Wild Souchong Chinese Black Tea

This tea was a Wild Lapsang Souchong flavor adventure. This was a pleasant surprise as Lapsang Souchong typically isn't my go-to black tea of choice but... that may change after having tried this Wild variant. The tea offers up a complex flavor profile, with a gentle sweet finish that leads you back to taking another sip.

A tightly twisted leaf with a dusty dark chocolate appearance. The aroma is slightly smoky with dry woody notes. The initial aroma instantly reminds me of sweet potatoes. Just mashed, no butter added. This is a well-made black tea. The flavor pops in your mouth and there is so much to experience. Sweet potatoes, slight campfire smoke, a tad bit of charcoal, a bit of fruit, woody tones, some compost, mossy earth... The mouthfeel is so smooth.

This definitely has a very smokey smell but a very mild flavor. I had a friend test it who has black tea every day and has tried a LOT of different kinds. We were both worried about the flavor when the aroma was so incredibly smokey. We brewed a cup with much more than the normal amount of tea and the flavor was still light and delicate.

This is loose leaf tea. If this is your first loose leaf tea experience make sure you invest in a tea infuser or tea bags.

Ive never had a wild Souchong black tea and wasnt sure what to expect, but was intrigued by the selection of tea leaves and the process in making this tea. Being the wild version of this tea means that it is sourced from trees in the forest that have not been domesticated, but are instead wild and provide a less controlled and potentially more character. It has been prepared in a more traditional way using pine wood to bake and dry the leaves, which adds a wonderful smokey flavor (like a fine Scotch).

Unlike many other teas, this teas instructions recommend a washing step of the tea leaves prior to the first steep. First you warm the cup with hot water (and then dump it out), then you add the leaves and hot water, let sit for ~3 seconds, and then dump the water. From there, you can then add new hot water and steep for 10-15 seconds to get your first cup of tea. The tea leaves will allow for subsequent steepings with increased times and slightly reducing color and flavor.

The tea comes loose in a large waxy paper bag that is folded over and uses an integral wire tie to hold it shut. The bag was not sealed, so no cutting necessary to start enjoying the tea (but this might mean its shelf life is reduced). There is also a booklet that gets into the tea itself and how it is recommended to steep it. There is an outer paper box that has a premium look to it and a fun string tie in the back that reminds me of old manila envelopes.

I found the tea to have a wonder smokey aroma and flavor to it that was not overpowering and complemented the more robust nature of the tea. The wildness of the tea leaves origin seems to have worked as this tea is wonderful and has a pleasant, well balanced character to it and it all pairs well with the more traditional preparation methods imparting that smokiness. This is a wonderful tea and one that I would recommend trying (I know Im going to keep enjoying this and likely will get the other variants to try as well).

Anybody who loves black tea with rich, complex undertones is going to love this, You can steep it strong and dark, or light and delicate. Either way, it's extraordinary.