lapsang souchong
by adagio teas
(59 reviews)
type: black
origin: china
variety: lapsang souchong
ingredients: black tea
caffeine: strong
price level: $$$$
Lapsang Souchong is a black tea from the Fujian province of China, famous for its smoky aroma and flavor. To create this, the finished tea is given some extra drying over smoking pine fire, imparting a sweet, clean smoky flavor to the tea. Lapsang Souchong sometimes gets a bad rep for being brashly smoky, but really fine examples aren't like that at all. Our Lapsang Souchong is very approachable: clean and slightly cool smokiness in the aroma, like menthol. Sweet, refreshing smoky flavor, crisp and edgy. Golden-coppery color in the cup; the mark of a Lapsang that hasn't been smoked to a jerky. Sweet pine flavor, lightly evaporating finish. It's amazing all the dimensions of 'smoky' you can experience in one, very well made cup of fine Lapsang Souchong. Steep at 212°F for 3-5 minutes
Recent reviews
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Sofia Teasley
Rating for blendability...great mixed in with other things, a bit strong by itself. It smells very smoke when dry...like smoked meat. When brewed, smells more like a campfire. Not bad, but definitely an acquired taste!
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JR
Julia Rathmann-Bloch
Smokey, savory, and rich flavors characterize this tea drinking experience. Would be great in a cocktail or hot pot.
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Zell Maestro
This is really good if you know what you're getting into. A lapsang souchong is supposed to be EXTREMELY smoky tasting, so if you're not into that, you'll be disappointed because this definitely smells like a campfire. I personally love it. It's not as full-bodied as other lapsang souchong's I've had, but quite good.
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Irishman McWhirter
This lapsang is like smelling like my grandfather's pipe. This is very strong but great blending with other teas. I also use sweetener to smooth the smoky when blending with other teas.
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Jen S
The ash tray smell is just too much. I couldn't even get myself to drink a sip because my reflex was to get away from it. I can't say how it tastes, but sense of smell plays into taste and my nose said no way.
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Julie W
I love Adagio's lapsang, but it has to be brewed carefully as does any smoky tea. I love to add this in with a sweet black tea blend or a malty plain black, half and half.190F, 2 minutes. Lovely!
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David Sauro
I LOVE Lapsang Souchong, and I have Adagio Tea to thank for it, since Bonfire was my introduction to smoky teas. However, I think that the adagio Lapsang is a bit weak on the smoke and the flavor, I prefer my lapsang to be stronger, because even the strongest lapsang has a subtle taste, IMO, but should have a very powerful smoky aroma
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Lauren S.
I don't buy this to drink, but rather to use in marinades. A little bit goes a long way and really adds a nice flavor to most meats.
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Tanya G.
This is a deep, smoky, beef jerky scent and taste. It's different, but I wanted more. I a little heavy cream and it toned it down a bit. Mixing this with chai is really good.
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Cindi Drinks Tea
This is literally the worst tasting tea I have ever tried. It was like drinking a mouthful of campfire ashes and Slim Jim juice. I almost puked after one sip and had to dump the cup, run in the bathroom, brush my teeth, and spray air freshener to kill the smell (it smelled like a pig roast. I'm vegetarian, so that may have been part of my revulsion). My husband said the house smelled like Snausages (he loves BBQ meat, BTW) long after I dumped it. I guess this is a "love it or hate it" tea. Ugh, never again.
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Rebekah Strickland
I'm giving this one 3 stars not as a tea, but as a marinade. The smoke flavor is entirely too strong to drink - like swallowing a mouthful of wet ash - but a pinch added into a meat dish is wonderful
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Kim C
Wow! That’s a smokey tea. I could barely get past the campfire scent to taste this tea. Even after doctoring it up with some sugar and milk it was barely tolerable. Definitely a unique tea.
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Max Sugerman
So aromatic but wow, this tea was either flavored artificially or just off. Too much smoke
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Marion Black
I did not enjoy this tea at all. The aroma wasn’t pleasant and the tea it self tasted very much like a heavy cologne flavor.
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CB
Caroline Broun
If you like smokey robust teas this is a must. Alone it can be very strong, but mix with other black teas and it adds a complex note that is wonderful. This tea has always been fresh and earthy. Strongly recommend
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JM
Jazmin Milhollin
This is literally like taking a big whiff of a campfire. Really can’t say that that’s my kind of thing, but my husband and father sorta tolerated it.
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Peter Tillman
Just reordered. By far my favorite lapsang -- a tea I've been drinking since college, which is, well, quite some time ago. Anyway, Adagio's version is less harsh than most -- previous ones I've cut with milder teas. This one is really good straight out of the bag. I order it a pound at a time -- & refill a truly ancient English tin, that my college girlfriend gave me to introduce me to the tea. Oh, alright: Twining's. Still in business, IB.
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Elizabeth Frantz
If you like smoky teas or have an adventurous palate, then this is worth a try. I find a little sugar helps smooth out the smokiness.
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DL
Doug Lloyd
Aboslutely delicious. I order it via one of their blends that includes star anise. Very smokey, roasty, etc. I drink this a few times a week and there's nothing that can replace it.
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Tea Tigress
Tasted slightly sweet with charred oak, peppercorns, and a musky strong smokiness.
