Is it the lapsang souchong or is it me?

[paulraphael]

Lapsang souchong was always my favorite tea. i drank it growing up and for years afterwards. Usually the Twinings in the purple box.

It was always a mighty tea. It reminded me of an island scotch, the way it was so robust, and the way that people who didn't share my tastes would smell it from across the room, and then leave the room.

But over the last few years, the lapsang i've had, especially the twinings (but to a lesser degree Taylors) has started tasting insipid. Like a watered down shadow of its old self.

I've had a couple of cups of loose leaf lapsang that tasted better, but nothing as good as what I remember.

Have I just developed some kind of tolerance, or has anyone else noticed this?

[Richard Kilgore]

I don't have a long personal history with LS, but I recently got some in loose leaf from TenRen and it seems pretty robust to me -- to the point that I had to brew it a few times to tame it.

I would like to try LS from a couple of other sources to get a sense of different levels of quality. So I'll be interested to hear about other's experiences.

[andiesenji]

Do try the Lapsang Souchong from Republic of Tea. I use it both for beverages and in cooking and find it has the deepest and most complex flavor of any brand I have tried in recent years.

At one time I depended on Taylors of Harrogate but like the RoT much better.

[Richard Kilgore]

Do try the Lapsang Souchong from Republic of Tea.  I use it both for beverages and in cooking and find it has the deepest and most complex flavor of any brand I have tried in recent years. 

At one time I depended on Taylors of Harrogate but like the RoT much better.

←

Andie, when you say you use it in "beverages" do you mean something more than hot tea?

[andiesenji]

Do try the Lapsang Souchong from Republic of Tea.  I use it both for beverages and in cooking and find it has the deepest and most complex flavor of any brand I have tried in recent years. 

At one time I depended on Taylors of Harrogate but like the RoT much better.

←

Andie, when you say you use it in "beverages" do you mean something more than hot tea?

←

Yes, I like to combine it with beef or chicken broth for a lower fat and lower salt hot beverage - pick-me-up.

However, I also like it on its own.

[paulraphael]

I'll try the LS from Ren Ten ... they have a shop in NYC and I like being able to pick it up locally. I'd love to find a good version that comes in bags, too. Often I'm lazy and like to throw a tea bag into a cup.

[Richard Kilgore]

Do try the Lapsang Souchong from Republic of Tea.  I use it both for beverages and in cooking and find it has the deepest and most complex flavor of any brand I have tried in recent years. 

At one time I depended on Taylors of Harrogate but like the RoT much better.

←

Andie, when you say you use it in "beverages" do you mean something more than hot tea?

←

Yes, I like to combine it with beef or chicken broth for a lower fat and lower salt hot beverage - pick-me-up.

However, I also like it on its own.

←

Thanks, andie. I'll have to try that. Broth combined with the LS smokiness sounds good.

[Katie Meadow]

Lapsang souchong was always my favorite tea. i drank it growing up and for years afterwards. Usually the Twinings in the purple box.

It was always a mighty tea. It reminded me of an island scotch, the way it was so robust, and the way that people who didn't share my tastes would smell it from across the room, and then leave the room.

But over the last few years, the lapsang i've had, especially the twinings (but  to a lesser degree Taylors) has started tasting insipid. Like a watered down shadow of its old self.

I've had a couple of cups of loose leaf lapsang that tasted better, but nothing as good as what I remember.

Have I just developed some kind of tolerance, or has anyone else noticed this?

←

Okay, let me be blunt: it's you. No, in fact it's not you, it's them. Let me amend that: it's you and them. Here's how I relate to Twinings, and I don't know how old you are, so my own history of tea drinking may be different. I started being interested in tea in the early 70's. There really wasn't much choice in imported tea. Mainly there was Twinings, if you wanted off-the-shelf. So I drank it and thought it was great. Earl Grey, Lapsang, English Breakfast, whatever. I graduated from the tea of my childhood--Lipton w/lemon wedge--to black tea w/milk.

After a while I wanted to branch out and try other more esoteric teas. I started drinking Taylor of Harrogate too, and then other things. Long story short: now, when I taste any Twinings it doesn't seem very exciting. The tea seems powdery and the flavor seems kinda heavy-handed. I know my tastes have changed and I am more picky and more demanding. I suspect that Twinings has never been the greatest tea on earth. Or maybe they've gone down in quality? That's possible, and I would guess that you are more discerning as well.

Switching gears, that combo of broth and tea sounds completely strange--and really interesting. Andie, do you only do it with LS or do you use other teas?

[paulraphael]

Katie, I have no doubt that Twinings probably isn't as great as I remember, but I'd be surprised if my impressions have changed this radically. I'm not talking about anything subtle ... this is about the tea I remember as a mighty and almost overwhelming experience now seeming lifeless and bland. Like the old stuff watered down until you can just taste a hint of it.

I've cooked with this tea a bit. mostly for desserts. creme anglaise infused with lapsang souchong (or earl grey) is nice with pears.

A chef I know uses lapsang souchong for marinades to impart smokiness. he moistens leaves and covers meat with them, before and sometimes during cooking. I've been meaning to try it.

[andiesenji]

I have combined green teas with chicken broth but my favorite is the Lapsang Souchong with beef broth and a couple of times I have made stock from oxtail and combined the strained broth with the smoky tea - it may seem a bit odd but I like it.

I also use it in soups with beans and rice and I have some vegetarian friends who use it in similar dishes.

[Katie Meadow]

Andie: next time I make a nice beef broth (and I usually use oxtails for that) I am going to try it with tea.

Paul: mmm...pears with tea infused creme anglaise! How do you infuse the creme a. and how are the pears cooked? In wine? Have you ever cooked pears in a combo of tea and wine? Earl Grey would seem like a natural.