Tue., Jan 24, 2006
I’m about to submit my first recipe to Adagio’s TeaChef contest. The sample of this month’s tea, Lapsang Souchong, came packaged in a cute, reusable tin. Adagio describes it as a smoky black tea and says, “you’ll either love it or hate it.” I was eager to figure out which group I would fall into.
For some reason when I hear “Lapsang Souchong,” my mind does this weird word association thing and calls up an image of a Lhasa Apso (a long-haired Tibetan dog, for those who aren’t familiar.) When I first opened my tin of Lapsang Souchong and breathed in the aroma, I almost wished it was a Lhasa Apso. The smoky scent was so overwhelming I was tempted to chuck it in the trash right away.
While I wasn’t prepared for the olfactory assault, I decided to bravely persevere by brewing a cup to taste. The scent of brewed Lapsang Souchong is not nearly as intense as before steeping, but the flavor just isn’t subtle enough for my palate. I tried adding some sweetener, but decided that as a beverage, this tea just isn’t for me.
Fortunately, Lapsang Souchong seems to mellow out when combined with selected foods and actually made a wonderful recipe ingredient. I prepared Smoky BLTea Crisps using Lapsang Souchong as a marinade for the bacon. The tea imparted a subtle smoky flavor to the bacon and the strong stench smell was virtually gone by the time I removed the crisps from the oven.
So, the final verdict on Lapsang Souchong: I don’t intend to keep it in the house, but if a restaurant had a Lapsang Souchong-based dish on the menu, I might be tempted to try it. I’d love to get comments from others who’ve tried this tea. Tell me about your first Lapsang Souchong experience.
January 28th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
My reaction was very much like yours – my eyes popped out of my head when I opened the tin. I’d had some, years ago, but I don’t recall it being nearly that strongly scented.
I made a cup of tea to test it, and I loved it – but only under certain circumstances. It’s definitely a late-afternoon or evening tea for me, a bit overwhelming for in the morning. (Says the guy who drinks four cups of coffee by lunchtime.)
I’ve also got an entry (my first) in this month’s Teachef contest, but your crisps really caught my eye. Did you use an already-smoked bacon, or just plain bacon? The asiago is a nice touch; I wonder if something like a smoked mozzerella would pair nicely as well.
Thanks for the great recipe!
January 29th, 2006 at 12:09 am
Mike,
I used unsmoked Stew Leonard’s bacon (only available in NY), but any brand should work. Just don’t use lean bacon – the crisps will dry out. I selected plain bacon for this recipe because the Lapsang Souchong was smoky enough.
I love smoked mozzarella, but that also might be too much with the tea. However, a nice adaptation of this recipe might be smoked bacon and smoked mozzarella, no Lapsang Souchong. (Actually, I think I’ll make it that way next time!)
Thanks for your comment – it makes me more confident that my reaction to Lapsang Souchong isn’t merely an indication of unsophisticated taste.
February 3rd, 2006 at 12:55 pm
I actually enjoy drinking a cup of Lapsang Souchong, but everyone else I know can’t stand it. I used to drink it in the office, that didn’t go very well when people noticed where the smell was coming from
April 15th, 2006 at 6:59 am
I own a tea store and I remember when I ordered my first batch of Lapsang Souchong. I ordered it because 1, I wanted to add some depth to my black tea varieties, and 2 I was curious as to how a smoked tea would taste. Well, I was just a suprised by the taste as I was the smell. I added some sweetner and it actualy wasn’t that bad. Throw in a cigar and the adventure gets better. =)
April 15th, 2006 at 7:02 am
Sorry, forgot to include my website just in case you want to try my variety. Lapsang Souchong
May 13th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
I found your site when I was looking for recipes that replace liquid smoke with brewed lapsang souchong. It sounds like a good idea to me, although perhaps not as strong as liquid smoke.
The first time I tried lapsang souchong it reminded me of the tequila-cousin, mezcal, which also has a smokey flavor. I loved it. One of my co-workers reminded me that it is the favorite tea of Sherlock Holmes in the Arthur Conan Doyle stories.
May 13th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Chris,
That’s a great bit of trivia about Sherlock Holmes – thanks for sharing!
~Jenn
November 14th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I’d be sure to try other varieties of lapsang before you write it off completely. For instance, I’ve tried two types of pu’erh, and they were just worlds apart, even though both of them had the same “woodsy moss and pine needles on a rainy day” flavor and smell.
Acquired tastes need a lot of experience in order to actually be acquired.
February 14th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
When I first opened a box of this tea, I was overwhelmed by the smell also. I’m a vegetarian and the scent was too reminiscent of bacon for my comfort. I was quite disgusted at first. But after brewing the tea, I found the actual drink to be satisfying. I’m not usually a fan of deep, rich teas but I like it a lot.
February 15th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Unfortunately offline life has taken me away from this blog for far too long. It’s nice to see people are still reading even when I’m not writing.
Thanks Gongfu Girl and Laura for stopping by, and for sharing your tea experiences.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:19 pm
I tried this tea to make a smoked ribs recipe at the advice of America’s Test Kitchen. Fabulous substitution for a real smoker!!! I encourage folks to go to their website for the recipe.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:08 am
I love oolong tea my friend but once I was to my friend’s place and he served this Lapsang Souchong tea which is somewhat has a smoky aroma and flavor,just like flavour of wood after burning. Tea is good but it din’t suits me.
Thanks buddy
March 14th, 2009 at 4:16 am
I love drinking all kinds of tea, but i do enjoy a cup of Lapsang at the weekend early in the morning, especially if it is a bit crisp with the mist in the valley (our veiw), it is so easy to lose yourself in the moment. Try it again and imagine you are in forest somewhere exotic.
Enjoy
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:08 pm
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October 9th, 2009 at 6:55 am
I love this tea to wake up. Very smoky flavor. Not for everyone.