Smokey Mountain sTEAp

SIPDOWN! and that ladies and gents, puts me at 200. Not that i’ll stay there for that long since i have birthday orders to come in july and there’s a mini package coming from nxtdoor that will likely be here tomorrow. So I need to keep on drinking! But now…now i just need to try and aim for drinking things that i have lots of, at least more than 2-3 cups of.

This tea? It’s not bad but it’s not great. It’s actually a little watered down for me more than anything, and i believe that i added a bit of extra leaf. There’s a nice smokey flavour to this, but i just want it to be a bit…“more”

Lapsang Souchong seems to be a love it or hate it kind of tea. I personally like smokey teas: not TOO smokey, but a hint of it can really elevate a blend. There’s a maple lapsang from Tealux that I am in love with, so I had high hopes for this blend. Smoke, chocolate, vanilla, sign me up!

Now, there are a lot of s’mores teas out there… and this isn’t one of them, of course. But they all lack one thing: sure, you’ve got the chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker, but the best thing about s’mores is cooking them over a campfire. This tea… it’s s’mores in a cup! Gentle yet present smokiness, rich chocolate, a creaminess from the vanilla. It’s rich and scrumptious, but the smokiness really keeps it from being overly-sweet and dessert-y. I really love this one! It honestly makes me feel like I’m camping, and it is so perfect for this cooler weather.

I do get the coffe vibes too. It doesn’t really taste like coffee exactly, but the flavor profile reminds me of DT’s Coffee Pu-erh. It’s got a latte vibe going on for sure! A smokey latte of course haha. If you’re on the fence about LS, this is really a great tea to start with.

THIS is the LS for all those out there who don’t think they like LS! Lapsang Souchong is what I mean by LS.
Really the smokiness is JUST at the right level in this one!
This is going to be a STELLAR compliment to my vegetarian chili I am making!
Not vegetarian anymore but sometimes I go back to my roots, and I am sick of all the factory farming, meats from god knows where BLECH.
I may be reverting! Not a bad thing.
Anyway I am going to go review this on http://sororiteasisters.com/ so look for it on the 22nd! :)
SO GOOD!
Thank you sTEAp Shoppe for this sample!

Another Sipdown, courtesy of my steep sister Sil!
This was the 2nd tea I took with me to teach at the University. It’s not my favorite smokey tea, but it was ok. Actually, it left me with a craving for BBQ, which I satisfied on the way home at a local joint called Sugar Fire. Now I’m sleepy & lazy! And I have a student coming any minute. No rest for the wicked, my Gramma used to always say.
Onward, through the fog…

I’m not a fan of Lapsang Souchong – or at least the little that I’ve tried. Something about “smokiness” in my teas just doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t know what it is.

Anyway, I tried this with hesitation, and it’s not bad. It’s definitely a muted smokey flavor, and not unbearable like a straight LS might be. I’m not really getting any of the coffee or chocolate flavors either, though, unfortunately.

I’d recommend this to someone who doesn’t like LS, but doesn’t hate it either. I wonder what someone who LOVES LS would think of this.

Thanks, STEAp Shop for the sample! This is for the Virtual Tea Tasting 9/23/12

My co-favorite of the samples provided by sTEAp Shoppe. The smoke is heavy by my standards, but it isn’t overwhelming and it never feels like someone dumped an ashtray in your cup. This is a good kind of smoky. It blends really well with the other flavors. There is a bite in the back of the throat. The smell, the bite, and the aftertaste remind me of rooibos – though this is better and more complex. A few more sips and now this reminds me of the smell of sawdust when you are running a dull circular saw through a fresh piece of pine – kind of woodsy, kind of burnt.

In cup two the smoke does not diminish, rather the oolong just comes out of hiding a little more. It gives it a nice floral note. The throat bite is not so noticeable in this cup. This is maybe even a little better than the first. If not better, at least different. Nice.

I went three cups with this one. It was lighter than the first two. Though the smoke still stands out this is a civilized cup. A pleasant ending to this tea.

One thing I noted is that if you let the cup get cold, the taste of this tea perks up even more.

It is pretty intense. Unless you are a huge smoky tea fan, I am not sure you would want it everyday. That being said, it is different than the normal fare and just happens to be really good.