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KO
Kevin Ouchida
good smoky lapsang tea- better than vadham's which tasted fishy, not as good as the lapsang from santa cruz organic market
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AF
Audra Foxgrove
Sometimes this type of tea can be bitter or harsh, but adagio got this one just right-- delicious and smoky without the common pitfalls in lesser blends.
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KW
Kristin Whitehead
My first lapsang that I tried thanks to the communiTEA. I was nervous to try it when I first smelled it, but overall didn't mind it. Very mesquite in both smell and flavor, like that of smoking meat over wood chips.
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Kimberly Hnatko
Rating right in the middle because my husband enjoys this and I do not. I don't mind it while sipping, but I can't get past the smokey aftertaste. I think it would probably be great to cook with.
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Rachel Emmel
The CommuniTea packet smelled like barbecue. I wasn't a fan of the Lapsang in the Bonfire tea, but I made a small sample to try it straight anyway. I wasn't surprised to find that I still don't like it. I even put some brown sugar in, because, y'know, brown sugar goes well with barbecue. And so it then tasted like sweet barbecue. Not much of an improvement.
I saw someone else mention they used it as a meat rub. I'm going to save the rest and see if I can find a recipe to try instead.
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Karrie Massotti
I’m sorry I know people love this tea but it’s just not for me. It taste like a fire pit. Lol.
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Han lastname
The first lapsang souchong that I've tried. I don't care for the overly smoky taste, its too much like bbq tea to me.
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AR R
Very smoky. At times a little artificial tasting as well but I use it instead of liquid smoke when I am cooking
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Michael M
Got a sample of this in the black teas sampler box. Tasted like a campfire, smoking fall leaves, but a really nice flavor hidden below all that.
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brianna lee
smoky but clean tasting, very unique tea! not my favorite but i'm sure if you enjoy these sorts of teas, you'd like this very much
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A. Wood
I think this tea has very unique flavor that not many people would like it. It's smokey and earthy. I enjoyed it
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Kat I
I may not be the best to review, as I realize I dislike smokiness in teas. This is a strong smoke flavor.
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MJ
Michael Jacobson
This tea tasted and smelled like liquid smoke, not at all what I wanted from a glass of tea. I can see the appeal if you're into smokey flavors, but sadly I'm not.
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Chelsea Windmoeller-Schmit
I did not like this tea. Most teas I can get through a glass but not this one. It was smoky like BBQ and not at all what I want from a tea.
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Red Wolfe
When I first smelled it, I was pretty nervous. It was strong, like burning rubber almost. But the taste was way different, like a campfire in all the best ways. I was no expecting to love it as much as I did.
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Bailey Green
Lapsang Souchong is a very acquired tea taste. Either you dislike it or it grows on you. This particular lapsang souchong howver is one of my favorites. The smokiness is to die for
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CL
Connie Leisher
This tea is mild and smokey. It helps warm me up on a cold day. A great tea for coffee drinkers that are just getting into tea. Honestly one of my favorites
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Maria Burns
Love, love, love it. It is like drinking a campfire in the most positive way ever!
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Lydia Getgen
I am utterly obsessed with this tea! It smells like all of the best parts of a campfire in a cup, and the flavor is delightfully smoky. Taken well with sugar and/or milk, or even plain!
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Annie Katharine
My boyfriend and I are obsessed with this tea. It reminds us of a cabin in the winter. Love the smokiness!
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TA
Tracie Anderson
Very strong smoky flavor like it was cooked on the grill. This is one of my favorite teas.
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Michael Lewis
Very unique tea! Dry leaf is a bit like hanging your head over a BBQ pit. Brew this and the whole room will smell like the tea (good or bad, depending on your opinion). I wouldn't suggest this as a first-time tea, but something to work up to.
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Roxann Baxter
This is what I refer to as the "get my butt moving" tea. It has a great smoky aroma and a strong wake you up flavor with out being harsh or bitter and enough caffeine to get my day going.
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Casey Covel
A smoky tea that tastes and smells just like a campfire. Lots of caffeine in this one, so it's perfect for when you need a boost in your day. Tastes great on the tongue and leaves a smokey, but not astringent, aftertaste in the mouth. One of my all-time favorite teas, simply for its unique flavor and scent. Absolutely worth trying for the experience. If you love it, you'll be back for more!
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Sothis
I really adore this tea IN OTHER TEAS. By itself its very very smokey and reminds me of the burn season in the piney south just before the damp winter sets in. Probably an acquired taste, but I think it's amazing sprinkled in a spice tea during the chilly seasons.
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Crystal Nicol
Ok, maybe it's just me but this tea tasted like burning wood....almost like the smell of a campfire. I'm not a fan of this one.
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Mara G
To be honest, I prefer this flavor tea from another vendor. That does not mean I don't like this tea from Adagio. Some people have made this tea work very well in their fandom blends and even I find this tea good for a blend. Lapsong Souchong is not for the faint of heart (or noses). It is an acquired taste and if you like it, you like.
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JW
Janelle Waz
I love Adagio Tea, I really do. THIS TEA on the other hand... I couldn't drink it. It has a very overpowering woodsy smell, making tasting the tea nearly impossible. I gave it to a friend of mine, and she said that if you can get past the smell, it's not bad.