115993 Fri May 28 19:53:49 -0700 2004 7 7 Chicago Area 0 633349 When I first started visiting Todd & Holland tea merchants, one of the very knowledgeable sales people offered me a sniff of Lapsang Souchong Fujian Smoky #1. “Wow,” do you add Liquid Smoke to this stuff?” I asked, inching up a few degrees on the idiot-o-meter. Of course they don’t, but the smokiness of some of these teas is remarkable, and that smoky scent is achieved by drying the tea on panels above pine fires. The burning pine gives the tea a tingly taste, resinous, almost anesthetizing to the gullet, and full of flavor. It took me a while to get up the nerve to buy some of this intensely smoky stuff, and last week I got a small pouch of Lapsang Souchong Wuyi Mountain, and it has a heck of a lot of personality. The T & H catalog describes its taste as “rugged,” and that doesn’t mean harsh or abrasive, just very much “there.” Although it's more subtle and smooth than many of the other Lapsang Souchongs, it's hard to imagine anyone drinking this tea for the first time and not saying… “Oh, what’s this?” It gets your attention. This afternoon, I had a pot of Wuyi Mountain and a spinach omelet with some bacon, and I thought the flavors worked quite well together. I could also see drinking this tea with a strong flavored meat, like maybe ham or venison. Todd & Holland 7577 Lake Street River Forest, Illinois 60305 1-800-747-8327 Fri May 28 19:53:49 -0700 2004 0 David Hammond 1 633369 Lapsang Souchong is definitley an acquired taste. My first impression upon tasting it many moons ago was that it had a flavor reminiscent of the scent of burnt rubber ....but in a NICE way. I have come to savor it (and other smokey teas)since & prefer it as an after-dinner cuppa. Kinda like a good sipping whiskey or that perfect glass of port! On a recent trip to London, I found a charming tea merchant on Carnaby St....all sorts of tea paraphernalia by genre: English tea sets, Japanese sets, Chinese sets, Russian sets, cups, spoons, cozies, towels, strainers, etc. And upstairs, where they sold actual tea, there was a blend-your-own tea bar where you could mix in spices, herbs, oils & essences & they bagged it prettily for you & would print up a label with your personal blend's name, if you were so inclined. Really cute. Fri May 28 23:59:33 -0700 2004 633349 0 Elsinore 2 633373 Elsinore, Based on scent alone, I have found huge variation in the smokiness of the Lapsang Souchongs available at Todd & Holland. The Wuyi Mountain variety that I selected had the most subtle smoke scent (as compared to Fujian Smoky #1 and #2 which had a very dense, dark, heavy aroma) but the T&H catalog mentions Frontier 40, which I have not smelled, but which is described as “smoother than Wuyi Mountain.” David Sat May 29 09:46:29 -0700 2004 633369 0 David Hammond 1 633374 You also might want to try a company called Upton Tea Co. They have an amazing variety of teas: Indian, Chinese, Japanese and many others. Each of their teas can be bought in small sample packages, and they carry many different types of lapsang souchong, pu-erh, water-decaffeinated and single estate teas. I've been buying tea from them for about three years, and they have been a pleasure to do business with. Their website is: www.uptontea.com Sat May 29 11:59:20 -0700 2004 633349 0 Malcolm 2 633384 Hey Malcolm, I checked out the Upton site; it's full of good, easily accessible information about different teas, and that’s fantastic for relative beginners like me. I must say, though, that I'm a little gun-shy about ordering tea from a distant distributor. It's kind of like shoes; it's so personal, I'm just not sure I'll get the right fit if I don't “try it on” first. One of the advantages of Todd & Holland is that they will brew a pot for you on the spot, using any tea you want to try; that's a huge advantage that can be offered only by a local brick-and-mortar source. Still, as I’ve been buying teas at T&H that go for upwards of $250 or so a pound, I'm always open to alternatives. As a regular tea drinker, do you ever drink tea with meals (other than breakfast pastries, scones and so on)? Thanks a lot for the link, David Sat May 29 16:33:37 -0700 2004 633374 0 David Hammond 1 633396 I live on the North Shore. Do you know any good tea merchants a bit closer than River Forest? Thanks. Sat May 29 22:13:00 -0700 2004 633349 0 Jonah 2 633402 Jonah, I honestly do not have personal experience with any tea merchants on the North Shore, but I'm sure there must be several. Why don't you call Todd & Holland (1-800-747-8327)and see if they know of any good sources for tea in your neighborhood? When you call, ask for Bill Todd, if you want, but all the people at T&H are very helpful, and all of them are such tea enthusiasts, that I don't think they'd mind pointing you to a "competitor" in the interests of furthering the cause of tea. David David Sun May 30 02:00:34 -0700 2004 633396 0 David Hammond 3 633584 Good suggestion. Thanks. Wed Jun 02 13:10:05 -0700 2004 633402 0 Jonah