Suggestions? Need a good hot tea.
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I only smoke VaPers (McClelland 2015) and about the only tea I drink is a good Keemun. I have never liked the bergomot that they add to Earl Grey. But my suggestion is to go out on a limb and try different things. You may find something that nobody ever thought of and be very happy with it.
If you want to REALLY treat yourself, I recently sniffed a tea that was absolutely heavenly. It's a red/herbal with vanilla and bourbon flavoring that reminded me a lot of unlit tobacco. HEAVENLY I tell you, but also very expensive. Available loose leaf or in tea bags.
Michael Mirza, good choice. I have a tin of Mariage Freres Iskandar in my office desk drawer right now, was too lazy to take a photo, found this one from internet:
I was gifted a portable tea mug while purchasing some great tea from O Sulloc (South Korea). I was preparing my tea in this one:
Here is a photo of mine from Korea:
I was gifted a portable tea mug while purchasing some great tea from O Sulloc (South Korea). I was preparing my tea in this one:
Here is a photo of mine from Korea:
Thank you all for your replies (more are welcome obviously).
It seems as if Lapsang Souchong is the go to tea for for Latakia blends, and Earl Grey for VaPer blends. That being said, I am going to start with those. As far as brands go, these two were suggested (Twinings, Harney & Sons). For the two teas mentioned above, is there another brand any of you would suggest? Remember, Ill be reviewing this.
Also, that Mariage stuff seems pretty neat, so Ill look into that one.
And Andy, you said you enjoy white teas. I have always been intrigued by white tea, but never thought it would stand on its own while smoking a pipe. However, I have yet to try it, so I could be wrong. Is there one you would suggest? And even if not to be paired with a pipe, I would still be interested.
One last note.... If any of you suggest something with mint in it, don't bother..... Makes me think of toothpaste. Cant stand it.
Thanks!
It seems as if Lapsang Souchong is the go to tea for for Latakia blends, and Earl Grey for VaPer blends. That being said, I am going to start with those. As far as brands go, these two were suggested (Twinings, Harney & Sons). For the two teas mentioned above, is there another brand any of you would suggest? Remember, Ill be reviewing this.
Also, that Mariage stuff seems pretty neat, so Ill look into that one.
And Andy, you said you enjoy white teas. I have always been intrigued by white tea, but never thought it would stand on its own while smoking a pipe. However, I have yet to try it, so I could be wrong. Is there one you would suggest? And even if not to be paired with a pipe, I would still be interested.
One last note.... If any of you suggest something with mint in it, don't bother..... Makes me think of toothpaste. Cant stand it.
Thanks!
OK you really need to get some Harney and Sons. These two are my absolute favorite tea's. They are both oolongs.
For the Escudo I would highly highly recommend their Fenghuang Shuixian which has a peach or nectarine flavor for me.
For the quiet nights I suggest their Li Shan which has a light floral/lemon taste/scent.
I should note that I live literally up the road from their headquarters and they really do have the best tea's. I've been hoping they have a job opening in my line of work as I'd love to work there. So far I haven't heard of any openings. ha ha
Also I agree with Nate. Harney & Son's Earl Grey Supreme is one of the best Earl Grey's I've had.
White tea's aren't my thing as Ooolongs are but this one is quite good. Ceylon Vintage Silver Tips
If you like jasmine I can highly recommend their Dragon Pearl Jasmine.
For the Escudo I would highly highly recommend their Fenghuang Shuixian which has a peach or nectarine flavor for me.
For the quiet nights I suggest their Li Shan which has a light floral/lemon taste/scent.
I should note that I live literally up the road from their headquarters and they really do have the best tea's. I've been hoping they have a job opening in my line of work as I'd love to work there. So far I haven't heard of any openings. ha ha
Also I agree with Nate. Harney & Son's Earl Grey Supreme is one of the best Earl Grey's I've had.
White tea's aren't my thing as Ooolongs are but this one is quite good. Ceylon Vintage Silver Tips
If you like jasmine I can highly recommend their Dragon Pearl Jasmine.
Hmmm....Earl Grey jumps out as a first choice for QN as the bergamot cuts through the smokey lat and really works well in keeping one's palette fresh.
For Escudo gunpowder comes to mind. Malty, deep, a little sharp and a touch smokey.
I think a nice Pu-erh would work for both though if you want a one tea solution. Very rich, earthy, a bit funky with notes of fermentation for offset. Good stuff!
For Escudo gunpowder comes to mind. Malty, deep, a little sharp and a touch smokey.
I think a nice Pu-erh would work for both though if you want a one tea solution. Very rich, earthy, a bit funky with notes of fermentation for offset. Good stuff!
Let me add one more suggestion.
There's a tea called Malawi Dark Fired Tea. It's not particularly famous and it isn't readily available everywhere, but there used to be some online outlets in UK selling it (I found them by accident when some online stores popped up in my search results when I was googling for Malawi Dark Fire Cured Tobaccos).
