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Sirentian drank Traditional Smoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong * Lapsang Souchong Black tea by Yunnan Sourcing

261 tasting notes

To be fair, I think this Spring 2015 is a really excellent Lapsang Souchong. No bitterness when brewed at 195˚F for 15 seconds. It smells and tastes like a really fine whiskey, with strong woody and smoky notes and would be great for a snowy winter’s night by the fire.

But I’m just not a whiskey person or a Lapsang Souchong person. This tea has no sweetness or fruit or florals or any other flavours I like, just the overpowering woody smoke scent. The only way I can see myself drinking this regularly is as a pairing with savoury foods, e.g. with a gourmet cheese platter, or with a meat entree. Or even try adding milk to it. Will update after trying those.

Flavors: Oak, Smoke, Whiskey

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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Bio

Amateur tea enthusiast here. I told myself I would start with studying Chinese teas when I first encountered good tea at Song Tea in San Francisco in 2016, and it’s now 2023 and I feel like I’m still just beginning to scratch the surface of Chinese teas.

Maybe someday I will move on to Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. teas…

For my day job I work in tech as well as write some fiction on the side.

The next step in my tea journey is to start training my nose with an aroma kit to get a more precise handle on floral notes.

My Tea Rating Scale: (adapted from @benmw)
100 : Unforgettable, life-changing tea experience.
95–99: Extraordinary – Beyond impressive.
90–94: Impressive – Deep complexity, extreme clarity, or unexpected discovery of wonderful flavor. Made me reconsider the category. Would always want to drink this if I had the chance.
80–89: Delicious – Nuanced, balanced, clear, and complex layering of flavors. Would probably buy this tea again.
70–79: Very Good – Nuanced flavors, perhaps not as balanced or complex as the next step up, but clear and very enjoyable. Would consider buying again if the price was right.
60–69: Good – Clear flavors, representative of the category, but doesn’t set a standard. Good as an everyday tea. Would not buy unless desperate (e.g. when travelling without access to better tea).
50–59: Average. Would not pay money for this, but would drink if it was provided FOC.
30–49: Below Average. Would not drink this again even if it were free.
0–29: Undrinkable. Could not even finish the cup.

Location

Singapore

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