Customer Reviews

China Mist Leaves Pure Tea Organic Lapsang Souchong Whole Leaf Loose Black Tea

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I am a Lapsang Souchong fan. This variety has a good, strong smokey flavor. This tea is not for the faint of heart but if you truly enjoy Lapsang Souchong taste this one. If you prefer a tea with less smoke, try Taylors of Harrogate Taylors of Harrogate Lapsang Souchong Leaf Tea, Loose Leaf, 4.41-Ounce Tins (Pack of 2).

You'll either love this tea or hate it. If you like barbecue or smoked meats of any kind, chances are you'll like this tea. I have to disagree about drinking it pale. The proper way to drink this tea is by pouring boiling water on it and steeping for 5 minutes, which usually make it fairly dark. Unlike other teas, it seems to stay smooth-tasting even when you make it strong and has a nice reddish color to it. I can't get enough of this tea. On the other hand, my wife absolutely hates the flavor.

I first heard about Lapsang Souchong while reading The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide, where they described the history and manufacturing process for the unique tea, as well as saying that it's strong smoky flavor had a "love it or hate it" reputation amongst tea drinkers. Well, my favorite beverage in the world is the Islay whisky Laphroaig, and I have heard those exact same terms used to describe its flavor many, many times. I knew I had to give Lapsang Souchong a try.

Of course, there are many Lapsang Souchong's available, and it was really just a gamble to decide which one to chose. I wanted a loose-leaf tea, since they tend to be of superior quality to tea bags. I had heard the Taylors of Harrogate Lapsang Souchong Loose Leaf described as a "beginner's Lapsang Souchong," with a less-intense smokiness and I knew I didn't want that. If "less-intense" was what my palette demanded I wouldn't reach for a bottle of Laphroaig! Another reviewer recommended this China Mist product (sold under the name of their imprint company "Leaves Pure Tea") as being a good example of Lapsang Souchong. The price and quantity were just right so this is what I picked.

I am extraordinarily pleased with this purchase, and now am a dedicated fan of Lapsang Souchong. The aroma is an intense smokiness, although the flavor is much more delicate. I went with the recommended steeping time of five minutes in under-boiled water, and that seemed just about right. If this tea is "love it or hate it," I definitely fall into the "love it" category.

The tea comes packed in an air-tight package with an oxygen-eater insert so it is as fresh as modern technology can make it. The zip-lock bag is re-sealable, which is nice. I can't find any details on the grade of the tea, or where is was processed but I assume for the price we are not dealing with a top-quality first-flush product, but for something that has been smoked over pinewood for so long you don't really need the most delicate leaves!

Aside from enjoying a glass of Lapsang Souchong, it is really wonderful for cooking. "The Story of Tea" has a Lapsang Souchong ice cream recipe that I want to try out, and I recently used some in a soup I was making as a replacement for liquid smoke. It turned out fantastic, with the tea lending a complex smokiness to the dish.

Lapsang Souchong tea comes from the mist-enshrouded Wuyi Mountains in the northwestern corner of China's Fujian Province (north of Guangdong [Canton] Province), whose greatest tourist draw besides its mountains is its coast line on the Taiwan Straits.

This tea has an unmistakeably smokey note, which for years made it a particular favorite with the "single malt and cigars" crowd of English clubs and drawing rooms. That aroma is created during the tea's smoking process, which involves the withering of the tea leaves in bamboo baskets hung on racks over cypress or pine wood fires, after they have been rolled and placed into wooden barrels until they emit their own aroma. The finished tea leaves are characteristically thick and black. Legend has it that this smoking process was discovered by accident during the Quing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), when an army unit camping out in a tea factory interrupted the processing of the recently-arrived leaves and the workers then resulted to drying the leaves over pine fires to make up for the disruption and get to the market in time, creating an instant sensation there.

Because of its potent aroma, Lapsang Souchong should not steep very long. The rule of thumb is that the paler its color, the more likely you'll truly enjoy it.

"In American author James A. Michener's 1974 historical novel Centennial, Rocky Mountain fur trapper Alexander McKeag describes lapsang souchong as "a man's tea, deep and subtle and blended in some rugged place," ... "better even than whisky." " --Wikipedia

By some arcane internet subject that led to another, and another, I ended up having read that Wikipedia line the other night. I ask you - how in the hell was I supposed to pass that up?

So I went and bought a mesh tea ball, and bought this tea. Yeah, I read the great write-ups here that spoke about the nuances of different brands, and that encouraged the decision to try it as authentic as possible (because so many brands of tea sold at Wal-Mart these days really don't do much for me ... in fact, hot tea in general never did much for me...).

After steeping it for a few minutes I'd say the aroma was that of 50% smoke and 50% black tea. The black tea aroma came after the initial smoky smell, and I found this both pleasing - then reassuring.

Initial tastes is that of just less than 50% smoke - unless you inhale before or during the intake ... then you get a boat-load more smoke. The ability to change-up one's experience with each sip is isn't a bad thing; quite the contrary. The rest is some mix of tea and sweetness. I don't really have a clue where the sweetness is coming from as I haven't read about it here, but there doesn't seem to be any need to add anything to it to sweeten it up (not that I'd adulterate a good tea or coffee anyway). Perhaps I'm confusing smokiness with sweetness, but truth be told they seem intermingled here - no unpleasantries abound.

Lastly, without having a good way of describing what it really is, I don't find it something that should be seen as either "love it or hate it." This brand's version of it, at least, is first and foremost a tasty tea (well, 50.1% of the flavor is, anyway, give or take 10%), so someone looking for a black tea experience probably won't hate it, but that isn't to say that people who mix stuff into their beverages will find it mixes well. It would seem that it's the delicate balance of the far ends of this tea that is the prize, so putting something else into it may ruin that which you're trying to improve.

Lapsang Souchong is a great tea - when brewed properly - it drinks very easily and leaves one with a nice warm, refreshed, and relaxed feeling - when steeped too long - it becomes to strong though, so brew it carefully.