Twining’s have done a loose leaf series called ‘Origins’ and this one, being labelled as 5 out of 5 in their strength scale… seemed like the obvious place to start. It is a pine smoked black tea from Fujian province in china.
When I first saw this tea, I was expecting something extraordinary, the box with its red hues seemed to ooze a fiery expectation. On opening the strong smokey aroma reminded me of the fish smoker and brought back fond memories of the peatiest of peaty scotches.
Lapsang Souchong Tea and my new pot and teawarmer stand
The dark amber colour under the new tea pot I received recently made it glow angrily and the aromas released in vapour, threatened to set off the smoke alarms, the teapot clearly sweating under the heat…
The dark fires of Mordor reflected in the potstand… signs of the flavour to come
Sipping it back brought back fond memories in my childhood of playing with e embers in the fire and staining the ceiling with soot… or sitting downwind of the campfire… it is warming and invigorating. as you can see.
Protip: Rinse the tea first with hot water to ‘release the dragon’, this removes some of the bitterness and also reduces the caffeine content so your not running around like your pants are on fire.
This is a tea well worth the experience, you may not like it, but Id recommend you try it anyway if the option were to present itself… It really is an experience that has proven itself to bring back all sorts of fond memories…
Cool pictures….and when did you stain the ceiling with soot????
Leslie Ave… mainly from not opening the choke properly prior to opening the door…
OK….I do recall those smoky times…just checking