My first Lapsang Souchong. Dried leaves smell like a campfire and jerky. Brewed leaves like incense and pine. Liquor smells like an old historic cabin and a hint of bacon. Taste hits the tongue smooth and mellow for a second then there’s the bite.  Definitely peaty, like a good tarry scotch and there is a hint of sage (smudge more than culinary).  I had the Baker Street blend last night and didn’t taste a single hint of this.  May have to add a teaspoon of this to it.  As much as I want to try multiple steepings of this and compare to the black dragon, I am getting a major headache from the smoke, my body betrays me.  May end up pairing with a buttery or roasty oolong for everyday drinking. (posting this the day after I sampled and took these notes, just want to add that I fell in love with LS Black Dragon today and my notes can be found on its page).

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 30 sec

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Druid, artist, poet, mum, lover of tea, ritual and myth. I grew up on Celestial Seasons herbals but fell in love with straight loose leaf tea working at my local Teavana for a year. I am grateful for the introduction and the experience, but have moved on.

I see tea as an experience for the senses, I like to imagine tasting the land and the weather as well as the effect of sun, air, fire and the human hand. I have a soft spot for shu pu’er, yabao, scented oolongs, wuyi oolongs, taiwanese tea as well as smooth naturally sweet blacks, creamy greens and surprisingly complex whites.

I began ordering lots of samples from Upton to educate myself on different varieties of tea we didn’t have at work and have fallen head over heels for the unique offerings from Verdant Tea. I am learning things I like: buttery mouthfeel, surprising sweet or spice notes, woodiness, mineral notes, depth and complexity and things I don’t: astringency, dry and sour notes.

I collect tea tins and am in danger of collecting pots, though I am trying to restrain the urge due to current lack of space. I brew mostly in a glass infuser mug or a tea maker, only using cast-iron for company now (still need to get a gaiwan) and tend not to sweeten my teas unless they are British or fruity and iced, which is not often.

As far as ratings, I lack a definite system and haven’t been assigning numbers lately, wanting to spend multiple sessions with a tea first. I usually only log a tea once, unless it is a new harvest or I have significantly different observations, but will go back and edit or comment if I find something interesting or new.

Location

Baker Street, Berea, Ohio

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