ITeaWorld Wild Lapsang Souchong and non-wild version

 

Back to it, maybe the last review of teas from this set, since I think there are a couple of others, but this covers most of it.  I've already reviewed their other black teas from Yunnan and Yingde, and a Tie Guan Yin and Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong.  Results were a little mixed but pretty good, in general, comparing quality level and aspect experience to the quality level implied by the pricing.  The one Yunnan black tea (Dian Hong) and Dan Cong were representative of the normal range, and pleasant, both slightly better than I would've expected for teas from a resale vendor.

But is this a case of that?  They present themselves as involved in the growing and processing steps, not only buying commodity versions.  It doesn't necessarily change a lot either way, but the background can help place how to take any specific claims, eg. that a tea is wild grown, or from a certain elevation.  Their online content looks detailed and diverse at first glance but then when you read closer it's a bit general.  That's hard to place.  It could be that translation issues make it hard for them to communicate details, and that as a new company (a new brand; they mention an earlier history as a different tea company) they had to make all the content that exists within the last year, so of course vendors with many years of history are going to have developed more detailed supporting content.

From there I could speculate, mentioning how I interpret vendor claims in general, who I tend to trust more or less, but it wouldn't add much.  In the end to some extent the tea speaks for itself.  But not entirely; if a vendor makes claims that seem a bit off--which comes up--then you can't really trust any of the rest of what they communicate, about teas being organic, wild-sourced, genuine examples of the type or source area described, etc.  

To the extent the teas match expectations quite well, that the style is what it should be, that's an indicator that they're being open and honest.  I personally often take very general vendor content as an implied negative, descriptions that don't say much, because that content could be copied from anywhere, and doesn't communicate in-depth knowledge of background, but I have ran across examples of vendors selling fantastic, very authentic teas who barely create any supporting content.  

Small Thai producers come to mind; it's hard for them to describe even basic aspects or origin details in English, but in many cases the teas are obviously as genuine and positive (for a typical style) as they come, and the more you talk to the vendors the more you know that you can trust them.  Two people come to mind who I would almost trust with my kids, even though I've never met them in person; the most positive and genuine people I ever talk to really help support my faith in this world, partly offsetting sensational news cycles and all the rest.  Of course that's a bit of hyperbole; I can only think of one other family of close friends we've left our kids to spend time with ever, including relatives, so we just don't trust our kids with anyone, barring that one exception.

About this next set I've probably made a mistake before even starting; flavored teas generally work better brewed Western style, because it gives them infusion time for the right proportion for the added flavor to emerge, in this case smoke.  I'm brewing them Gongfu style; I used two packets of each sample to set proportion where I normally do, at 7 grams per 100 ml gaiwan.  It'll still be fine but for the first two infusions I'm probably going to just keep mentioning the smoke proportion will normalize later.

I thought for sure this would be one unsmoked and higher quality wild source origin version, and one familiar smoked version, since that's the normal two forms, but both are smoked.  So be it; good smoked black tea is really special.  It's going to be a bit much getting through 4 or 5 rounds but I can always take a break and get a snack, and reset the whole process.  It'll be interesting to see if any of the typical fruit aspect common to wild Lapsang Souchong versions can show through past the smoke.

ITeaWorld website wild Lapsang Souchong description (this is $30 or so dollars per 100 grams, 30 cents per gram, what I expected).

Unique smoky pine aroma and longyan aroma, from wild trees.

Wild tea is more natural. Sexual tea tree varieties and well-developed root systems. Grow in a pristine ecological environment. Picked 1 flush a year.

There's a little more there for description but it mostly only mentions a floral aspect.  I just ate a bunch of longan this week, from a local market.  If you ever see a dried fruit version of that it's well worth trying out.  They did add origin location in that listing too:

From the Mountains of Guangxi, Guilin at an Altitude of 800m.High Mountains Produce Good Tea.

This is interesting:

Sweetness does stand out, but oxidation level seemed moderate.  Even the brewed color they showed in a series doesn't match my own results; theirs is much lighter.  I suppose they could've been brewing this tea very lightly, since they showed 10 rounds worth, and I'm drinking the fifth while I edit this post.  Pushing the tea a bit made sense to me, using 30 second or so infusion times at double the proportion they recommend.  For brewing they did recommend using quite hot water, between 95 and 100 C, full boiling point, and that seems best to me too.

the non-wild plant version:  (selling for a bit over $15 for 100 grams, maybe 18 cents a gram)

The raw materials of the tea come from the abandoned tea gardens in Guangxi, China. After the 1980s, these tea gardens were left unattended. They have an abandoned history of 30-40 years. An abandoned tea garden refers to a tea garden that used to be managed by humans. It was abandoned later and has been in wildness for a long time.

No pruning. Higher brew tolerance.No chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used. More natural flavor. Older tea trees. Sweeter taste. Organic tea is grown in the natural environment. No chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used. Safer and healthier.

From the Mountains of Guangxi, Shanglin at an Altitude of 1200m.

They mention a flowery character elsewhere but that's it for aspect description.  

The abandoned tea plantation theme is interesting; that does come up, or variations of that, growing areas left in a more natural state.  Why would tea plants be left abandoned, when the Chinese tea industry has faced fairly high demand over the past 20 years?  I don't know.  If it's not a main local production area an earlier production experiment could've been abandoned.  That theme is familiar from a number of other areas; I can think of similar examples from five other countries (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Georgia, and the Philippines).  It's less common in China, because fluctuations in the economy and tea demand take a different form there than elsewhere.  Here's their image of what that looks like:

Review:

wild Lapsang Souchong version:  smoke does stand out more than the rest, one part of brewing this in what could be considered the wrong way, although that's not clearly determined yet.  The smoke input seems positive, warm, aromatic, and clean.  Of course based on the other teas being ok I didn't expect this to contain fake smoke or anything like that, but smoke input can vary a lot, and this seems as it should be, a tasty pine version.  I'll add more about other flavors next round.

non-wild Lapsang Souchong:  more shows up beyond the smoke; that's the opposite of what I expected.  It really doesn't mean much because both are just getting started.  There's something really unusual in this version, maybe along the line of a sassafras root effect.  I would anticipate that will be even more positive as intensity and complexity evolves, but we'll see.  I'll give both a slightly longer round next time than I usually would, well over 20 seconds, to cut short round of round of comments about how the teas are still early into transitioning.

wild version, second round:  interesting!  It makes me think back to the last time I had any smoked tea; it's been awhile.  Ian of Yunomi shared some awhile back, if I remember right, surely not this version, but along that line.  That was 6 years ago; crazy.  I've tried a couple of falap or bamboo pu'er versions with smoke input since, and two different Indian smoked black teas last year.