When I learned about the Malawi Dark Fired Tea I knew I must to give it a try, as I like DFC tobaccos very much. And as we know, some of the finest Dark Fire Cured tobaccos come exactly from Malawi (Nyasaland). Then why Dark Fired Teas from there not to be good?
They said the tea wasn't exactly fired or smoked, but just fermented at a higher temperature than other teas are usually fermented at. So, I ordered a pound.
What a tea it was! Well, it was not smoky and not particularly similar to DFC tobacco, having instead a rich malty and woodsy "baked" flavour. It paired perfectly with G&H Dark Birds Eye or G&H Dark Plug. Actually its flavour is quite neutral, so it pairs well with just any other tobaccos I smoke (except Latakia, which suppresses its delicate flavour, so ultra-tarry Lapsang Souchong 'Crocodile' tea from Taiwan goes here better).
So, give that tea a try if you're fond of good teas.
Generally, I very often pair my pipe with a cup of loose tea sans milk and sugar. I found that quality African loose teas, especially from Kenya (I tried also Tanzanian, Ruandan and Rhodesian, which impressed me a bit less), were always the best companions to my pipe smoke. They are much like Assam and Ceylon teas, rich and strong, but completely lacking even the slightest astringency and bitterness that may sometimes manifest in Asian teas. That specific gentle malty sweetness of African teas, what a great complement to the taste of good tobacco...
There's a tea called Malawi Dark Fired Tea. It's not particularly famous and it isn't readily available everywhere, but there used to be some online outlets in UK selling it (I found them by accident when some online stores popped up in my search results when I was googling for Malawi Dark Fire Cured Tobaccos).
When I learned about the Malawi Dark Fired Tea I knew I must to give it a try, as I like DFC tobaccos very much. And as we know, some of the finest Dark Fire Cured tobaccos come exactly from Malawi (Nyasaland). Then why Dark Fired Teas from there not to be good?
They said the tea wasn't exactly fired or smoked, but just fermented at a higher temperature than other teas are usually fermented at. So, I ordered a pound.
What a tea it was! Well, it was not smoky and not particularly similar to DFC tobacco, having instead a rich malty and woodsy "baked" flavour. It paired perfectly with G&H Dark Birds Eye or G&H Dark Plug. Actually its flavour is quite neutral, so it pairs well with just any other tobaccos I smoke (except Latakia, which suppresses its delicate flavour, so ultra-tarry Lapsang Souchong 'Crocodile' tea from Taiwan goes here better).
So, give that tea a try if you're fond of good teas.
Generally, I very often pair my pipe with a cup of loose tea sans milk and sugar. I found that quality African loose teas, especially from Kenya (I tried also Tanzanian, Ruandan and Rhodesian, which impressed me a bit less), were always the best companions to my pipe smoke. They are much like Assam and Ceylon teas, rich and strong, but completely lacking even the slightest astringency and bitterness that may sometimes manifest in Asian teas. That specific gentle malty sweetness of African teas, what a great complement to the taste of good tobacco...
Someone mentioned Lipton, and it's a fine old brand. I think of it as a sort of tonic among teas, bracing with an edge, a bit strong on the tannins and harsh on the stomach, and therefore not the brand I reach for, but just the ticket when you need a quick tea upper.
Nothing beats good ol' Lipton in my opinion. I've never been much for herbal teas. I don't even like orange in my tea. Just straight darkly brewed lipton with sugar or honey.
The OP hasnt been on since this post first aired, but what the heck! The guys who suggested Lapsang Souchong are way more manly than myself... I tried that once and it was the worst taste I have ever had, was like drinking liquid leather. Earl Grey, straight black tea, darjeeling, or my new kick is the green earl grey are to my taste.
If you like Latakia you should love Lapsang -- very smoky and rich. A bit of half and half will smooth it out. IMO, what makes a great cup of tea is to make sure it's loose leaf. Bag tea just can't hold a candle to loose leaf. I used to drink a lot of bag tea at work-- more convenient-- and loose leaf at home. I'm always amazed by the difference in quality. For me, I mix Twinings Irish Breakfast and Taylor's Assam and half and half of course.
I drink mostly first flush Darjeelings, which are typically on the lighter side. I use sugar, which brings out the fruit and floral notes in the tea and have found that it goes very well with blends like Penzance. I wouldn't have thought it was a good combination, but it's working for me. I'm wondering if the sugar is playing off the spice of the Orientals, sort of like matching Rieslings with spicy Asian food.
Am a tea drinker, though only with my post-lunch smoke. Since I smoke smokier tobaccos-dark fired burley, oriental blends with latakia and perique, only drink black teas. Don't like Lapsang, though. Darjeelings are too light for me. So only drink that in blends with other black teas, such as Assam, Nilgiri or Kenyan. Do like Keemun and Yunnan teas.
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