Lapsang Souchong Wuyi Mountain: Todd & Holland, River Forest
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 dont, 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 doesnt 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, whats 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
David Hammond
May 28, 2004 07:53PM
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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.
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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
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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
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Hey Malcolm,
I checked out the Upton site; it's full of good, easily accessible information about different teas, and thats 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 Ive 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
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I live on the North Shore. Do you know any good tea merchants a bit closer than River Forest?
Thanks.
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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
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Good suggestion. Thanks.
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