That Japanese version was unusually interesting and positive related to novelty, as a whisky barrel aged version, and this version is interesting too.  Smoke level is quite significant but it balances ok, with a clean and sweet profile from the rest.  It's probably going to work out that if I do 5 or 6 rounds worth of tasting the smoke will extract faster, and I could tell more about the rest later on.  Often some more subtle fruit or floral notes can emerge earlier in the rounds, in any teas, so it may not be indicative of what is mixing in with smoke now.  It's hard to place, really.  A faint cocoa note might be present.

other version:  smoke is quite light in this; odd that faded so fast.  It does include interesting spice or tisane range.  One part of that isn't so different than that aromatic, complex, hard to isolate black tea range present in Lipton, the overall balance they blend to draw out.  I'm probably reminded of that because I drank Lipton yesterday at work, triggered to do so by seeing posts about standard tea-bag teas in Discord discussion.  I had been drinking Dilmah tea-bag tea at work (we changed office location and I didn't put any tea or device back in the new one yet), and as expected Dilmah (standard lower medium quality Ceylon) is better than Lipton.

Let's do a more complete flavor breakdown for both next round; I think even evolved a little further that tisane / spice note will be hard to place.  It's interesting how these are the opposite of what I expected, with smoke input heavier in the wild origin material, and the other showing novel and non-standard aspect range.  

The non-wild version is a good bit lighter in color, less red; it may be backed off in oxidation level (that's pretty much the one input that would cause that), and that's also causing unusual flavor output.  That's not necessarily positive or negative; the experienced results determine that value judgement.  In the best cases a careful producer adjusts standard inputs to optimize the potential of a given source material, or I suppose oxidation level could just be a little off instead.  It comes up a lot with oolongs, or adjustment of oxidation level related to Dian Hong, in some cases going way lower than typical to make "shai hong" (sun-dried versions) that aren't as sweet and complex initially but have potential to transition positively with limited aging input, over 2 to 4 years or so.

wild version, third infusion:  well-balanced; I think this is right at the peak of it all settling in together, so I'll ramble on about it.  Smoke is light, which to me is at a good balance point, maybe only slightly a lesser input than the rest, but that gives the rest room to be experienced.  So by "light" I mean that it doesn't blast through as is common with commodity grade Lapsang Souchong versions (which can be pleasant; you're kind of signed up for that in buying one).  The rest is quite pleasant, just perhaps a bit subtle to compete with the smoke input.  Sweetness level is fine, and there's a bit of faint cocoa or quite mild fruit range beyond that, maybe more towards roasted yam than fruit, but it's not distinct and pronounced enough to make for a clear list.  

There's a chance that this tea might've been better unsmoked, that it wasn't really intense enough to balance smoke input as well as other versions.  I think most higher end or wild origin Lapsang Souchong isn't smoked for a related reason, because it's regarded positively without that input, appreciated for what else it is.  Any strong charactered black tea could stand in to complement smoke input, and a bit of rough edge or heavy flavor range might improve results, where a more refined, balanced, and distinctive tea might be better left alone.  

In the other black tea review I mentioned that Dian Hong versions often don't express a lot of higher range / forward notes compared to including depth and complexity, the cocoa / dried fruit / roasted yam or sweet potato, and I think that's another good example of aspect range profile of black tea that shouldn't be smoked.

At any rate this is fine, awfully refined and evenly balanced for any given smoked Lapsang Souchong version, which is good.  Keeping the smoke input light made a lot of difference, even though it's even lighter in the other version.

other version:  fading in intensity a little already; strange.  For where both these teas are pushing them for a 30 second or more infusion time might make sense.  I think they'll both make another 3 or 4 positive infusions but that will probably relate to really stretching them after the next couple, so this next round will be it for these notes.

the wild version is inconsistently oxidized, which doesn't mean anything in particular

wild version, 4th infusion:  smoke fades slowly, and the rest of the tea is a bit subtle, but it still comes across as a complex experience, it's just low in intensity.  Considering other aspect range I tend to see as "quality markers" might help place it; what about mouthfeel and aftertaste?  There's limited astringency range in this tea, related to that characteristic edge, and the feel isn't relatively full either.  It has depth of body, but just enough to support the rest, still below average in intensity.  It doesn't vanish from your mouth after you drink it, but aftertaste experience is limited too.  That's normal enough for black tea, so to me it's not really a negative input, it just doesn't add much.

Refinement stands out as most positive for this tea.  The feel is light but silky, the flavor is subtle but it does include supporting cocoa range, and standard black-tea depth, the warm tones.  Then it's a little odd because you don't turn to a smoked black tea for refinement, but there it is.  You can always bump intensity just a little using longer infusion times and boiling hot water, and that would extract a little more for warm mineral depth and a slight added feel edge.  But you would have to like it or not like it for what it is, you couldn't force it to be a more intense version of tea.

other version:  smoke is gone, and that unusual root-spice edge is all the stronger.  How much one would like this tea comes down to preference for or against that input range.  I like it, but then I've repeated that I like the deeper and unusual tones in Yunnan black teas a couple of times in this, and this is part of what I'm talking about, how that can include spice range too.  Again if someone wanted a full-blast, heavy smoke experience, supported by astringency and earthy flavor rough edges, these teas just aren't that.  To me they're better than that, but preference is a funny thing, there is no one clear and objective "better."  Match to standard expectations, the most type-typical range, wouldn't be met by these, but that's par for the course with smoked teas, that there isn't one narrow standard range.

I brewed these for another round for over 40 seconds (which I don't time; it's just to give an idea), and intensity did pick back up.  There's not much new for transition to report though.  Smoke strengthened in the first example, and fruit picked up in the second, which I'd not really been mentioning.  It's a bit non-distinct but maybe along the line of cooked pear.

I'll skip going much further with any conclusions for these, since I've been concluding a lot.  They're good.  It makes me consider just how good, trying to place quality, but for teas like this style matters as much or more as an abstract quality level.  Some people would love them, and others could find them lacking.  Anyone most interested in an intense blast of smoke and heavy-range, intense black tea would be disappointed.

To place quality level, which I just basically said isn't necessary, it works to compare them to Wuyi Origin's versions, to Cindy's teas, which are the best Lapsang Souchong versions I've ever tried.  They're not that good, related to general quality level, but they're not that far off those, which is high praise.  Cindy's teas tend to be priced in an atypical 30 to 50 cent per gram range, which can generally relate to lower quality teas normally selling for 20-30 being overpriced, or versions others would sell for 50 to 75 cents, or even a dollar or over per gram, being moderately priced and good-value, which is the case for hers.  

I'd expect these are more in the 20 to 30 cents per gram range, as sold, and they're good value for that.  I've not read their listings yet, as I write this initial draft, so if that's way off I'll need to add one more sentence here.  I'll go back and add them prior to the tasting section now.  Later editing note:  just under 20 cents for the non-wild version, right at 30 for the other.  

I looked up Cindy's Lapsang Souchong (Wuyi Origin's), and their wild version lists for less than the others, at $33 per 100 grams, with an old-tree version listing at $57 per 100 grams.  Interpreted one way they're slightly different categories of tea; these ITeaWorld versions are a good value for these styles and quality level.

