Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
We had some discussion about what base tea would be used in a Smaug tea, but clearly it had to be a DRAGON Well. For those unfamiliar, Dragon Well (aka Longjing, aka Lung Ching) is a green tea from the Zhejiang province in China. Legend has it the tea derives its name from the beneficent dragon said to live in a local well.
Our Smaug tea is a blend of Dragon Well, cinnamon chips, a hint of lapsang souchoung (I only used a single ounce in five pounds of Dragon Well, just enough to give it a little smoky character), some cayenne pepper and organic flavors. It’s a fiery feast for your tastebuds!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh WOW! This Smaug Tea from 52Teas is amazing!
I love the level of spice here – it is spicy, in fact, my first few sips, I could feel it in my sinuses! That’s how you know it’s got the spice! But, it isn’t SO spicy that I feel like I need to put out a fire on my tongue. I’m not running for a drink of water to dilute the spice, nor am I needing a bite of something dairy-ish to extinguish the flames on my palate (my personal favorite in instances such as these is ice cream). So … it is spicy and just a little smoky, but not to the point where I find it uncomfortable to drink. On the contrary, I’m really enjoying the burn!
The Dragon Well tea offers a light sweetness and a hint of vegetal taste. If I had any complaint about this tea at all, it would be that the Dragon Well almost seems a little overwhelmed by the flavors of cinnamon and cayenne pepper … almost, but not quite. I can taste the Dragon Well, but, the flavor does seem to be competing with the other flavors here.
The Lapsang Souchong is a barely there addition … there is just enough to give the cup the faintest insinuation of smoky undertones.
Another idea would be to use Chipotle pepper which would provide smokiness in addition to heat … Frank, if you’re reading this … how about a Chipotle Raspberry Chocolate tea? Spicy Love! YUM!
The cinnamon offers a nice, earthy character to the cup in addition to a zesty spice which compliments the cayenne pepper very nicely. The cayenne adds … just the right amount of heat here. It isn’t over done. If you’re wimpish about spices, you probably wouldn’t like this, but if you enjoy taking a walk on the spicy side now and then … I think you’ll find this tea is right up your alley!
Loving the burn! Absolutely LOVING it!
Smokey Mountain from sTEAp Shoppe
Leaf Type: Black Tea, Oolong Tea,
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
This is a smoky robust Tea is a blend of Organic Lapsang Souchong, Organic Se Chung Special Oolong, Organic Assam flowery Orange Pekoe. Each tea brings it’s own flavor profile and combined they create a smoky floral tea. With the addition of Chicory you will experience a coffee like tannins, Organic Cocoa Nibs & Organic Vanilla Bean introduce a smooth rich flavor and aroma and the Fenugreek seed helps bring all these unique flavors together as one with it’s milky sweet flavor.
This tea has a muted smokey flavor yet rich and creamy with coffee undertones.Learn more about this tea here
Taster’s Review:
WOW!! Okay for reference, I am not a huge Lapsang Souchong fan, at the same time I do not dislike it, I quite enjoy it every now and then but only every now and then. I am quite picky about my Lapsang Souchong teas, and I have to be “in the mood” for them. With that said … I absolutely feel I have been converted to being able to drink Lapsang Souchong daily!
Why? Because this tea, with the addition of oolong, and chicory, the cocoa nibs, the vanilla, ALL OF IT, just makes this such a delicious blend! I am not too familiar with sTEAp Shoppe or their teas, as a matter of fact I knew nothing of them until last week when they were offering some samples and of course I jumped on that bandwagon. This so far is my favorite from them and I have to admit I was hesitant to give this a try because I really am NOT that big into Lapsang Souchong, oh sorry I already said that. Seriously though, I reluctantly opened the package and the smells that came up into my wanting nostrils were AMAZING! I instantly knew this was no ordinary lapsang souchong! I can safely say that THIS tea should be their flagship tea! I feel they will be converting a lot of LS non believers into LS lovers very soon! Now all I want to do is go meander over to their site and see what else they have to offer because they clearly are working hard to get their blends perfect!