Yay! Marshmallow roasting time!
Seriously the dry leaf has the lapsang souchong scent but with another sweeter note. Marshmallow!
I have a special fondness for marshmallow (good marshmallow, that is). I have the incredible privilege of living near the great salt marsh. My sister and I grew up playing on it, running across it, conquering its muddy rivers and creeks. We would leap into the salt water at high tide and at low tide we slip down the slick muddy banks and go like seals or penguins through the bottoms of the creeks. The sun would bake the mud onto us and as the tide rose again we would rinse off and let the winds and grasses dry our legs.
It really is that free and perfect.
Marshmallow is not just the sticky stuff in a tub, it’s also a plant. Sometimes around here you can find decent homemade marshmallow. I love the word though – we named our boat “Marsh-mallow” (or Marsh-mellow, we never could decide!).
In good weather we take the boat through the inlets and channels. We push the throttle up and skim across the water in the big channels and then laughing, let it putter down and muddle through the water sending only smooth ripples to run around us.
We beach ourselves at a little scrap of sand and marshgrass where snails are always in abundance. I like to leap off the edge of the boat, plunging down into the increasingly chill water until I just touch bottom and push off to the surface. Then someone throws me a tow-rope and we drag the boat closer to shore. You have to be careful not to step on all of the little snails that litter the beach there, hundreds of them. Horseshoe crabs lurk underwater as well, so boat-shoes are a must!
We eat sandwiches, leap around amongst the driftwood, and then after we are getting chilled we change into new clothes (if we were smart enough to pack them) behind towels and pack up onto the boat.
The ride back is a study in wonder as the sun sparks flintlike on the water and hits the back of our eyes, closed to the wind, in meandering patterns that map themselves like rivers in the mind. We drive fast now because we are all cold and tired. Speeding along, riding at the bow, leaning over the edge, drunk on sunlight and salt air is a moment of transcendence.

Great Salt Marsh. Seriously. Read about it. Go there. Donate to save them. I hate to think about the damage being done to them by building, contamination from trash, as well as whatever was causing them to die off up and down the coast. We are always careful when we go not to damage them. We might play on them, but we avoid the nesting birds and are careful not to cause erosion on the banks.

You can see some pictures of the changing seasons here: http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/402/625/1100/5066/5085.aspx

Ahem
Back to the tea. It is good. It reminds me of camping (which is a completely different set of free associations, although still marsh related as we used to go camping at the beach when I was a kid). I like the smokiness of the lapsang with the sweet burned marshmallow.

I got this in a sample size on a whim when I placed order at sTeap. I have never liked smoky teas, but wanted it give it another try. I was excited for the s’mores aspect of this tea but a little apprehensive of the smoky. Well my distaste of smokey flavor won out. I can’t say I dislike this. I added some honey and frothed milk and I’m still drinking it. But the smoke flavor just isn’t for me. It always seems meaty to me, which confuses my tongue. It’s a simple tongue. But, I think if you don’t mind smokey this is probably a super good tea. I love the chocolate and gooey marshmallow flavor. I think if it didnt have the LS I’d be raving about it.

the mystery swap tea box i got from TastyBrew came with a note. it said the box contained “teas i don’t love as well as some of my favorites”. so The Game Is Afoot!!

actually, i realized that i have already cheated cuz i’m a big peek-er. and i looked up tastybrew’s opinion already. haha oh wellz

fact is, i love lapsang blends.
i really do. cuz lapsang seems like a tea that wouldn’t be blended with anything well and it’s always a surprise.
i also read a lot of sherlock fan-fic. and last night i stayed up till 4am in the morning getting half way through a really long story. and lapsang is always sherlock.
but i digress.

the vanilla and coco nibs are mild, but i can get a hint of the vanilla. i would have never thought of a vanilla added to lapsang but i now realize it’s OBVIOUSLY a great idea and i will hope to find a really good one someday.
i do think this tea itself is pretty mild. and i brewed it according to instructions. but next time i will probably try brewing it longer. (that is, when i brew my last cup. cuz i already drank 3 cups of this hah)

I’m not often in the mood for Lapsang Souchong teas, but when I am, this might be the tea for me! It’s not super smokey, but instead it wraps around comforts, like a warm blanket of smoke.

:| My brain isn’t quite working today. Still sinusheaded. APPARENTLY. Lack of appropriate metaphors are a cluuuuue.