Wawee Tea Thai Hong Wulong and Thai black tea

I'm reviewing two more teas shared by that friend who is a co-owner of the Iris Cafe Nimman in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The hong wulong is from Wawee Tea, as was the last sheng version I reviewed recently.  For the black tea it's from Wang Put Tan, a Thai producer that I'm not familiar with.  I don't know more about it, but if someone is really set on finding it that producer link is your starting point.  Turning it up may or may not be possible, since small batch production does occur in some cases, with not everything being made to sell at higher volume as a standard type.

Related to their business theme, the Iris Cafe Nimman, it's kind of the opposite of an old Chinese shop that sells dozens of types of loose teas, and not really an updated mall-type version with a more curated, medium quality list either, but they do tasting events related to good specialty teas, so they're probably worth checking out for locals there or people visiting.  So far I've only described what the shop is not, not what it is, so I'll include some of what that owner said about that:

We do sell teas by the gram, in 50 grams bags, of medium and higher quality.  Teas can be enjoyed onsite as a gongfu session or using western preparation.  The menu is eclectic, from flavored French teas to high end, like good shi feng longjing.

In terms of theme it's a coffee shop.  It lacks the decoration, decorum, and cultural aspect of Chinese tea houses for sure - just like most matcha shops are not all that Japanese, instead based on modern design themes.

So that's it; really a hybrid of a standard coffee shop theme with a lot of traditional Chinese tea house offerings included.  Sounds nice.

On tea type word use, "wulong" really is a better transliteration of the Chinese term for oolong, but since oolong has become a standard and accepted English word only a limited subset of people take it up.  They're not wrong, or even more right in one sense, but that gets to be more about how one views living languages and borrowing of words, at times changing transliteration forms, than about tea history or background.  "Literally" really does mean "figuratively" in one sense, and in another it still doesn't, no matter what some dictionaries opt to include.  

"Red oolong" more often refers to a very oxidized variation of Taiwanese style ball rolled oolong, so oxidized that it's essentially a black tea.  That meaning and style could vary, and of course this isn't a ball-rolled tea.

hong (red) oolong left, black tea right, in all photos

Review:

interesting the oolong started slower, maybe related to a varying bruising / kneading step

Hong Wulong:  a bit subtle at this point.  That can relate to not using a rinse, for the first round to always come across a bit light.  It's promising, but it's as well to describe it more next round instead.  What the heck; it's interesting for being subtle, and rich and warm, with one layer a honey sweetness range, and another a sort of caramelized grain tone.  This will be unique, but intensity could be an issue.

Thai Black:  this got a much faster start, so describing it works.  It tastes like a novel and good version of black tea.  Sweetness stands out, and rich warm tones, with a single fruit note very pleasant amidst a lot of other things going on, sort of in a dried dark cherry range.  No, that's exactly it.  

We visited my brother living in New Mexico (Alamagordo, kind of out there, not so far from where the nuclear tests were, I think), and picked dark cherries, and dried them there at home, and the results were fantastic, with this flavor note a call-back to that experience.  I'll do a longer list next round for this too though.

Hong Wulong, second infusion:  seemingly this is going to stay subtle, even as different flavors and layers unfold.  It has great depth and positive feel, and there's plenty going on, so what I mean is that it's quiet on the higher and more forward side, or some might call that fragrant or aromatic flavor range, but it's not missing that, the balance is just unique.  Warm and rich tones stand out most, the base layer, and beyond that a rich feel.  There is pleasant aromatic range, towards spice tones, which someone could see as including floral range, I guess, but it's harder to break apart for being subtle.  It still seems complex because there's so much going on at that one deeper layer, the base.  It's a little like coffee flavor, one part, and another is that rich sweetness from Wuyi Yancha that's also hard to pin down, between molasses, leather, and warm wood range, or maybe a little of all that mixed together.  

It's clean in nature, refined, and the balance is better than it sounds, for one part of the range seeming a bit muted in comparison with the rest.  In noticing the cacao (noted on the sample label) one part is like that, it includes it, but it's one part of a complex range, all of which seems a bit quieter to me than a heavier tone base.  Maybe this "spatial" arrangement of flavors isn't familiar, or doesn't seem even potentially descriptive, so people who can't relate to that at all can just ignore that part.  It might just be part of how I personally map out a broad range of different aspects, not a universal way people would naturally interpret all that.

Thai Black:  this is more forward / higher end range oriented, which is quite normal for black teas, with a good, rich base.  That one dried dark cherry note is already giving way to warmer and deeper tones.  

I like the tea (and the other version too; I tend to forget to include that).  The feel is a little thin, and it has some complexity but not in the sense of an overall balanced intensity, so it's more on the page of including some positive flavors that work well together, rather than stacking up as a refined, balanced, most exceptional version.  Which to me is fine; a tea that tastes good, in a novel range, with a positive feel, and no notable flaws is fine.  Every tea doesn't have to cover everything.

Hong Wulong, third infusion:  I brewed these longer, at 30 seconds or just over (of course I'm not timing anything), because both will be fine at higher infusion strength.  I backed off proportion just a little in relation to my norm, so they needed 15 seconds just to be equivalent, versus a more typical 10, but longer could work better.

Intensity increased along with infusion strength, of course.  Usually that will increase tea feel, the astringency, and increase intensity of what I've been calling base tones, with aromatic range stronger too, but you can only relate to so much of that at one time.  Brewing a tea very light is much better for identifying lighter aromatic range, it seems to me, maybe even better in general for analyzing a tea, but for this tea it kind of wasn't optimum.  Cacao is still there, so that label note is right, but I'm accustomed to how that can really be a main dominant aspect instead in some Dian Hong.  Here it's a bit lost in the warmer range, in spice-like tones, or warm mineral range, molasses sweetness, and what seems similar to roasted oolong notes, toward dark wood or rich leather.  Everything in this is positive, and it works well together, but it's only hitting a limited range of aspects.  

Trying single-input versus blended teas can work out like this.  The trade-off in blending (as normal Shui Xian Fujian oolong versions would be) is that you gain balance and complexity across a broad range and lose the distinct notes, the few positive individual flavor inputs I've been describing.  I guess that works for all types blending, really.  I must admit that I'm more of a fan of this theme, of accepting whatever trade-offs in terms of balance and broad range complexity occur in order to experience that more limited range.  Then in some of the most exceptional, best made tea versions, based on using exceptional material, you seem to be able to have it all, and get distinct positive flavors, complexity, depth, great feel and aftertaste, intensity, balance, refinement, etc.  This covers half that set; not bad.

Thai Black:  this actually has as much rich feel and slightly more aftertaste than the other tea, even though it's a black tea version versus what seems to be an oolong (hong oolong would mean red oolong, so generally used to mean more oxidized oolongs, which tend to be about as oxidized as lighter oxidation black teas).  And even it's a little thin in body across one part of the range.  Higher end astringency, mouthfeel as texture, isn't bad, but there isn't much to it, but then it has a depth of feel that comes across as a general fullness, just stopping short of richness.  Am I even still making sense?

