it gets really hot (like today) I can be sure to sit outside and drink a cup or two. It’s like I’m saying to the heat “Bring it on!”

This is a good solid Lapsang. Campfire smoky. Not tarry. If you absolutely must be so overwhelmed with smoke as to require a respirator, this is probably too mild for you-it’s more of a middle-of-the-road smoky.

Right now, I’m starting to think Lapsangs are like local Chinese take-out/away restaurants in the States. Sure, the restaurant/tea company name is different wherever you go, but the menus/flavors are all pretty much the same. Maybe some minor variations, but not enough to be noteworthy. It’s reliable, inexpensive, and predictable. Now, sometimes predictable is a good thing-very reassuring. However, I’m hoping to find something that keeps the essence of Lapsang but is a little more unique in its flavor. I really like Lapsang, so I don’t mind trying different ones in hopes of finding something distinctive. Only bought an ounce of this, so I’ll try something new soon.

l’ve been wanting this for six weeks, but I was waiting for RtR to get in a couple of FF Darjeelings so I could do just one order. Well, RtR had a free shipping promo this week and, alas, they never got the Darjeeling I wanted so I just placed my order. I’ve got a problem with the way RtR gives out free samples, but I’ll deal with that in another review. Otherwise, their shipping is very fast, packing is good and no complaints with my order. The tea is packed in re-sealable pouches that are foil/mylar on the inside and brown kraft paper on the outside. BTW, RtR is a division of RoT-they even ship from the exact same address.

This is my first Kenyan tea-I’ve heard they are very high in caffeine, so I’ll probably only have one cup today. Dry leaves are very dark brown with a couple light-medium brown leaves (tips?). They are short-medium in length, and tightly rolled. I do smell the cedar in the dry leaves that RtR promises, but little else specific. Something fruity. Maybe the dried plum they mentioned. It’s a pleasant aroma.

The brewed leaves actually brighten up a touch to a dark olive green and medium brown. The liquor was copper before I finished putting water in the cup and turns mahogany brown when fully steeped.

Taste is brisk with some bitterness in the aftertaste. I detect some sort of floral note, which is definitely unwelcome in a breakfast tea. Makes me think someone dumped a few oolong leaves in this-but it’s not a blend. The floral taste is not dominant, but it’s off-putting. The flavor overall is kind of unusual and I’m not sure how much I like. it. Bitterness is really increasing as this starts to cool, so don’t let it cool too much because it will become undrinkable.

I’ll give this a preliminary score-subject to change after further cuppings.

Brew temp 208

So, the tea shop I bought this at last weekend had this spicy smell which I could not identify. I’ve smelled something similar at my local health food store and I assumed it was a combination of spices or maybe incense. The tea shop had no spices, and I don’t imagine them using incense. I could picture the owner using a pipe, though. Whatever it was, it didn’t smell like tea.

The point of this is when I got back home after visiting my parents was that I noticed that the exterior of every single container of tea I bought was awash in this aroma. Worried that the aroma might be on the inside as well (he boxed my teas there) I scurried to find alternate storage for all my teas. I ran out of storage before I could put the Paris away. I figured its own aroma was strong enough to overpower this other odor and went to bed.

It’s been busy and I forgot about this tea being in that container. When I went to brew this yesterday, the dry leaf smell was pleasant enough-no hint of the offending odor. However, the brewed leaf aroma had something odd in it I felt seemed out of place. Perhaps the Paris had absorbed this other odor? Glad I only bought an ounce of this tea. I decided not to drink it just yet and I finally found a new container for this tea.

Coincidentally, a local coffee shop opened nearby this week and the newspaper article mentioned they had tea as well. So, I decided to check them out yesterday (and probably mock them for having crappy bagged tea). When I asked about the tea, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they had a dozen or so Harney and Sons. I thought it was loose-leaf, but just a bag. Still, for $2 a cup I tried this-I wanted to compare it to mine that had been in the odorous storage container for 96 hours. At least they poured the water over the bag. Flavor was okay, but promising-they put 16 ounces of water for just one tea bag so I was hoping for fuller flavor when I used an 8 ounce cup at home.

Today, I brewed this again. The dry leaves smell fine and the vanilla tempers what would otherwise be too much bergamot. Again, there is something in the brewed leaf that seems out of place. However, I failed to smell the brewed tea bag at the coffee shop, so maybe it does belong. Anyhow, the flavor of the brewed loose tea is pretty much the same as the bags (nothing that feels out of place) but it’s actually a little weaker. I put a teaspoon of sugar in this today, which I did not feel necessary yesterday. It’s good, but I feel it can probably be better. Maybe I’ll put in a little extra leaf next time. If that doesn’t help, maybe I’ll order a loose sample if Harney ever does a free shipping promo.

I’ve never done First Flush Darjeeling sampling when the crop was fresh before. In fact, I’ve only had two FF Darjeelings ever. They tasted decent, and so I decided to buy several samples from Upton. BTW-Upton ships so fast with standard shipping!

The white and silver tips in the dry leaves are beautiful. Dry leaf aroma is more floral than I expected, but not unpleasant. Indeed, there was a lot of foam as this tea steeped. The brewed leaves were mostly a pungent floral with maybe a vegetal note stuck in.

