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“After a long week and a quick swim at the pool (trying in vain to get some exercise!) I am at home now. I can’t say what made me want to brew this one up but I was really craving it for some...” Read full tasting note
“I don’t want to GIVE AWAY my review…but… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUH6yvCyQvM THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!! I have been looking for a Lapsong Souchong JUST LIKE THIS! I FINALLY FOUND IT! ...” Read full tasting note
“Backlogging from yesterday. What a way to start the new year. We arose to temps dipping to 10 below outside and our oil heater had quit during the night. The house was freezing. Hubby went out to...” Read full tasting note
“Tea of the morning…. (SRP #43) This is the end of my sample of this tea, and I loved it while I had it. Thank you, again, narwhalclub! It is probably about the smokiest I could handle, but it is...” Read full tasting note
This is a fairly heavily smoked Lapsong Souchong that smells wonderful and brews up beautifully. Named for a Chinese Tea Merchant.
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So, so, so delicious. Perfect degree of smokiness as well as smoothness. I like Lapsangs a lot, but I feel like I never have to try a new one again, (except maybe Upton’s Black Dragon Lapsang), because it’s going to take something beyond exceptional to beat this one. I could drink it everyday, and in fact, I think I just might.
This was a far lighter Lapsang Souchong than the usual campfire variety. There was even a welcomed floral presence I wasn’t expecting.
Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/06/30/review-mark-t-wendell-hu-kwa/
Thanks TeaEqualsBliss! I’m still trying to get through all of my samples. I’ve been having a mini sip down/cleaning party.
This is such a lovely smoked tea. Lapsang always reminds me of camping and campfires. Mm :) not a super smoked flavor, but still has nice flavor to it. Thanks again!
This tea is has very strong, smokey flavors. I found the smokiness to be overpowering and I did not care for it. Victorian Afternoon, by Mark T. Wendell is similar, but not overpowered with smoke.
In deference to those who love this sort of tea, I have removed my low rating.
I don’t think it is appropriate to rate a type of tea you don’t like. To say that it has very strong smokey flavors is a description of every type of Labsong Souchong tea. If that is a type of tea you usually like then a comment and rating is appropriate, otherwise your rating is meaningless.
Respectfully, I disagree. I found Hu Kwa to have no other quality worth commenting on other than the heavy smoke. On the other hand, MTW’s Victorian Afternoon, which is smokey, has, in my opinion, a more balanced approach. In the latter case, I believe the smoke complements an otherwise fine, high grade tea. In Hu Kwa’s case, I couldn’t get anything from it other than smoke. I should add that my opinion is not based on a single tasting, but rather several tasting from at least three different batches, spread out over a decade. My rating is just that…my opinion of where the tea ranks, relative to the other teas I have tasted. I understand your point, but if I ranked only teas I liked, it wouldn’t give a balanced view of what I do and do not like.
I’m inclined to agree with Ed Fladung. E.g., I don’t like coffee; therefore, I should stay away from coffee forums, instead of frequenting them and rating everything as 26 for “very strong coffee flavours”. Lapsang Suchong has a strong smoky flavour, and the point of the rating system is for people who enjoy Lapsang Suchong to give relevant advice to other drinkers.
The smell of steeped Hu Kwa reminds of childhood memories – smell of a small pile of tinder just before putting them in the heating stove at my grannies in good old times. Dry leaves, on the other hand, attack you with their heavy smoke – just like sniffing the remainders of the last night’s campfire and remembering all that fun.
Unlike some other LSs, you can actually taste the tea under all the smoke. It is easily over-steeped which can result in an astringent aftertaste.
Overall, this is a great find for those who appreciate LS.
The scents of smoke and pine are perfectly balanced, but still allow the flavour of the tea leaves themselves to come through. The leaves are large for a relatively mass-produced tea; even fairly coarse filters will prevent sediment from passing into your cup. The tea will not go bitter no matter how badly you overbrew it. Overall, an excellent cup. Keeps well; order in bulk.