For flavor an inky sort of mineral depth evolves, which might sound bad, but I like that.  Early fruitiness has given way to richer spice-range tones, for the most part, pretty close to cinnamon, just not exactly that. 

Hong Wulong, fourth infusion:  more of the same, which is a good thing.  This really has been evolving to a more evenly balanced nature, which I might've mentioned last round but didn't.  I mean that the flavor profile doesn't seem to express a gap in one "section or part."  Complexity picked up a bit too; warmer tones still have a nice base covered, but lighter sweet range now a little towards dried fruit fill in a "higher end" too.  Sweetness is good in this.  

That warm fruit range might be similar to dried tamarind or dried longan flavor, not exactly either, but towards that.  Molasses-like rich sweetness gives it all good balance.  Even feel thickened a little, and aftertaste isn't pronounced, but also not missing.  It's nice.  It doesn't remind me of one typical type style, which I don't see as a bad thing, maybe slightly more positive than negative.

Thai Black:  one part of this I've not described well is really catchy, something that hits you right away.  Maybe it's much harder to identify because it's a set of aspects, not one thing, but it integrates in your experience.  It could be the way a set of aspects resonate together, so it comes across as ringing does in sound, as a repeating resonance.  One base mineral tone, like slate, seems to match a narrow middle layer, like that earlier-dominant cherry fruit, and then there's a higher end sort of rich floral note that's much harder to pin down, but it's integrated with that set.  Back to walking off the map, I guess.  Cinnamon range is transitioning to really taste like cinnamon.  

It's not complex in the sense there's tons going on, distributed across layers of levels, but that set jumping out and then balancing in that way is very pleasant.  Rich feel helps too, and limited aftertaste experience lends complexity, with good sweetness level making it all work better.  As for smoke again unless that's tied to a deeper mineral / base earthy tone it's just not there, and if it is that it's a great contribution.

Of course both teas are far from finished, but this is a good place to leave off taking notes, since another interesting transition or two won't change the overall story much.

Conclusions:

I guess I like the second better, the black tea.  Both include interesting aspects across a good range, both express a decent degree of depth and complexity, in ways that could be interpreted as including limitations.  It's a little harder to place how a lack of flaws enters in related to both; they're not there, so you can't directly evaluate that, beyond the first covering a limited aspect range, not being completely balanced.  Both have a clean, refined nature in part related to that.  

The flavor set is more interesting in the black tea, I think, and it was more balanced across a broad aspect range.  If cacao really was more dominant in the oolong version that might've been better, but it's fine as it is.  For both you either have to appreciate the way it all comes together or else these could be hard to relate to, for not matching a conventional Chinese style.

There's a trend in some tea enthusiast circles, and tea appreciation, of a sort of one-upmanship, which I try to reject expressing or being a part of here.  In some discussion tea versions need to be the best of a standard type, or really unique related to a set of aspects, or very complex, refined, and balanced, or else they can be all but dismissed with a mediocre quality range judgement, interpreted as "so-so."  I don't mean that as blaming anyone; my point is that there's a natural progression to drink better and better tea, until eventually that progression can throw off enjoyment of most of what exists (potentially; again this isn't a critique of Western tea culture, or anything like that).  Loving these simple tea versions, which are not necessarily the most complex and balanced, or representative of one type, could potentially drop out, even though they are very interesting, unique, and positive.

A tea friend just expressed that he sees Chinese teas as setting the standard for everything else, in terms of style and quality, so that if other teas tend to be equivalent in terms of experienced aspects and character then you might as well focus more on standard Chinese versions.  I get that, but you're going to see the same diversity of experiences within Chinese teas too.  That's unless you seek out "most representative" examples of standard types, which producers may provide you based on use of careful blending formulas, mixing inputs until they can give you what you expect.  Or the best of the best tea versions are something else, covering it all, but that's something else.  

In that blending theme discussion I'm not talking about combining Assam and Ceylon to make English Breakfast Tea, I mean that individual production batches always have a limited character range, which can be taken as flaws, for not being more complex or balanced better, or else a natural character best appreciated by focusing on what is positive instead.  I place this by paralleling it with wine blending; usually that works to sell mediocre wine as better mediocre wine, but in the case of exceptional Bordeaux blends it's something else, about harmonizing and maximizing already positive but limited range inputs.  Someone might love good blends most or else good individual varietal types, and neither would be wrong.  Enjoying it all is possible.

But then these are just my thoughts.  What do you think?

Smoked Indian teas, Niroulla Darjeeling and Ketlee Manipur

Niroulla Darjeeling left, Ketlee Manipur black right

I won't add much intro about these; they're smoked Indian black teas, provided by the Lochans for tasting (the Niroulla) and also by Susmit of Ketlee.  Many thanks to them!  To me warm toned teas are a nice winter theme, so I guess this relates to observing winter, even though the weather here isn't on that page.  

It's been in the low 30s lately / low 90s F, so summer weather everywhere else, even though it's supposedly the end of our cool season, or maybe the start of the hot season now, not that it matters.  It feels cool to me anyway because it's breezy and not humid; I went to a water park with the kids yesterday and it felt a little cool out, at roughly that same temperature.

Niroulla's Smoky Wonder Black Tea (a Tea Swan outlet link, to a 2020 2nd flush version, with this 2021)

This hand-picked fresh leaves from the terrain of Darjeeling during the second flush is a wonder wrapped in your cup! The tea leaves are processed through the pine smoke chamber to get the smoky aroma and flavour. Having the air-filled around you with the aroma of delicate fruity notes, Niroula’s Smoky Wonder black tea tastes smoky and fresh! 

Orthodox Smoked Black Tea

Orthodox Village Style Smoked Black tea from Manipur. [I think it's that]

Processing : This tea is handpicked, withered, hand-rolled, oxidised, sundried and then smoked in forest firewood. The rolled leaf will not be fully sun dried and the complete drying will take place on top of the kitchen fireplace for several days until the desired smokiness level is achieved... 

Taste : Smoke, muscatel, raisins, peppermint...

Grade : Wild Gushu Spring Harvest 2019

I always take gushu (plant age) claims with a grain of salt, but if old plant forest based sources are used some would be older, or maybe all the material could be.  I suppose it's possible that this is a related version from a different harvest, or it could be something else, but it's probably close to that.  If it's a similar but different version the description probably wouldn't match.

Review:

Niroulla left; it came across as much lighter, matching the color difference

Niroulla Darjeeling:  not all that smoky; in general I expected the opposite concern, although the smoke scent is a lot weaker in this dry tea version than the other.  It would be possible to miss that this is even a smoked tea.  The overall experience is pleasant, and positive, just not overwhelmingly so related to complexity and balance of the tea.  Quality seems generally good; not much for flaws stands out either.  There is just a lack of distinctness to the experience, not much jumps out at you beyond a general earthiness.  