At this point, I am tending to agree this has oolong characteristics. The liquor is more yellowish with orange mixed in. The floral notes in the flavor remind me of a green oolong-not my favorite. There is one floral note that reminds me of a specific flower-unfortunately I cannot recall what that is just yet. I do detect a hint of pineapple which is nice.

I don’t think I liked this much on the first sip, but was starting to get used to the flavor before it cooled too much and became overwhelmingly floral. Not sure just yet how I feel about this. I’ll try this at least once more before giving it a numerical rating.

Wow-this is strong tea!

I consumed this straight as I usually do with most teas.

The kickback on my first sip was so strong, I though I might not finish the cup. However, it was tempered a bit as the tea cooled just a couple of degrees and continued as the cup cooled further. It’s bold, malty, brisk and full-bodied as you would expect. The taste is actually pretty enjoyable after it cools down just a bit. With reflux issues, this is not an everyday tea for me. However, for occasions when I need a flavorful kick to get me going, this will do just fine.

I was just saying last week how I’d love to try a good chili-mango tea, and the tea shop I went to last week had this. Actually, my dad bought it-he likes spicy too-but I took a couple tea bags back home for myself.

So, this is my first green rooibos and I was curious how this would taste-I have only liked a couple red rooibos blends. The bag smells pleasant enough-kinda mango-peachy and buttery.

The brewed aroma is more of the same mango-peachy-buttery. Very warm and pleasant-almost golden. The liquor itself is kinda a golden-orange color. The flavor is more of the same mango-peach-butter troika. It is really enjoyable. Sadly, there is no chili to speak of in my cup. So, the quest for a good mango-chili continues. Also, not having had green rooibos before, I can’t say for sure that I actually tasted it here-it may have just been the flavoring. Still, it’s tasty, so no penalties. I might buy it at some point.

I bought this sample to have another lighter tea for the summer, and for the pomegranate (doctor recommended it could help with joint stress). Of course, in my enthusiasm I failed to noticed there was no actual pomegranate in the tea-just natural flavoring (which may or may not be pomegranate).

Anyhow-Dry leaves are broken into large pieces. Something red is making this tea very colorful-the rosehips, I guess? Dry leaf aroma is mild and pleasant, smelling mostly of pomegranate. Brewed leaf smells strong and floral-kind of un-pleasant. Glad I took a sip before smelling this.

It has a pale yellow liquor. This tea is sweet, but not cloying. Light. Mellow. Smooth. Not too tart. Consumed straight in a mug. Might be nice iced. I don’t know that I would buy a regular size amount of this tea, but I think I’ll enjoy finishing my sample size.

Oh, I am liking this.

Never had a Scottish Blend before, but I love the idea of Yunnan added to Ceylon and Assam. I have a tendency to think Yunnan always means Dian Hong. Of course, this is probably just the generic Yunnan black (not sure if it has a specific name) which is used in lots of breakfast blends-which is fine, because I like it a lot. Anyhow, it’s a nice touch.

Dry leaves are small-assuming a ctc. Very dark brown with some golden tips. Dry aroma is a pleasant, general black tea aroma-sorry. Liquor is mahogany. Brisk and robust. Full-bodied, not bitter.This is better than the Irish Breakfast teas I have been trying lately. This would be a good first thing in the morning tea.

Brew temp 208

Dry leaves are dark brown with a few medium brown. Tightly rolled. No golden tips or pine needle-type leaves like their Black Dragon Lapsang. Aroma is smoky with perhaps a burnt rubber note. Liquor is light copper.

I thought this was going to be much smokier than the Black Dragon-especially after inhaling the brewed leaf. It smelled strongly of very pungent peat moss and campfires and I was wondering if I had gone too far. But, never fear, this tea tastes quite a bit like the Black Dragon, except a little smokier. Again very smooth-if you think smoky means bitter, I have not found that to be the case at all. I am enjoying this and would probably choose this over the Black Dragon-but you can’t really go wrong either way. Now I am craving a really smoky Lapsang.

Lapsang is not normally something I drink first thing in the morning. It’s more of a thing I like during the heat of the day, but backlogs to clear, so I forge ahead.

I can’t believe I’ve been thinking I love Lapsang in general, when I have only tried one the past 3 years-TG’s. Well, 2 if you count the Russian Caravan from Loose Leaf Tea Lounge in Chicago that tasted like it was 100% Lapsang. So, I am trying some more this summer-starting with a couple from Upton’s.

Anyhow, a lot of people think this is moderate smokiness at best and a good intro level Lapsang. If that’s the case, I am going to ask my adviser to get me in the upper-level courses because I want to learn more.

The dry leaf aroma is, of course, smoky-kinda resembling a campfire. Dry leaves are medium length with some moderate curls and twists. Some golden buds mixed with very dark brown leaves and an occasional really long piece that looks a lot like a pine needle-but not sure. When brewed, the leaf begins to take on an aroma much like a peat moss. Liquor is light copper.

Haven’t had Lapsang in 7-8 months, but this tastes very similar to TG’s version. It’s, well, moderately smoky. If you’ve never had it before, it will be very unique. If you are kinda scared of smoke, it’s not spicy hot and it’s smooth-not bitter at all. It’s somewhat subtle and not overpowering. This is medium-bodied and very tasty. However, I am anxious to move on to Upton’s China Imperial Grade Lapsang.