Souchong Liquor

This was a black Friday buy. Ugh, I really need to make more tea friends in the area or just make a community group so I can bring tea to have others drink too. ^^; My wiffer is a little off because I got sick so I’m going to have to revisit this another time. But I had a noticeable moment last night while drinking the barley tea I bought in Japan where at some point something in my sinuses changed and went from a mute cup to oh there it is! I can’t smell the leaves well yet but I can detect some hints of marzipan, rose, and dry wood. It is a very uniform leaf of the small darkness of brown, the same medium size, and twisted leaf. By the way, hand rolling is hard. T_T Oh for crying out loud. I could taste my cinnamon cereal but the notes in the tea are muted. Steeping past the suggested time imparts some dark wood tones and liquor notes. I will be interested to see what this one really shows when my nasal cavities fully clear.

Relatively disappointing. I got the 2021 harvest of this tea from my Mei Leaf order some time ago, but as far as I remember this tea hasn’t provided the greatest of sessions. Beautiful leaves with a slight golden sheen, rich yet nuanced aroma both in the dry and wet leaf, and a beautiful deep liquor that portrayed its golden ring slightly. Flavour was average to decent and I really had to brew it hard to bring out a nice and complex flavour, texture was smooth but nothing else to note of it. Character was lacking as the session was pretty one-dimensional, the finish & aftertaste was average to mediocre, the cha-qi was unnoticeable and the steep longevity is not very good either. Overall, spend your money elsewhere as this unsmoked lapsang isn’t worth your time in my opinion.

I’m very new to black tea. All I’ve had before came in a tea bag and honestly it was always terrible. So, I did very short steeps of this wanting to not recreate the acrid taste of liptons and other black tea nonsense. I was rewarded. This tea was warming and the caffeine was terrific. While fully oxidized teas will never be my preference, I can see myself drinking it when I need a morning kick or a midday boost.

I am not very experienced with black teas, and thus cannot compare this one with other similar black teas.
It felt very pleasant to my tongue; well balanced, reminding me of fruity and spicy notes with a honey fragrance and a pleasant herbal taste. The mouthfeel is medium, the aftertaste is fruity and slightly dry. I enjoyed drinking it.
I can recommend this as pleasant tea, mild but full of flavor.
Since I did not find any issue with the tea, I give 100 points. Just bear in mind that I am no black tea connaisseur, and thus might not know what could be better, yet.

Really good tea. Very fruity for a black reminds me of a dancong! Excellent profile including malt, chocolate, cherry (maybe cherry wood) and some dark berries. From the first infusion it packs flavour. A more delicate tea which is less suited for stronger combos like spices.

Brewed gong fu style 5g per 100ml temp 90 -95°C 5 sec rinse. 10 sex first infusion + 5 each infusion after. Profile develops. Fruit and dark chocolate/cacao in first steeps leading to fruits and malt chocolate before some minerality comes towards the end. Can usually get between 5 and 7 infusions.

195 Degrees F, Gongfu, 15 sec infusions + 5

This tea seems to have lost some flavor over the past 2 years. I remember this tea having a more unique flavor profile but that’s what happens when you leave tea sitting in a drawer. Still a very nice breakfast tea. Theres definitely a chocolate note there. 8 infusions.

Season: Spring
Cultivar: Xingcun Xiao Zhong
Origin: Zhengshan, Fujian, China
Picking: Young Leaves
Elevation: 1500m

Eyes – Dry Leaf: Very small black leaves
Nose – Dry Leaf: Malty chocolate, wood, cranberries
Nose – Wet Leaf: Chocolate mustiness, sour apricots
Eyes – Liquor: Dark amber brown
Mouth – Texture: Medium
Mouth – Taste: Malty Roasted Chocolate, Honey, apricot
Nose – Empty Cup: Raw Cane Sugar
Mouth – Finish: Slightly bitter, pretty smooth, mildly drying
Eyes – Wet Leaf: Small brown leaf fragments
Effect: Mildly energizing

It cant get much better than Souchong Liquor Malt, Chocolate and some baked bread
A kickstarter for each morning

Dominant flavor of cacao nibs, some toastiness – salted roasted nuts and dark, almost burnt, caramel. Hint of rose lokum and dark fruit, maybe prunes.

A delicious and comforting black tea.