Sweetness level is ok, and flavors that are present are fine.  For a breakfast tea this would be fine, well above average.  I think sometimes a lot can get missed related to the range within which I'm evaluating teas.  Compared to a loose Twinings English Breakfast tea this is on another level, that much more positive, complex, and refined.  I suppose comparing it to a Twinings Lapsang Souchong might make sense, but it's not as if I have either profile in mind, so I can contrast or match up aspects.  I've not drank Twinings teas in a few years, and don't plan on resolving that to re-establish a baseline.

Some general fruitiness stands out beyond the very light smoke input.  It's not exactly clearly in any one range, a bit non-distinct, but towards citrus or maybe dried fruit, or maybe both.  For "dried fruit" maybe dried cherry and tamarind, so including some complexity.  Really that description as an aspect list sounds good, and the tea is pleasant, it's just limited in how it all comes together and comes across.  

For sounding a little negative about it I should clarify that I'd describing it using really exceptional Indian and Chinese black teas as a baseline threshold.  This is better than a generic Darjeeling tea bag tea, for sure, but really good versions of better Darjeeling (or Assam, or from elsewhere) are two full levels beyond that.  This doesn't quite make it to that highest level, the range where very positive aspects stand out, and overall complexity, and refinement is great, all experienced without notable flaws.  This lacks the flaws, and complexity isn't bad, a good start.  A touch more smoke really would've blotted out experiencing the rest, so that would be a significant trade-off, but it would match my expectations better.  Of course one infusion in is too early for a final judgment.

Ketlee Manipur:  there's that punch of smoke.  For people not into smoked teas it would be just awful, like leaning over a campfire, but for people on that page it's never clearly enough until it's too much, and this isn't there yet, not too much.  I think they nailed it for smoke input level.  It's not like I'm a smoke expert but at a guess this is pine smoke; it has that nice sharp edge to it.  I suppose other tree wood could also lend that.  My grandfather smoked a lot of food and he would never use pine, instead maple, cherry, or hickory, and those all provide really nice range for smoking foods, and would've worked well for tea.

It's going to be harder to identify what is going on beyond the smoke, which is fine for me, since it's kind of the part of the experience I'm signed on for.  My impression is that the tea base is good, that they didn't cut any corners on what they used, although to an extent they could've and it wouldn't change much.  No flaws stand out, no noteworthy astringency, or thinness of body, or off flavor aspect.  Richness and depth is good.  

Flavor range seems to add more of a warm mineral and toffee note than for the other, which is lighter and more into fruit.  Feel is definitely fuller, but it might give up a bit of sharp feel edge, a light astringency dryness in the other.  The other is so soft and balanced it's wrong to say that without adding context; I'm still talking about the range of very good tea, not how chopped leaf versions come across, and that astringency level and version is positive.  It doesn't cross my mind to see if a splash of milk will counter that aspect in the other, because it lends a fullness and structure to the tea, not a harsh edge.

Kind of a strange idea I've been encountering these days, mixing these two teas they might be better than either alone.  Ordinarily I love the distinctness of narrow aspect types of teas, for better and worse for balancing a broad range of aspect inputs, but the smoke and richness in the second version and light edge and fruit in the first might work together.  Oddly the second is just as sweet, not a direct match to other descriptions, but it's easy to miss that for how the heavier savory smoke input shifts interpretation.

I just did try mixing them; in terms of balance and complexity it's better, but it does come across as muddled for blending too much range together.  In a sense that failure to be better is comforting, reassuring a general perspective about teas I most typically only hold as an assumption, even though I've been discussing it a lot lately, about blends versus narrower origin and aspect versions.  I suppose them mixed together is more like what any tin of smoked black tea would be like.

Niroulla left

Niroulla, second round:  the smoke is essentially gone, not that it was so clear that it was present initially.  This tea is better this round; the fruit really shines through.  Citrus might have picked up a bit in the balance of the fruit.  Astringency edge is just different, not more or less, and a touch of woodiness enters in, but the overall balance is nice.  Judged as a smoked tea it's just not like that this round, but it's quite good.  This would be especially good as a tea type to have with food, the way that fruit and sweetness could link up with a food input, or counter it, with the light astringency edge just perfect to clear your palate.  

Tea and food pairing isn't necessarily one of my things but I just tried an orange cake (like plain cake with marmalade on it; kind of odd but nice) along with a Shui Xian, an inexpensive version from that one local Chinatown shop I always go to, Jip Eu, and both were fantastic together, much better than either alone.  I think that worked much better for the tea containing no citrus trace, just countering it well, with the overlap between this Darjeeling and that marmalade probably not working out as well.  With this being so sweet it might pair well with something that's not quite as sweet.

Ketlee Manipur:  it's cool how the smoke effect shifted in this, but it didn't really diminish.  If anything it's slightly stronger, reminding me of the scent of coal or charcoal.  The balance is still ok, with a lighter, twangier smoke edge replaced by this deeper smoke range, just with less coming through from the tea.  Back to the pairing idea, this would be perfect with something sweet, for adding contrast, maybe something like a chocolate cake with a creamy frosting, or a raisin danish.  I think the connection between that wuyi yancha oolong and the orange flavored cake related to the inky mineral tone pairing really well with citrus sweetness, and that this probably wouldn't offset that orange cake in a comparable way.

Conclusions:

Both nice, both very different.  I'm wondering where these stand in relation to a smoked Gopaldhara Darjeeling I tried half a year ago, but of course I don't have the memory to place that.  At a guess that was closer to this Darjeeling version but with slightly heavier smoke.  I never did get much of a read on the tea input for the Ketlee Manipur version, but again for liking smoked teas with smoke a bit heavy that seemed fine.  That's what they're about.  If it's too strong aftertaste gets to be a bit too much, and this Manipur version didn't go that far.

Judged as a fruity, balanced Darjeeling version the Niroulla works better, versus representing a typical smoked tea.  It may be that they intentionally backed off the smoke level to allow that tea quality and character to shine through, which makes sense, given how good the tea was, and for it being a bit on the delicate side (or refined, to add a more positive framing).  It balanced.

Great Mississippi Tea Company Biloxi Breeze and Grilled Southern Peach

 

Reviewing two more blends from the Great Mississippi Tea Company.  There was more on this producer that I already shared in this discussion with the owners, or an interview post with Jason McDonald (one owner), and reviews of other tea blends and plain teas, with this the latest, including a yellow tea.  

Their teas are pretty good, especially for them being so new to production, something like a half dozen years in.  Especially the blends, maybe; they are doing truly novel things, creating what didn't exist before, partially in response to a US preference for teas with flavor range beyond standard oolong and such.  I suppose it's that Americans really just aren't as aware of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian teas as they might be, so strong-flavored and novel blends can stand out something new to experience, that those consumers also aren't currently aware of, but at least it's clearer what they are.

