Glen Lochey Blend

I liked this one! Strong. Did 5 minute steep, so may try a 4 minute next time.

Despite the full flavoring and strength, it is not bitter. Smokiness is at first, but then as it cools the oolong becomes more clear. I love the name, but need to look up how to actually pronounce “lochey” without looking silly.

It would work well as a breakfast tea when in the mood from something strong but not overbearing. I do think it could BE overbearing if overdone, oversteeped, and would not do as a daily tea. That said, I did enjoy this one as a strong breakfast type tea with a fun name and comforting feel.

While this blend is an interesting mix of black oolong and lapsang souchon, it doesn’t bring out the best of each tea, but rather mutes the taste of each. In the first steeping the oolong lends a weird tangy aftertaste and the smoky lapsang is rather weak. What seems like a possible fusion to create a sweet yet smoky blend is not very complex and what I taste is a weakly smoky fishy cup of tea. The second steep isn’t any better, just weaker. Not a fan of this blend.

Since I have been investigating more blends lately, I decided to go ahead and crack open my sample of Glen Lochey Blend. This is a smoky, earthy blend of black teas. Of course, the intense smoky aroma and flavor is produced by the addition of lapsang souchong. So, it kind of goes without saying that if you are not a fan of lapsang souchong, then you will very likely not be a fan of this particular blend.

In the glass, the liquor shows a warm, rich honey gold. I was kind of expecting a darker liquor, but still, this looks nice. Aromas of pine, smoke, earth, moss, and peat quickly jump out on the nose. In the mouth, I immediately detect notes of pine, smoke, and tar followed by flavors of peat, earth, moss, malt, roasted barley, and an almost algae/seaweed marine brininess. On the finish, there is an integration of earthy and smoky flavors with distinct pine wood notes and subtle hints of caramel and honey that round things out a bit.

All in all, I rather like this blend, but then again, I am a fan of roasty, woody, earthy, and smoky flavors. That being said, I do wish the flavor was a bit more robust overall with a slightly greater degree of separation in the layering of individual flavor components. There is quite a bit going on here if you dig deep enough to find it, but for me, the problem is that everything mellows out and merges a little too quickly. Still, I could see this being a good introduction to smokier blends for those who may be new to them.

thank you for this sample Marcel Duchamp! I didn’t remember this was smoky until I brewed it, so I’m glad I separated this sample from the others! I needed something brisk this morning. A Scottish inspired tea should probably be brisk, so I went with this one… Scotland probably gets the same amount of sun as NY… this better be the last week of this snow! I’m so sun deprived! I steeped up the teaspoon and a half for this cup. It’s gone now! Both steeps are pretty much the same — surprisingly smoky but it seems like it’s on an assam type base, so that seems different. It is brisk, as I expected, slightly malty. Smoky smoky! I wish had more to say about this one… but their description is definitely accurate. But it’s another good one from S&V. I’ve tried a few from them now and they are always good!