Lapsang Souchong recommendation wanted

If you love lapsang souchong.. then you will love Russian Caravan tea ( black tea) . it is relived with a hint of lapsans souchong.. you can order it online

There is no better Lapsang Souchong than Hu-Kwa by Mark Wendell (

) , though I am sure that others sell very fine Lapsang Souchongs (Lapsangs Souchong perhaps?) for more money. I am not sure what "organic" would mean in the case of Lapsang Souchong since it is smoked, and the tarry flavor comes from--well, TAR--and I rather expect that an extract of the thing would be devilishly bad for you. This would be much the same as the concentrates of nitrosamines extracted from bacon. Still, people eat bacon, and drink Lapsang Souchong, and they all seem to get by somehow. The folks who like Lapsang Souchong border on a cult they like it so much. Those who do not--the vast majority apparently--will never understand. Do you also like single malt Scotch and Balkan Sobranie pipe tobacco/cigarettes? Lore has it they all go together.

Hi Debbie, You might also try a cooked Pu'erh. They tend to brew up dark and full bodied. I think of some of them as coffee-like in that sense. Michael

Hi,

As you "like a super-strong smoky flavor", you should try Tarry Souchong. As far as I know, it is stronger, regarding the smoky flavor, than the Lapsang Souchong.

Yes! Laphroaig and Latakia blend respectively. Both or either go beautifully with Lapsang. You can't miss. I love those tarry Lapsangs that smell of a hot tarry pier with salt water spume splashing over it while the fishermen clean their catch. No specific recommendation, though. My favorite went out of business.

Michael

If you do business with the big U.S. online vendors Upton and/or SpecialTeas, they each have some Lapsang Souchongs that their customers just rave about. From SpecialTeas, it's the LS Superior that gets the big kudos, but at the moment it is out of stock.

LS Black Dragon which has a devoted following. I have some samples of the above on my way to me right now.

Randy

Good question Debbie. What about online vendors that purport to offer the genuine article? Are there any of them that are better than others?

Also, how do people brew it? Like oolong, or with a longer infusion like pu'er?

I love Laphroaig! This makes me think I should give latakia another chance.

It also brought to mind the practice (which I'm told is becoming popular in HK, Guangzhou, and Shanghai) of drinking bottled Ito En-type oolong with Johnnie Walker. Ever tried mixing Laphroaig and Lapsang?

Now THAT sounds good....

Mike htttp:/

To be honest, the two best LS teas I have tried are the Tarry Souchong from Harrod's, and the LS that is sold by First Colony Coffee and Tea.

The First Colony LS is rebadged by Colonial Williamsburg and sold under their own label. They charge a good bit for it, but it has a very clean and almost fruity tea flavour that comes through under the smoke.

I like both of these more then the LS Superior, or the Upton's LS Imperial although I have not tried the Upton's LS Black Dragon.

The Ten Ren LS, by the way, is best avoided.

--scott

I'm having some difficulty locating on-line sources of these. Could you post some links? Thanks.

Randy

I have no idea, since I don't even have web access most of the time. I'd be surprised if Harrod's didn't have some sort of web site, but I've never tried to buy from them other than at the tea counter.

--scott

I'm very fond of the 'Wuyi lapsang" from Harney and Sons. It's not suitable for the OP, as the smoke is extremely understated. But wow, what great tea flavor and mouthfeel! (If I hadn't taken my tin to work, I'd make some Right Now.)

N.

snipped-for-privacy@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com5/2/06

14: snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com

Balkin Sobranie used to carry three tins, each with a respectively higher proportion of Latakia pipe tobacco. The ones with the greatest percentage of Latakia are a bit more difficult to keep lit. But the effort is well worth it, IMHO.

This does not speak well for those who perform such abominations. A careful reading of Dante might reveal their current whereabouts.

I don't mix well.

Michael

Are the Laphoaig folk coming out of the woodwork?

GL Pease is probably making the best Latakia blends out there right now. I am more of a perique man myself but now that I see the Laphroaig / LS connection I'm going to give Latakia a second chance.

Any info on other smoked teas? I've seen this longyan stuff for sale here and there.

Heh. No, I don't generally like the taste of Scotch/Whiskey (altough - be prepared to cringe - I used to like an occasional hot buttered Wild Turkey), nor do I smoke. Sorry :-).

Thanks, everyone, for all your suggestions. This thread is fascinating and I'm learning a lot.

Lapsang souchong does remind me of Latakia based pipe tobaccos (although I've never had Balkan Sobranie). I'm not sure that I would want them together though. I assume the process for making latakia and Lapsang Souchong are similar.