Onto review then, after also mentioning the Great Mississippi Tea Company descriptions:

Biloxi Breeze

Biloxi Breeze is our newest item for the summer. It is a blend of MS Queen, strawberries, Kaffir lime leaves, and jalapenos. 

You supply the ice and lime and this set comes with everything you will need to make a Biloxi Breeze. If you would like, add Tequila and Triple Sec for a little extra fun!

It is the perfect balance of sweet, refreshing, and a little kick to make it fun!

Each kit makes roughly 1/2 gallon. 

Tea blend ingredients: MS Queen (green tea), Freeze Dried Strawberries, Kaffir Lime, Strawberry Extract, Dried Jalapeno Peppers. 

I had no idea that was intended as an alcoholic drink mix, served cold, or a "mocktail / virgin" version of that.  I guess reading the directions makes sense sometimes.  It probably would work well for that, although I really don't drink alcohol (not that I wouldn't, I just don't), and not being into pepper spice in general would throw it off.

Grilled Southern Peach

Pecan Smoked Tea Blend Using US Grown Black Tea & Oolong Tea

This is a real stunner of a tea! Perfect iced with pulled pork at a barbecue or hot while sitting by a fire reading your favorite book. 

This is a pecan wood cold smoked black and oolong tea blend with dried peach pieces. The pecan wood smoke lends a vanilla note to the tea. 

1 rounded tsp per 8 oz. of 200F water. Steep for 5 minutes. 

I can see why they are designing and promoting teas prepared as iced tea; that's what is most accepted in the US.  That infusion strength and approach probably would work for hot tea but for iced tea it might work better to go stronger, and double proportion to 2 teaspoons, maybe bump amount to more like 250 ml, and let it "brew out," steeping for 6 minutes, then strain, and add ice to chill and dilute.  It's that last step that changes everything; it's going to nearly double the amount of water in the tea.  All that isn't best-practice guidance, of course, just off the cuff speculation, since I've not prepared the tea that way.  I tried this with a little sugar at the end, brewing it hot, so I can talk about how that changes results.

That critique of the brewing recommendations prompted me to go back and review what was listed for the Biloxi Breeze version:  no specific instructions.  I think that's actually the best solution, to let people experiment and see what works for them, given that it's an unconventional tea and an atypical final form (as iced tea, potentially used to make a mixed drink).  I think the same general approach I just mentioned for the peach version would work:  brew it strong, steep it for awhile, then let ice dilute it.  Brewing temperature could be hard to pin down as an optimum, since cooler water (eg. 175 F) works well for green tea, and hotter water (full boiling point) tends to work best for tisanes (herbs or fruit).  No one optimum would exist; it would depend on preference for balancing slightly more astringency and part of the vegetal range versus the extra fruit flavor that would extract brewed hotter.

I didn't mean to imply that after 6 minutes brewing time the infusion results would be negative (for the second, or both).  For a conventional tea like tea-bag black tea that's probably objectively true, but for whole-leaf brewing multiple Western style infusion rounds is normal, so total time of 4+5 minutes (9) wouldn't be so unusual.  Gongfu brewing a full dozen or more rounds would tell you how that late stage infusion character would work out, I just tend to stop listing notes after 5 or 6 rounds in these reviews, and used a Western brewing approach this time (it works better for flavored or tisane blended teas). 

Review:

Biloxi Breeze is lighter and paler, as expected from a green tea and tisane blend

Biloxi Breeze:  I hadn't noticed that this had jalapeno peppers in it, along with fruit and green tea.  That's most of what I pick up, the spice edge.  I think people would either love or dislike this tea based on how they relate to a spice edge offsetting other sweet and fruity range.  Since I'm the kind of person who skips putting black pepper in masala chai, because I don't like that addition, even though it really integrates in for that form, I lean towards not liking it.  I can still try to describe it objectively, to the extent it works to set aside personal like, for others who would be more on that page.

The pepper doesn't necessarily take over the blend but it's by far the strongest input.  That you can even notice it has fruit range beyond that means they tried to keep it moderate and balanced.  For someone with a very high tolerance for spice it could be a perfect balance.  Even though I've adapted to an above average ability to eat spicy foods, related to living in Thailand for 14 years, I don't love them, and to me there is no overlap with that type of experience and my tea interest or preference.  If a balance of food flavors really needs a spice edge to complete it I can appreciate that (eg. in Thai curries; those flavors wouldn't be nearly as good without spice as a main input).  But beyond that I skip eating anything spicy. 

It's hard to taste what is there beyond that spice, beyond it being fruit.  I think the lime is discernable, and the fruit might come across as towards berry range, but there's no way that could seem clear.  Maybe a high end berry hint does stand out, but dealing with heat as a main input makes it hard to be clear on other things.  Somehow it makes the rest seem savory, like sun-dried tomato, even though it's probably not really like that, it's probably just a perception error related to how a mix seems to present.  Pepper with some sweetness, lime, a faint hint of berry, and stronger sun-dried tomato effect isn't bad, especially if the pepper part sounds reasonable to someone.  

As a match to my own subjective preference goes this is a complete miss; I don't like it.  For someone really into spicy foods, and open to experiences like spicy candy, it would probably be a natural fit.  It might be that even how one takes those intense red and white mint disc candies could serve as an indicator, if that heavy hit of spicy mint is appealing, or candy canes (pretty much the same thing).  

I love the idea of a peppermint candy cane but not the actual experience of them.  I've tried to finish them after my kids start through the same experience, and hand them over, but it doesn't really work.  I love sweeter, lighter wintergreen and spearmint versions of mint candy but not peppermint, unless it's really dialed down, like in a Peppermint Patty candy bar.

Grilled Southern Peach:  that's pretty cool.  The crux for this tea was going to be getting smoke, fruit, and tea to balance, and I think messing around with infusion parameters would help for anyone to get it fully dialed in, but it works.  I essentially always brew Western style using a relatively high proportion for that form, and multiple rounds instead of one 5 minute version at more standard / lower proportion.  At least I can try it for a second round and say more about how it might work combined, which absolutely wouldn't be possible the other way, guessing at how one infusion would have divided into two, instead of guessing how two would seem if mixed together.  I did brew these for at least 4 minutes, so they're not light at all, if anything on the heavy side (stronger infused).

As to balance and how this comes across as a flavor list that's unusual.  Smoke is evident, but definitely not overpowering.  Peach stands out enough to be recognizable, although maybe without that in the title I'd be fumbling with what fruit this seems like, even though it's the only fruit flavor input.  It's a mix of black tea and oolong, which is different.  The tea part is a bit non-distinct then, but that works for it being a base, in this form.  

On the negative side the peach could "pop" a little more; that would change how it all integrates.  On the positive side it tastes natural, and it all does work together, and those three inputs are a great theme.  It has richness and depth, and no hint of the "cheap tea" input that grocery store blends, or related main website blenders, all need to work around.  I could drink this regularly as a breakfast tea; it works well enough that repetition would still be fine.  It's like how you don't really get tired of Earl Grey very fast; it makes that much sense.

