It is Hongcha day! July’s White2Tea club was a collection of new lapsang souchongs. Lapsang Souchong comes in many models, not just smokey tire fire. Some of these black teas are for sale on White2Tea’s site without having to be in the club. Others, like the Guizhou Hongcha, are exclusive to the monthly tea club.
For my own sanity, I’m just drinking the Lapsang Souchongs today – Traditional Lapsang, Herby Lapsang, Pine Sap Lapsang, Smoked Lapsang, and Fruit Bomb Lapsang. With each tea, I used 1 gram of tea per 15ml of vessel size, brewed gongfu style in boiling water.
Traditional Lapsang Souchong from the July White2Tea Club
The dry leaf is fruity with a hint of wood, whereas the steeped wet leaf smells of hot red grapes.
In the early infusions, Traditional Lapsang is sweet but mostly tastes of yams. It sips in thick and balmy feeling, with a fresh feel and aftertaste. A few steeps in, and the Traditional Lapsang continues to be potato notes, but slips more savory and herby in contrast to the earlier infusions of sweetness. The final infusions fluctuate between stewed fresh herbs, yams, and gentle bitterness.
White2tea’s Traditional Lapsang would be a great grandpa or thermos style tea! I found it pretty easy going to drink and brew.
Herby Lapsang Souchong
The dry leaf smells unusual, like sweet ginger cookies. In contrast, the hot leaf smells like ginger and tomatoes.
With the early infusions, Herby Lapsang Souchong is leading the way in being unusual with its notes of tomato, grape skins, and graham crackers. The texture is smooth and oily lip feeling. At each additional infusion, tea has a touch of dryness, making the top of my tongue feel dry. The later infusions shine in Herby Lapsang Souchong – it has a great balance of bitter, fresh tomato, and herbal bite, over a soft dryness that creates some salivation.
Herby Lapsang Souchong certainly would be a bit better at 200F/ 93c than boil as it is a delicate black tea, but it is a complex and interesting tea.
Pine Sap Lapsang Souchong
Opening the package and I can smell this is a burnt pine smoked bomb. Pine Sap Lapsang Souchong has the smell of ashy, smoke ring crust of ham. The infused hot leaf continues to smell like smoked ham.
Strangely, Pine Sap Lapsang Souchong doesn’t taste how it smells. The flavor is smooth, savory, umami peat with a touch of smoke. I think most of the smoke is my nose wrinkling as I smell it while drinking. Other sips have a bit of tomato vine and tannic. Each infusion got more savory, but also dry and astringent.
Pine Sap Lapsang Souchong is a weird tea, but perfect for those who love some smoke without it being an ashtray. Pine Sap Lapsang Souchong is smoke well done with a lot of complexity in each sip and steep.
Smoked Lapsang Souchong
Compared to the previous tea, Smoked Lapsang Souchong smells meatier and less smokey. Steeped, the leaves are smokey without being ashy, thankfully losing that meaty scent.
Smoked Lapsang Souchong starts off leaning on the fruity side, tasting of charred peaches with a peaty finish. The aftertaste is smokey and smooth. Overall, the texture is dense and slick, a pretty good smoked lapsang. Over the infusions, the tea goes more savory and peaty, with an ashy aftertaste.
Smoked Lapsang Souchong is a well done smoked tea that doesn’t taste like a tired on fire. If you love peaty teas and smoke, this is the one for you.
Fruit Bomb Lapsang Souchong
This tea smells like a Ruby 18 Sun Moon Lake as it smells cherry berry fruity. Steeped up, the hot wet leaves bring out a strong floral orchid scent along with the berries.
My bias sets in as Fruit Bomb Lapsang Souchong is my personal taste of black tea. Fruit Bomb is highly fragrant, with the orchid floral aroma easily smelled while drinking. The flavor is a mix of raspberry and tayberry, with an aftertaste of jasmine. Fruit Bomb Lapsang Souchong’s texture is silky and smooth. However, this tea resteeps and tastes pretty similar with each infusion, but each infusion is a mix of floral and fruity.
Comments
Lapsang Souchong can vary a lot – it is not just the sad smoking rubber of black teas. White2Tea demonstrates expert-level tea smoke in their Pine Sap and Smoked Lapsang Souchong, both tasting peaty and smooth with smoke. Whereas the other unsmoked Lapsangs are either fruity or savory. There’s a Lapsang for every black tea bias here.
