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“Drinking this most of the morning…now edging into afternoon. For some reason, I am getting much more LS from this today then I normally do. As usual, I nearly doubled the amount of dry leaf per...” Read full tasting note
“Many thanks to Hesper June for this tea! What a puzzlement when I looked this up, because I did got detect bergamot AT ALL which goes to show that I need a lot more development in my tasting...” Read full tasting note
“A complete surprise in the mail yesterday – this tea! H.J. – now…who…would THAT be? Hesper June – thanks so much!!! I’m a fan of most of the teas I have tried from S&V…so I was excited to try...” Read full tasting note
“Thank you, Hesper June for sending me a sample of this tea I’ve been wanting to try from S & V. By the way the little containers she put them in are very cute. So… this is a Lapsang and Earl...” Read full tasting note
One of Mr. Vail’s 15 original tea blends.
Correspondence at the Morgan Library in New York City shows the association between J.P. Morgan and Mr. Vail. Back in the early years of the company, these esteemed gentlemen created a most distinctive tea blend. The original formula of Mr. Vail and J.P. Morgan is still used today in creating their unique blend of our Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong and other hugger-mugger teas. The mellow smokiness of this Morgan Blend is definitely an acquired taste but, if you enjoy smoky teas, there’s nothing better than a cup of this on a cold dreary day to pick up your spirits!
Ingredients: Black teas, lapsang tea and natural bergamot oil.
Company description not available.
Drinking this most of the morning…now edging into afternoon.
For some reason, I am getting much more LS from this today then I normally do.
As usual, I nearly doubled the amount of dry leaf per cup.
Very good companion to the house work and cheese making I am doing today.
See previous notes for more on this tea.
Many thanks to Hesper June for this tea! What a puzzlement when I looked this up, because I did got detect bergamot AT ALL which goes to show that I need a lot more development in my tasting ability!
I was making Snickerdoodles when youngest made this tea so I didn’t get to smell the dry leaf. Had I done so, I would definitely have picked up a lovely, fruity, juicy bergamot aroma. By the time I sat down at the tea table think we were trying two different plain lapsangs, the tea was made and I gave each pot a sniff. This one had the richest, most bacon-y aroma, nice and smoky for this chilly, rainy day. I tried this one first because I thought it smelled the smokiest and the best.
It was very good, with rich layers of flavor. It was heartening and delicious with our cookies. The result of this tea tasting was a bit of a surprise, though, as we ended up being joined by a new tea drinker halfway through who had fun lending his opinion as well.
The final word, both were great! Thank you, Hesper June!
I like this tea, but I actually increase the leaf almost double when I am making it, especially if its my morning brew.
I found that it makes the bergamot and the smoke notes emerge more.
I will try that!
This sounds good too. :)
;) I will send you some of this too, Amy
A complete surprise in the mail yesterday – this tea!
H.J. – now…who…would THAT be? Hesper June – thanks so much!!!
I’m a fan of most of the teas I have tried from S&V…so I was excited to try this one, too!
So the deal with this one is that they combined Lapsang Souchong with Earl Grey! VERY interesting!
Yes…the first thing I could taste was the smokiness of the LS. The product description says ‘mellow’ but I disagree – there is a good amount of smoke, here! After my 2nd or 3rd sip I grabbed the EG flavors, too! Once I picked up on those I was smiling! The bergamot does come thru more as the liquor cools naturally at room temp for a moment or two. It’s not really that the LS and EG are playing tug of war, really, but they sure are playing around to try and flaunt their stuff! The more I drink this the more I like it. But the primary reason I like this is because S&V has ‘balls’ – I think they really got creative and took a risk here and I think it worked out really well for them!
This is a neat offering and a robust flavored tea!
Thank you, Hesper June for sending me a sample of this tea I’ve been wanting to try from S & V. By the way the little containers she put them in are very cute.
So… this is a Lapsang and Earl Grey blend which is interesting, I never would have thought to put the two together. Lapsang is the first thing you notice about this, it is quite smoky. There is bergamot in here but it’s more of a background note. I’m not really a fan of Earl Grey on its’ own but I am liking this. I feel like the bergamot has a slight twinge of bitterness.
This tea is pretty strong and I needed it this afternoon. Today was supposed to be my day for laundry and cleaning, but I think I am catching a cold… fortunately I have plenty of tea and Zicam.
By the way, I did another blog post about Imperial Tea Court if anyone wants to read it: http://sanfrantea.teatra.de/2012/12/07/a-visit-to-imperial-tea-court/
Hope you feel better soon!
I had to chuckle at your words “this tea is pretty strong”.
My first thought when I tried this tea is that it was a little weak for me.
In fact I nearly double the amount of tea when I make it.
Thank goodness tea can be made stronger or weaker to suit all kinds:)
I enjoyed your blog post.
Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar – Day 7
(originally written November 7th)
Interesting, a smoked tea. I’m surprised they included this in the advent box, since smokey teas are often very divisive, and I would expect many people wouldn’t enjoy this because of that. Personally, I can go either way with smoked teas – it all depends on the tea and how strong the smoke element is.
This one is fairly smokey, but it’s not harsh. It reminds me of smoked meat, which is a bit odd for tea but there you are. Some smoked teas can be rather earthy and mineral, but this one is lighter with some maltiness. Perhaps that’s because it’s only partially Lapsang in the blend. I will say, I don’t think I can taste the bergamot at all, which is disappointing.
So to me, it’s just a fairly light but savory smoked tea.
Flavors: Malt, Meat, Smoke, Smooth
Oooooo! I haven’t tried this yet! Sounds great!
I will drop a bit in the mail to you.
I still have your addy from the last time (unless it changed)
No trade required…I am still drinking off the tea you sent me last time;)
Forget the tea…homemade cheese! I am in awe of your domestic skills!
Aw, thank you! Cheese making is a lot easier than people think though:)
Hard to find them without going to a touristy cheese shop in the Ozarks, but I am hooked on cheese curds—-big misshapen lumps of cheddar to chomp on like popcorn. Does your recipe lend itself to those? (Just curious.)
Well, each time you make a hard cheese, curds are formed.
So, I suppose, I have made them, but usually I take the curds and then pack them into a press to form a firm block.
Our large local creamery makes these too, and sell them fresh daily by the bag full, they are very tasty.
They even make a smoked cheddar variety as well as a Jalapeño flavor.