Probably adding just a little sugar would get the fruit flavor to stand out more.  It's funny how that sweetness input changes the impression of the rest.  In a sense I should try it, but it's really not the page I'm on.  It's nice that the smoke is subtle, given that this is supposed to work together with a fruit aspect.  Anywhere near the intensity of typical smoked Lapsang Souchong and it wouldn't matter how much peach extract they added, it wouldn't be there, but this is balanced.  For people into heavy smoked teas I suppose that could be a disappointment, but this just isn't supposed to be that.

It will be interesting to see how the balances shift over a next infusion.  Often flavored teas just rinse off, and some of that might happen in this case.  But tisanes "open up" slower, and a natural smoke flavor could easily be an exception, so maybe not in this case.

Second infusion:

Biloxi breeze:  it's a pleasant surprise that the level of spice dropped; this might have been more balanced brewed as one infusion, at half this proportion for slightly longer.  Even more evened out, with fruit a little more noticeable, and on the same intensity level, I still don't like it.  Pepper spice in tea just isn't for me.  Maybe I will add sugar to both of these to check results; that might cut the effect.  For the kind of tea enthusiast I am that's sort of throwing in the towel, but then just drinking blends is way outside my most typical range too.  I've been drinking more tisane blends lately though, even beyond these samples, so relating to a broader range seems more familiar from that.

with sugar:  that does help.  The fruit (berry) pops a good bit more, and it drops back the heat effect a little.  This is within striking range of making sense to me now, but not quite there, I still don't like it.  Only during the final edit did I read that this was "designed" to work chilled, as either an alcoholic beverage base or as a "mocktail," and that does make more sense.  Hitting it with just a touch of lime juice if the alcohol is left out might give it other range that balances it, or with triple sec and tequila it might be good.  Or vodka, I guess, taking it one step closer to a kamikaze, which I did like back in my youth.

Grilled Southern Peach:  smoke might have picked up slightly more than peach; somehow I had expected that.  It doesn't work better as a result, or really that much worse either, it's just different.  I'll have to check these with a small spoonful of sugar added to see what that changes; it's a necessary part of a more complete review.  There's a raw sugar version handy that's probably perfect for the role, adding a hint of molasses warmth along with the plain sweetness.

with sugar: it's strange how much difference that makes.  Smoke input seems different, if anything slightly more pronounced, but also just varied in effect.  To be more specific it might have shifted the flavor so that fruit is stronger, but an after-effect or undertone of smoke plays a different role.  I didn't add a lot of sugar to either of these; one of those small coffee or tea spoons worth (like you get on an airline flight, which you really aren't supposed to keep), in a full 8 ounce / 200+ ml mug.  

Peach taste isn't more distinct but fruit range stands out more; funny how that works.  Chilled this would probably be one of the best versions of flavored tea someone ever had, beyond the range of what a standard ready to drink bottled version could even potentially achieve.  No, I'm not going to do that and write about it here.  The tea should be prepared slightly too strong for that use, to account for the water from the ice.  [Editing note] cool that this was intended as an iced tea; they're on it.

This is much catchier.  It integrated well enough before, but that bit of sugar really ties it all together.  There's a chance that stevia could play a similar role (an herb that can work as a natural non-sugar sweetener), someone would just need to be very careful to only add a little, or it would surely ruin it.

Smoky Muscatel Gopaldhara Autumn Flush Darjeeling

In picking which tea to review I looked through what my friend Ralph liked best in his Instagram based reviews, and noticed one of these teas from Gopaldhara is smoked.  That should be different.  Of course Lapsang Souchong is the main smoked tea, the traditional Chinese version, and I've tried a version from Japan before that was nice, one smoked using the wood from whiskey barrels to give it even more complexity.

I tend to never read any description of teas before reviewing them, to approach them with a clean slate, since hearing a description will influence what you pick up, but it seems like a reasonable time to make an exception.  I'll read and copy Ralph's description here, from his Instagram post:

thedailytealegraph

2021 Smoky Muscatel Lapsang Black FTGFOP1 Autumn Flush from Gopaldhara, Darjeeling, @gopaldharateas

The tea variety is an AV2 bush grown in high elevation at an average of 6000ft (1830m), the tea gets heated over pinewood for the smoked flavor.

1st infusion: great! A rounded, sweet, fruity and smoked Lapsang aroma, where the smoke is nowhere bitter or too intense, just obvious enough to blend in very balanced and add to the flavor. Minerality is nice as well and gives an oily viscosity.

2nd infusion: it's a bit lighter, but still very sweet and fruity, the pine smoke shows some slightly fresh sour notes now with a very tiny bit of bitterness in the background which is just typical as these notes are naturally in the pine needles and the smoke itself...

Daily facts: a great version of a Lapsang Souchong and as a Darjeeling tea it's even more fruity and sweet than the usual Chinese Lapsang souchong. It might be not as thick and powerful in the mouth as other versions, but totally makes up for that with sweetness, fruitiness and quality.

Daily rating: 4.8/5

Sounds good.  Maybe I can even keep the description short to adjust for including two reviews here.

One thing that stood out was calling this "Lapsang," since that seems to reference that Chinese tea type, Lapsang Souchong, which this isn't (I don't think).  In looking up their website description, cited at the end, it doesn't include "Lapsang."  That's probably better, since everyone would already know what smoked black tea means.  Of course comparing the character / aspects to the main smoked black tea type, Lapsang Souchong, makes a lot of sense.

It occurred to me just as I was pouring the first infusion of water into the gaiwan that Western brewing might work better, since the smoke flavor might extract faster than the rest using multiple infusions / Gongfu style.  I guess I'll know better soon enough, but trying it brewed both ways would tell the full story.

Review:  

first infusion:  it is smoky, and smoke flavor is extracting faster than that of tea.  It could still fall into a normal range balance next round, since surely one fast infusion didn't rinse off the smoke, and tea flavors should be ramped up a lot even by a second round.  The smoke effect is nice.  It's hard to get the level to balance, which I can judge better next round, but a pronounced but still clean effect is also important, which is easy enough to assess this round, since smoke dominates.  It tastes like pine smoke.  Dryness is at a good level, adding an edge to the feel and aftertaste, but that could easily be rough, and it's not.  Too strong and a pine smoke aftertaste would seem a bit cloying, but this is still just pronounced.

second infusion:  it's a cool effect the way that both tea flavor and smoke ramped way up, even for using a fairly fast infusion time, under 10 seconds.  This would brew good intensity tea Western style at a moderate proportion.  Smoke is still a little strong in proportion, but for Lapsang Souchong that can be normal.  I've tried much stronger.  The smoke isn't balanced with sweetness and tea flavors but it still works, and that should even out next round.  

