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November 15, 2004
Lapsang Souchong
Name: Lapsang Souchong
Kathy's Rating: 1.0/10.0
Company: Twinings Teas
Origin of tea: Fujian, China
Price: ~$2.39/25 tea bags
Tea form: Minced smoked black tea in tea bags
What they say: A golden tea with a very distinctive smoky character. Ideal when relaxing in the afternoon, or in the evening after dinner.
Preparation method: Pour boiling water over the tea bag and steep for 3-5 minutes.
Review: This is the first Lapsang Souchong I've tried, so I did some research on how this tea is produced. This is a black tea that was traditionally laid out on bamboo trays with small openings and smoked with pine wood. Because of the bold smoky flavor, this is considered a man's tea. Whatever. I was very skeptical because I thought the tea bag smelled like tar, which isn't exactly the most enticing smell. However, I was relieved when tasting the tea that the bark is worse than the bite, so to speak, although the bark is truly horrific. The tea did dry my throat out though, so I had to follow up with drinking some water. I can't say I really enjoyed this tea or anything, so I'll just chalk it up as being an interesting experience and worth at least one try. As a tea drinking friend of mine remarked to me: "Lapsang Souchong was the vilest tea I have ever had!". Now that I've tried Lapsang Souchong, I will be on the lookout for other brands of Lapsang Souchong to try in the future - but only because I'm curious as to whether it's Twining's fault, or if all Lapsang Souchong is truly this bad.
Posted by Kathy at November 15, 2004 08:19 PM