The smokiness in this tea is going to be a wonderful compliment to the vegetarian chili I am in the process of making, its smokiness is not over powering whatsoever, and the vanilla gives it just the right amount of creamy sweetness without being a sweet tea. It would hold up well to cream and sugar if you enjoy that in your tea. There is a quality chocolate undertone from the cocoa nibs but also I am very picky about chocolate flavored teas and absolutely hate any fakey artificial chocolate flavors, this has none of that nonsense! Did I mention that sTEAp Shoppe uses all natural and organic flavors? They do!
The chicory is pleasant and would also be something coffee drinkers could appreciate without making your tea taste like coffee! This has such a perfection of balance and all things wonderful I just can’t go on enough about it. You would think I had blended it myself I am so proud of this creation! Good work sTEAp Shoppe!
Thanks for allowing me to try this one!
Campfire Blend Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Type:
Black Tea/Rooibos Blend
Where To Buy:
Whispering Pines Tea Company
Product Description:
This is an amazing wake-up tea — A dark fiery blend that smells and tastes like it was pulled straight out of the rockies, Campfire Blend uses 11 different black teas as the base and mixes that with rooibos, orange peel and spices to create a taste and aroma unlike anything you could ever imagine…except for maybe the whisper of an ancient campfire and the cry of a lone wolf on a cool autumn night.
Tasters Review:
The Product Description states this has 11 different black teas? My attention was grabbed! Plus Rooibos? I was even MORE interested! AND Spices and Orange Peel? Let’s just say THIS blend had me at “Hello!”
When I asked Brenden which 11 black teas he used he told me he was sworn to secrecy – which I can totally understand and appreciate! BUT…then he told me (and let me pass it along to our readers) that Campfire Blend uses Glen Arbor Breakfast as the base tea. Glen Arbor Breakfast is made with 2 keemun teas, 7 ceylon teas, one lapsang souchong, and one assam. YUP! I’m totally excited about this blend!
It smells smoky and orange-E. The color of the liquor is that of a rooibos but also a medium-dark brown combined.
It’s smoky but not overly-so…not like a straight-up Lapsang Souchung but still very nice and fitting to the name. The mesh of 11 black teas in the base are interesting…something I have never tasted before! That I like and appreciate all of the thought that went into it.
I can taste the orange and it’s lovely. Again, not overpowering but I’m happy it’s present. The spices seem to mesh really well with each other as well as the black tea base. I can’t pick out one spice over the other(s)…it’s a nice combo – that’s for sure!
It’s earthy and woodsy…true to it’s name, too! It’s slightly sweet which is a nice surprise. It has a sweeter-maltiness to it, too! I REALLY like that!
It also has a very subtle taste of mineral/rock type taste…reminiscent of Wuyi Rock Oolong, perhaps.
I really like this because it is so different. Also because you can tell a lot of thought and work went into it. It certainly lives up to it’s name…CAMPFIRE BLEND.
I’ve had some really nice email conversations with Brenden at Whispering Pines and think Brenden is great! Whispering Pines has some wonderful offerings with creative combos and nifty names but the quality is top-notch as is the customer service! The email correspondence is great and I can’t wait to write another review for one of their teas! Stay Tuned!
Unsmoked Lapsang Souchong from Townshend’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Townshend’s Tea Company
Tea Description:
From the same region as the smoked version, this handmade tea has a very subtle smokiness resulting from the roasting process. It carries a rich, fulfilling flavor that is less overpowering than its smoked counterpart.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
While recently perusing the Townshend’s Tea Co. website, I came across this tea and was instantly intrigued. I hadn’t actually planned on ordering tea from them, but, when I saw this tea … something in me jumped up and said “I HAVE TO TRY THAT!” And … I’ve got to say that is pretty weird for me to actually WANT to try a Lapsang Souchong, as it is one of my least favorite teas!
But what makes it my least favorite tea is the heavily smoked flavor (and aroma!) of the Lapsang Souchong … and since this one is “unsmoked” … well, this Lapsang Souchong was calling out to me!