The effect is clean; a heavy mineral base and higher end smoke make this tea intense, but it's not rough, overly earthy, or sour.  A touch of sourness is present, or maybe even a medium level, but it works in relation to the sweetness, other flavors, and smoke taste.  It's going to be hard to judge if these infusions wouldn't be better combined.  I could've "stacked" the last half of the first three rounds, but I just thought of that too.  My mind is running behind in planning out this tasting session. 

third infusion:  tea sweetness and flavor ramped up, with smoke dropping back in proportion.  I don't think it's fading just yet, but this was a really fast infusion, drawing out less of that.  The way it balances makes for a pleasant effect.  A dry feel to the tea, a good bit of edge, but not astringency roughness, works well along with the strong flavors.  That feel reminds me more of good Assam than Darjeeling, which tend to either be smooth or have a sharper bite, but not so much the dryness, which seems to pair with the malt flavor in Assam.  

Sweetness is a little towards molasses, but it stops short of that, landing more where a sweet version of cured leather smells.  Or it's like the sweet scent in pipe tobacco, which may or may not translate over to the taste of that smoke; I've never smoked one of those old style pipes to find out.  With the smoke in this it might remind someone a lot of a pipe tobacco effect.  There is other range, beyond the heavy mineral base, it's just hard to break out as a list, beyond the smoke and the rest I've described.  It's complex.  

fourth infusion:  that "other range" is really emerging this round.  I can see how someone might like this better combined together as two more complex infusions, or how some others would rather experience it layer by layer like this.  Smoke, heavy mineral base, and dryness are still present, but the leather / tobacco sweetness is developing quite a bit.  A bit of citrus seems to develop, along the line of orange peel, or maybe red grapefruit instead.  The leather tone is slightly woodier, but sweet and rich, along the line of cured (aged) sawdust.  That's a favorite scent from my childhood, from lots of playing on a huge old pile of sawdust that was part of a long forgotten sawmill operation on my parent's property.  No one had any memory of that sawmill, or the trees, but judging from old pictures the land had been clear-cut decades before.

I grew up in the upper-middle left of this photo, near an old drive-in movie theater

a mall replaced that drive-in movie theater, and some forests regrew

fifth infusion:  spice tones ramp way up in this; it's cool that it changes round to round.  Citrus is still there, with mineral and smoke dropped way back.  If I had brewed this using a conventional two round Western approach I'd expect this infusion range to be a part of the second infusion.  The form of that spice is catchy, but hard to pin down.  Towards cardamom, just including a touch of fennel seed?  It might even lean a little towards clove, or that aromatic aspect could tie back to the grapefruit citrus.  It's probably the best that it's been, even with the smoke mostly faded.  The dry astringency is dropping out too, giving it a rich and full feel.

sixth infusion:  all of the rest fades a little to give way to a more conventional wood tone. This is probably finally on the decline.  There is still plenty of positive complexity, but I would imagine it will just get woodier, and although the intensity isn't easing up quickly stretching infusion time to keep that up will draw out less positive flavor range.  Citrus might seem more like dried orange peel now, a bit warmer.  

I checked the next round and it's just as positive; this might be fading but it's not fading fast.

Conclusion:

Quite positive!  The level and type of smoke input was nicely balanced, which makes a lot of difference. The tea input seemed well suited for that, heavy in flavor but sweet and balanced.  The form of astringency seemed a little unusual in relation to what I expected, dryness versus light edge, but it worked with the rest of this tea character.

The comparison tasting against Ralph's impression didn't work so well for using two completely different brewing approaches, but it did match well enough. That fruit he mentioned seemed to take the form of fresh orange, then red grapefruit, then dried orange peel.  Of course smoke was a primary flavor in the first few rounds, with some sourness joining that, and a lot of mineral range.  The rest was harder to interpret, but I saw it as contributing a lot, especially in the 4th and 5th infusions.  It was cool how earthiness similar to pipe tobacco transitioned to spice range.  Even up to the 7th round this is nicely balanced and complex, and not finished.

I can't really place this in relation to higher quality smoked Lapsang Souchong; I've just not been drinking any versions of that for years.  The last I tried was clearly artificially smoke flavored and I guess that put me off.

I've tried a lot more unsmoked Lapsang Souchong over the past 5 years or so, and I suppose this could be a little similar to those.  I always did like smoked versions, but it's hard to find versions where the smoke balances well, or where that input isn't a bit off in taste, too sour or contributing a harsh aftertaste, or where using low quality tea doesn't limit complexity detract from overall effect.  This doesn't seem to suffer from any of those flaws.  The strengths and positive aspects that do shine through are quite pleasant.  

Gopaldhara Darjeeling Smoky Muscatel – Clonal Black Tea

This Darjeeling smoky muscatel tea is designed for those who are fond of good quality clonal black tea with smoked preparations. This Darjeeling black tea is made from AV2 bushes which is one of the most flavorful cultivars of Darjeeling; heated over burning pinewood shavings, which contributes to the sweet fruity and smoky flavor with a honey finish. As we are using pinewood for smoke, it also imparts a little pine resin aroma and muscatel flavor taste...

The Gopaldhara smoky muscatel tea is made with hand-picked leaves collected from Darjeeling at 5500 to 7000 FT elevation during the Autumn Flush season. After a little rolling, the tea leaves are passed through the pine smoke chamber several times to get the smoked flavor... 

I've been discussing what "muscatel" means a little lately, and it's strange that there isn't a clearer meaning.  Let's consider two meanings, from the source of all mostly correct but incomplete knowledge, Wikipedia:

Muscatel (/ˌmʌskəˈtɛl/ MUSK-ə-TEL) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became popular in the United States when, at the end of prohibition, in order to meet the large demand for wine, some poor strains of muscat grapes (used normally for table grapes or raisins) mixed with sugar and cheap brandy were used to produce what has since become infamous as a wino wine. This kind of fortified wine has, in the United States, damaged the reputation of all muscat-based wines and the term muscatel tends no longer to be used for these "better" wines in the United States.[1] In other markets the term Muscatel, or Moscatel, refers to a wide range of sweet wines based on these grapes.

So I always thought it referred to a strong version of wine, towards grape, raisin, and brandy in flavor, also leaning towards heavy citrus.  In my mind I was working backwards from what is present in tea, but then who knows, maybe I was always way off, or completely inconsistent.  The tea version description:

Muscatel refers to a distinctive flavor found in some Darjeeling teas, especially the second-flush teas. It has been described as a "distinct sweet flavour" that is not present in other flushes or tea from other localities,[1] a "musky spiciness," [2] "a unique muscat-like fruitiness in aroma and flavour,"[3] or "dried raisins with a hay like finish."[4] Though difficult to describe,[4] it is prized by tea aficionados.[5]

The flavor develops in part through the action of sap-sucking insects, jassids and thrips, which partly damage the young tea leaves. The tea plant then produces terpene as an insect repellent. This higher concentration of terpene produces the muscatel flavor.

Right, so sort of related to Oriental Beauty oolong.  This tasted like citrus to me, a little, maybe just not so much like grape or wine.