Wonderful bags of Lapsang Souchong

October 22, 2005 4:03 PM

Anybody drink Lapsang Souchong tea? It's smoky and tasty. What brand should I buy if I want it to come in handy one-cup bags?
posted by selfnoise to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I have seen two brands that do Lapsang Souchong in tea bags: Taylor's of Harrogate and Twinings. I buy Twinings from MotherNature.com.
posted by wryly at 4:12 PM on October 22, 2005

Numi makes one, too, but I warn you (as I was warned - rightfully): it tastes like BBQ ribs.
posted by kcm at 4:17 PM on October 22, 2005

(And just a general pimping shout out to my favorite tea store on the web, which I have no affiliation to other than buying half their stock of Sencha Premier that I drink in the excellent/now-discontinued-buy-it-now Jenaer Glass Minuet)
posted by kcm at 4:21 PM on October 22, 2005

One brand I like is Clipper, but they are based in the UK and the postage to Maine might be a bit expensive. Still, would recommend it if you can find it.

I can second Taylor's and Twinings. Via Google I found this US site which stocks them both in teabag form.
posted by greycap at 4:32 PM on October 22, 2005

Twining's Lapsang is ususally available at any Whole Foods store, and most major supermarkets, at least in the West.
posted by madstop1 at 4:41 PM on October 22, 2005

I have a nearly full box of Twinings Lapsang Souchong. I think it's intensely gross. But, I don't mind it in the small quantities of Twinings' Russian Caravan tea blend. At least that's what I think I taste.
posted by stavrogin at 5:41 PM on October 22, 2005

stavrogin: is it gross compared to other Lapsang Souchongs, or gross in that you don't like Lapsang Souchong? I ask because I just bought Twinings Earl Grey and thought it particularly gross compared to others.
posted by forallmankind at 5:56 PM on October 22, 2005

I've been drinking Twinings Lapsang Souchong for more than 30 years. I've always found it fascinating. It's so smoky! But elegant and beautiful.
posted by Alizaria at 6:50 PM on October 22, 2005

It's the only Lapsang Souchong tea I've tried, forallmankind. I like Twinings' Earl Grey, and most of their other teas have been at least ok. I probably just don't like Lapsang Souchong unless it's in a blend.
posted by stavrogin at 7:55 PM on October 22, 2005

kcm, thanks so much for the link to adagio. I'd never heard of them. The onsite reviews are really interesting, and so helpful in deciding which teas to buy. I just ordered an ingenuiTEA and a bunch of samples, including your favorite. I guess we'll have to arm wrestle for it if I end up loving it.
posted by iconomy at 7:59 PM on October 22, 2005

There's a great Canadian mail order tea seller called Murchies that has Lapsang Souchong and many other teas. OK, now that I've been helpful, here's an anecdote about Lapsang Souchong: my uncle was an archeologist and every summer he and my aunt used to go to the mountains of Lebanon and dig (this was 30 - 40 years ago, before Lebanon exploded). They brought food with them, but they got their water from streams. The area was summer pasture land for the Bedouin, who camped near the same streams with their camels and other livestock. Boiling the water would sterilize it but nothing would kill the taste of camel urine ... until they discovered Lapsang Souchong!
posted by Quietgal at 8:27 PM on October 22, 2005

I LURVE lapsang souchong, but so far I've hated every bagged lapsang I've tried, and I've tried most of the ones mentioned in this thread. The best lapsang I ever had came in a giant black and white tin and was covered with chinese writing and the single English phrase "lapsang souchong." I got it in one of those Asian food markets.
posted by xyzzy at 9:50 PM on October 22, 2005

Best answer: One solution if you want good quality Lapsang Souchong in one cup servings, but are worried about bad tea, is to buy loose leaf tea, then some paper filters. These are good filters I have used in the past with quite a lot of success.

This will widen the selection of teas you can pick from. You should be able to find the filters at any place that sells a lot of bulk tea.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:13 PM on October 22, 2005

Heh. I was just in Murchie's brick-and-mortar store this afternoon picking up #10 blend.

I love Lapsang-Souchong and drink the Twinings tea bags. Cheaper than Laphroiag and almost the same taste. You can get it loose as well. This may be heresy, but a regular orange pekoe and a lapsang in a pot together makes a nice blend a little less smoky for those overwhelmed.
posted by Rumple at 12:40 AM on October 23, 2005

I love Tealuxe (brick and mortar stores in Boston and Providence). Bin 141, the L. S. Imperial, is very good. If you like smoky teas, their Russian Caravan is pretty excellent too.
posted by nekton at 1:37 PM on October 23, 2005