And I LOVE this! There are some smoky tones to this … it isn’t completely without smoke. But, it isn’t that heavy, pine-y smoke flavor that is associated with a typical Lapsang Souchong. Instead, the smoky tones here are light and meld beautifully with the other flavors that I am just now discovering of this tea grown in the same region as the smoky Lapsang Souchong.
Luscious fruit tones and even some floral notes are in there, now not hiding behind a smoky veil, and the smoky notes marry with the fruit and floral tones to create a very harmonious taste unlike anything I have ever experienced with a tea. There is very little astringency to this, and no bitterness. It is robust and has a delicious roasted taste to it, which gives it a very hearty vigor.
One thing that this tea is missing (other than the heavy smoke!) is the deep caramel-y undertones that I usually taste with a Lapsang Souchong. I am guessing that is because of the lack of smoke, which probably “caramelized” these deliciously sweet fruity notes into a caramel-y taste. And while I love the flavor of caramel, and it was the discovery of those caramel-y undertones that started me on a path of rediscovering Lapsang Souchong and appreciating this tea a little more than I used to … I definitely prefer Lapsang Souchong without the heavy smoke and caramel.
I really, REALLY like this. A very nice alternative to the usually heavily smoked Lapsang Souchong.
Smoky Chocolate Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s a decadent and unique treat for tea and chocolate lovers. This is one of six new blends we created for our Box of Chocolate samplers. Lapsang souchong is a unique Chinese black tea that is smoke-dried over pine fires. This gives it a one-of-a-kind smoky flavor. For those who are not familiar with smoked teas, our tea of the week this week is a great introduction since we’ve blended the lapsang with (non-smoked) Nilgiri black tea, organic cacao nibs and natural rich chocolate flavoring. The combination yields a decadent, exotic and comforting cuppa that will leave you craving more.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am not sure what I think about this tea just yet, to be honest. Usually, before I start writing a review, I have a clear idea of how I’ll approach it, but with this tea, I’m not able to do that, because I’ve not yet formed my opinion about the tea. I hope that as I continue to write this review while sipping on the tea, my ideas will come to me. I hope you do not mind me taking you on such a journey!
I usually brew Lapsang Souchong teas in my gaiwan using short steeps, and that’s how I brewed this tea at first. But unfortunately, the short steeps rendered a tea that had very little chocolate flavor because the short steep time did not extract enough flavor from the cacao nibs.
So, I brewed the rest of the sample that I had in this tea in my smart brewer, and hoped that it would turn out better than the previous brewing. I steeped it for 3 minutes using boiling water, and the result is much better: I can taste chocolate now.
But, I also taste a very strong smoky essence from the Lapsang Souchong. I know, I know, that’s supposed to be the idea, right? With a name like Smoky Chocolate, it should be smoky. But I am not so sure about the balance between smoke and chocolate with this. I think I would like it to be a little less smoky and a little more chocolate-y. As it is, the chocolate is delicious, but it’s a little overwhelmed by the smoky notes.
That’s not to say it’s bad. It’s actually good, and the flavor becomes more appealing as I continue to sip. I like that the tea base is a blend of Lapsang Souchong and Nilgiri tea to help cut back on that smoky pine taste just a little. The backdrop of tea flavor is strong and flavorful. I taste hints of pine and an earthiness to the cup, and I find that the earthiness in particular is quite complementary to the flavor of the chocolate.
Is this a favorite from 52Teas? No, but, I did enjoy it, and am glad that I got to try it. I do like how the chocolate and smoke flavors taste together, although I think it would have been better if there was a little less smoke and a little more chocolate. I do find that the chocolate flavors intensify as the tea cools, so if you find with your first few sips of this tea that you want more chocolate taste, just let it cool slightly and I think you’ll discover that chocolate flavor you’re searching for.
This tea is featured in the Box of Chocolates Sampler, and it was the Tea of the Week for the week of February 6, 2012.