Tea Review: Lapsang Souchong by Oliver Pluff & Co.

For Christmas, my mother gave me a tea sample set from Oliver Pluff & Co., which is a small blend company out of Charleston, South Carolina that seems to specialize in historical blends.  The sample set she gifted me was "Teas of the Boston Tea Party" - blends created to recreate as closely as possible the tea blends dumped into the Boston harbor in the 1700s before the American Revolutionary War.

Needless to say, as a tea nerd and a history nerd, this gift set appeals to me greatly and I have been super excited to try the blends.  The blends come in little test tube like containers that sit in a little cherry wood display.  It's a very nice design.  It also comes with a little card that describes each blend.  This time, I decided to dive into the Lapsang Souchong.

First off, when you open the little test tube, the aroma of the blend hits your senses like a big ol' mac truck of SMOKE.

Of course, since this is a Lapsang, I expect the smoke - but this particular blend is super smoky on the nose.  Both my Father and Roommate refer to it as "campfire tea", and for good reason as the smoke fragrance does not go away at all once the tea is brewed.  If anything, it may be stronger once brewed.  The leaf of this Oliver Pluff blend is BEAUTIFUL to look at and extremely quick to respond when the water hits it.  However, this means you really have to watch your timing on your steep as it can be disaster if you oversteep.  This is such a strong black tea, with such a domineering flavor on the palate that an oversteep simply RUINS the cup/pot and turns it into a tannin monster set to suck out any and all moisture from your mouth.

The flavor is divine to my palate, but I recognize that not everyone likes to drink a hot steaming cup of campfire.  My household can walk into my room and know that I'm drinking this from the aroma in the room alone.  The fragrance really does act like a tea/smoke aromatherapy candle - the scent just fills the room and gets everywhere.... which I find quite delightful.... but again, such strength is not for everyone.

The color comes in quick and just continues to darken as it steeps. It takes cream and sugar well in that both soften the strong flavor, but only take the edge off as the strength of the flavor is still there.  As such, if you enjoy a strong smoky black tea somewhat on the level of a Russian Caravan on smoke steroids, than you too will enjoy this.  If, however, you are like my roommate and do not wish to know what a campfire tastes like, than you may want to pass on this punch to the mouth that I find so refreshing.

Of course, even I have to be in the mood for this.  It is certainly not an everyday choice for my cup - just like I can't handle a Russian Caravan every morning.  Still, on days when I want a nice hit of smoke and it's too early for an expensive glass of scotch - this is a fantastic alternative.