Lapsang souchong

Twinings

Wikipedia on Lapsang souchong

Oh, my.

Never tried it before but I’ve been meaning to, so I picked up some Twinings bags at the Giant Eagle this morning.

Wow.

What an aroma of smoke.

Once the plastic was off the box and I had opened it to get a bag I decided it was too strong to just leave them in the cupboard like that.

I took all the bags out of the box and stuck them in a sealed freezer-bag.

Frankly, the smell scared me.

But I boiled some water and gave it a try.

Both the scent and the flavor are quite strong, but you can just catch the smell of tea behind the smoke and the flavor, I think, is very nice.

And that’s a relief, actually.

I had read many places that people tend to love or hate this tea.

But I more often like new foods and drinks than not, so that didn’t scare me.

But I have to admit that strong smell of smoke when I took the plastic off the box alarmed me, and it was with a bit of pessimism that I brewed a cup and took my first sip.

That burned smell is right there and doesn’t quit.

That will take getting used to.

But the flavor is excellent.

Je ne regrette rien.